


The Shy Newcomer

by durotos



Category: Harvest Moon, Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town
Genre: Coming of Age, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, PROBABLY THE SLOWEST BURN EVER, Romance, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-04-18 09:43:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 103
Words: 459,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14210391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/durotos/pseuds/durotos
Summary: Claire, aching for something new in life, moves to Mineral Town and realizes at once that she has left everything she has ever known. At heart, a story about a young woman discovering that there is more to life if she just looks around her. A story of true love, friendship, hard work, and being part of something bigger than yourself. Slice of life/romance.





	1. The Shy Newcomer

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here she is! I originally started this story years ago and am working on revamping it. Writing this story has helped pull me through a crippling bit of depression and inspired me to write again. I can’t even begin to explain how much better I feel when I’m writing; I can put my emotions and thoughts into words again. Another part of that is due to my rock, my partner, my love. I can’t thank my lovely sweet editor, my husband, enough. I dedicate this story to you, Darling.  
> So without further ado, get cozy, and tuck in for a looong story about love, hard work, community, and finding yourself. I hope that you enjoy! If I know that this story made at least one person smile or feel less alone, I can add that happiness to my own. ;)

It had been a dreary, rainy day. How very fitting for her mood.  The young woman listened to the raindrops smack against her windowpanes.

_Tap. Tap-tap.  Tap._

A second, steadier rhythm was added to the din.

_Drip. Drip.  Drip._

A small leak in the ceiling dribbled into an old bucket she had found in her barn earlier that day. It was hardly a permanent fix, but it would have to do for now.

Claire wasn’t the type to brood, but today was different. She had only been in Mineral Town for a few weeks, but she was already starting to have second thoughts about staying.  She knew, however, that she didn’t have much of a choice—the real estate agent had smooth-talked her into giving all up of her money for the run-down farm.  Just thinking about the scheme angered the normally quiet and rational young woman, and it was the only time within her memory that she had resorted to using violence. 

It could be argued that the mayor of the town was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he had dared to tease her about the situation. He had the gall to laugh in her face when she admitted that she had moved out of her apartment already and quit her job before actually seeing the property she had purchased.  The pudgy middle-aged man hadn’t expected physical brutality in response to his less-than-polite remarks about her decision-making skills.

_He deserved it_ , Claire gritted her teeth.

Did he really, though? The young woman bit her lip as she shifted on her lumpy cotton mattress.  The farmer rewound the situation in her mind and her face burned with embarrassment that she had brandished her new hammer at him.  What on earth had she been thinking?  The problem was that she hadn’t been.  Being blinded by rage was something people read about in books; Claire never lost her temper.  Her stomach churned as she contemplated this ugly new side of her that she didn’t know existed.  She threw herself down on the bed and stared at the knots in the pine ceiling of her new house, muttering phrases and words of displeasure under her breath.  Perhaps the one she was the angriest with was herself for being so gullible and desperate for something new and exciting in her life.

_Is it really too much to ask for? I’m twenty-two and I feel like I’m a dying old woman already…_

But she had fallen into a now-obvious real estate trap – believing every word she had read in the advertisement. Simply put, she had been too naïve.

The new farmer liked to think of her initial attraction to the small coastal town as a sort of temporary insanity; the young woman had seen an advertisement in the local paper for the property and had called the real estate company that very night with an offer. Claire had a steady job in the city, but a lingering sadness followed her for as long as she could remember.  It almost felt as if her soul was dying a little bit every day, especially after joining the workforce.  She enjoyed working with numbers – her job at the accounting firm was a big responsibility for someone so young and with a somewhat less than adequate education, and she had been up to the challenge for over a year now.  Besides, her parents had given her something she craved more than anything else in the entire world: some implications of approval and praise.  She should have been elated.  The quiet middle child had set about her life determined to please them, and in doing so, making herself happy.  Things were never that simple, she realized as she grew older.

The heavy weight on the young woman’s heart was a particular brand of loneliness that belonged to people who knew very little of much else. Her insatiable desire for her success in the workforce kept her from connecting well with anyone.  She rarely spoke to anyone outside of the office, although she religiously sent reports to her parents back home via handwritten letters.  Eager for their support, she wished they would reply to her writings, boring as the contents were.  She realized with a sudden and violent sadness the lowly level she had stooped to when she had written a letter to her mother a few months ago about her delight in finding an extra dumpling in her microwave dinner.

That had been the highlight of her week.

Although she loved to cook, she lacked the energy or time to do much of it since she moved out of her parents’ house at nineteen. She had gingerly peeled the crinkly plastic back from an identical meal tray, searching hopefully for a spare dumpling, only to be met with disappointment once again.  It had been sheer dumb luck, a fluke at the factory that processed the meals.  The dumplings, although they were the tastiest part of the meal, admittedly weren’t even that good to begin with; they were rather bland. 

_Isn’t there something exciting in this world?_

She never would have expected to find the answer to her prayers that very evening as she opened the newspaper to read about the day’s events. She dropped the paper on the floor, letting a small whine escape her lips as she bent over to pick it up.  Claire was too tired to go about chasing after her clumsy mistakes tonight – her fatigue at work had left her scrambling to correct errors all day in her records.  She let out a sigh as she looked at the heap of manila folders bundled up by the television.  It would be a long night of correcting the mistakes she made today…

Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as her throat tightened at the notion of another evening staring at her own errors until her eyes grew bleary with exhaustion. If there was one thing she hated more than anything else, it was failure.  Claire felt another piece of herself slipping away.  She forced the thought and dread out of her mind and willed herself to relax for a moment as she picked up the insert that had fallen from the periodical.  Just a few minutes to read about what was going on in the world, and she’d get back to work.

She looked at the colorful advertisement in her hands and nearly missed her chair as she sat back down, staring intently at the description of a property in a far-off village.

_Mineral Town…_

A wave of euphoria shot up her spine as she continued to read. She set the ad on her table’s surface, as her hands were shaking so much she was having difficulty making out the words.  A fresh, green property with clean water, crisp air, and opportunity – this was it!  This was the excitement she had been craving.  With trembling fingers, she dialed the number provided. 

Claire had been in a trance as the real estate agent spoke with her over the phone. Yes, it would probably take decades to pay off, but that was fine; she was getting a new lease on life.  It was a beautiful piece of property up in the mountains and had a stream running right along the edge, he explained.  A white-sanded beach off of the ocean was walking distance from her house; she had never even been to a beach in her life.  There were natural hot springs, and the peak of the mountain overlooked the town.  Her house was already equipped with the essentials – they’d even throw in a television.  How could anyone not want to live there?  No, she didn’t have the money for the down payment, but they could work something out.

Her life savings for the down payment? Well, of course, it was a new life after all…  Sell any non-essentials?  Great idea!  She would not let this opportunity pass her by.

_I don’t think I’ve ever done anything so stupid in my whole life…_

_Drip. Tap-tap.  Drip._

The young woman snapped back to reality as she stared around her barren one-roomed farmhouse. It was smaller than her apartment back in the city, and her old home had the convenience of a refrigerator, a shower, and a wardrobe full of clothes.  In the excitement of owning her own farm and getting a fresh new start, Claire had sold off almost all of her possessions so that she could afford the down payment on the property.  While she had written a very businesslike letter to her parents about her move and how nice the farm was, she had left out quite a few details and stretched the truth a bit about the quality of the house.  She was now reduced to the bare essentials.  She had a sad, worn-out cotton stuffed mattress in the corner of her room that rested on a creaky old frame.  An old-fashioned television that received a couple of channels sat on the floor, along with a small table and a few floor cushions.

She absentmindedly watched the drops from the ceiling splash into the pail below. _Some luxury farmhouse_ , she thought bitterly.

Because she had gotten rid of almost everything she owned, this situation left her with little more than the clothes on her back. She suddenly realized how difficult everyday things became to her, such as preparing a meal or taking a bath; she had neither a kitchen nor bathroom in her house.  Claire had never been camping herself, but she almost wondered if this was how people felt when they were “roughing it”.  She gained a new respect for people who had to live this way.

Determined not to be overwhelmed by the implied hopelessness of the situation, she found that she had to be pretty creative to make ends meet. Claire reminded herself every day that this was a new lifestyle from the city, and therefore, she was going to have to learn how to adjust.  For example, the farmer would go down to bathe at the spring late at night and jump in fully clothed for fear of someone walking by.  She would then hang her clothes to dry in her house as she slept.  Claire was sure that she would make enough money for a new set of clothes before cooler weather set in.  Waking up to a damp set of clothes was uncomfortable, to say the least.  She cursed herself every day for not keeping more articles of clothing, but she had needed every last piece of gold to make the down payment.  She alternated between her flannel, her undershirt, and one day when she noticed that not many people walked to the path to the mountains in rainy weather, she only wore her bra under her overalls.  The uncomfortable chafing of damp denim on her delicate shoulders quickly kept her from repeating that mistake, and she realized with embarrassment that someone had walked past her on her way back into the farmhouse.  She didn’t get a good look at them, but knowing her luck, it was probably a man.

Claire also began foraging in the mountains for anything edible. She was used to reaching into her freezer for a meal and she felt a little overwhelmed when she realized that option was no longer available despite the fact that she was working just as hard.  The young woman had discovered where a couple of bamboo shoots sprung up, but she wasn’t all that sure what was edible and what wasn’t; all of this greenery was still quite new to her.  She quickly began dropping weight and lacked the energy to grow many crops.  As her weight fell, so did her mood.  What had she been thinking when she came out here?  The farmer couldn’t help but focus on what she didn’t have.

She tried her best to stay positive. Claire remembered that had also been left with the stables and housing for her animals, but they all stood dusty and empty, save a young horse that one of the fellow farmers dropped by her house a week or so ago for the stable.  She had named the colt Tucker, and she was relieved to find that he was content with eating the overgrown weeds on her farm.  Her hope that the barn would soon be filled with livestock was quickly fading as she realized she could scarcely feed herself, let alone extra animals.  Of course, she also had her loyal puppy, Koro, who was given to her by the real estate agent.  It seemed her poor mood had an effect on her pet’s behavior.  The young dog would quietly sit at the foot of her bed as she stifled sobs, wallowing in self-pity, looking up at her with wide, piteous charcoal eyes.

And that was exactly what she was doing again tonight, she realized as she hugged her knees to her chest. Wallowing.  But it was not only her financial situation that bothered her, or her lack of friends.  It hadn’t even been the fact that the idea of owning a farm now overwhelmed her and she was quickly losing her faith that she would be any sort of success.  All of these things were trivial compared to her main problem. 

It was _him_.

She had met him on her first day in her new home. Stubborn, yet shy, the young man quickly caught her interest.  The first thing that she noticed about him was the color of his icy blue eyes, although she swiftly realized that he had often hidden them from the world under his hat.  A view of the baby blues was a rare treat, and she had been lucky enough to get a peek on her first meeting.  The very sight of those eyes made her heart pound in her chest – harder than the thudding of metal on metal she heard in the background the day they had met.

The young man worked hard all day with metal and heavy tools and his body showed it. He had a muscular build and a set of strong arms that she longed to get lost in.  Claire felt a certain kind of envy that he was able to work so swiftly, yet she was painfully unaware of the lack of quality in his work.  She didn’t care that he was only an apprentice; she was a beginner, too.  Something about the way he used his anger to fuel his work intrigued her, and she couldn’t keep herself from coming into the inn nearly every evening to visit with him and bring him small pieces of copper ore she found.  If only she could get another glance at those pale eyes, she felt like she could last another day in Mineral Town.

Gray was always fairly quiet. He accepted his gifts with a simple “thank you”, and Claire would find herself staring at him until the both of them turned pink.  She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye in the shared room, so she decided it wasn’t improper for a young woman to come calling on the apprentice in the evening if someone else was living with him.  Gray never had much to say, though, but that was fine; Claire spoke plenty with her eyes and she relished every moment.  They stood in silence together and it was as if time stood still for the young woman.  It was at this time Gray would suggest she go back to the farm.  Claire always silently wished that he would offer to walk her home, but he never did.

_Drip. Drip.  Drip._

The rain outside had stopped, but the ceiling continued to leak.

The young farmer sat with her worn quilt wrapped around her as she stared up at the dripping ceiling. It had been three weeks since she had met him, and Gray still avoided using her name very often, making Claire fear for a while that he had trouble remembering it.  How could he not recall her when after a few weeks, he was the subject of a majority of _her_ thoughts?  Claire knew that she should talk to other people and make some friends, but what if no one else could remember her name?  It hurt so much she didn’t want to think about it, yet it was all she could dwell on as of late.

She didn’t want to admit it to herself, but she preferred others to make the first move. Initiating conversation was an extremely stressful task for Claire, and she had struggled with it in the city.  Burying herself in her work had always been her go-to coping mechanism for her lack of social life, but in such a small, tight-knit community, one could not hide forever. 

The blacksmith’s shop had been her first introduction after the mayor, and if she had not caught a peek at those beautiful eyes, she would have been scared off right away with Gray’s cold mannerisms in their first meeting. The apprentice’s grandfather was in the middle of correcting one of his grandson’s errors when Claire entered the smithy and the young man had lashed out at her, demanding that she “kindly get the hell out of” their shop.

“Gray, what has gotten into you?! We do not speak to our customers that way!”

Claire stood in stunned silence as her eyes filled with tears. The young man gazed at her expression and tugged the bill of his cap over his eyes.  “So-Sorry…  I didn’t mean to be rude.  My grandfather was giving me a hard time.  He never approves of any of my work.”  He let out a sigh.  “… I’m ready to quit.  I… feel stupid, you know?”

She thought of her farm as she blinked the mistiness out of her eyes. He wasn’t the only one who felt like an incompetent fool.  She looked up at him and their eyes locked.  Her lips parted in awe as she searched for the words, but they wouldn’t come.  Those ice blue eyes reflected such a fierceness and passion, but there was a sense of loneliness about them.

They were beautiful.

She wanted to get lost in them and her heart throbbed as she clutched her hand to her chest. She decided right then and there that the young man needed to be in her life.  These kinds of feelings didn’t happen every day, after all.  She felt a well of something rise up in her as she turned to him and clenched her hand into a determined fist.  “If you’re really… truly unhappy… like you say you are…” her voice died off as she stared at the floor.  Claire didn’t have an escape out of the situation she was in, but if someone else did…  She only hoped he wouldn’t have to move far away.  “Maybe you _should_ quit,” she offered as cordially as possible.  He should do what made him happy.

The young man’s eyes met hers once again and he was silent for a moment. “Look, I know I started it, but you don’t have to be a jerk about it.  Can you please just leave now?” Gray’s eyes hardened as he ushered her out the door and slammed it behind her.  He had read into her words completely the wrong way.  She could tell from the clattering of tools that the old man was slamming his fist as he resumed yelling at his grandson.  She hurried back to her farm.

Not only had the young apprentice hurt her feelings with his overly guarded attitude, but he had managed to steal her heart at the same time, as strange as it seemed. The very next morning he appeared at her farm with an apology and a few hardboiled eggs he purchased from the poultry farm across the way.  She managed to squeak out a thank you and a wave of relief overcame his features as he headed back to work.

She ate all three eggs in one sitting and they were the most delicious thing she had eaten in weeks. As the nutrients hit her, she felt some energy return and she grabbed her hoe with a new determination.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the young man as she tended to her fields. What was he like?  What did he enjoy?  One thing she quickly learned about him was that he walked every day, almost religiously, to the library at one o’clock. 

Ah, a reader. Claire hardly had the time while she lived in the city to crack open a book on anything that wasn’t related to accounting.  She wondered what kinds of stories he liked to read.  Action?  Adventure?  Mystery?  Every day she visited the young man at the inn, she noticed the stack of books change.  She had read a few of the spines. _A Soldier’s Pride_ , _The Tactician_ , _War is Hell_ …  He seemed very fond of wartime stories.  The young woman couldn’t say she felt the same, but she would be willing to give his recommendations a read for the sake of a chance of bonding further with him.  She noticed that the apprentice read at a rapid pace; he was constantly returning to the library, but it seemed he didn’t always bring his books back with him when he left.  Many times he came in and out with no new books.  It wasn’t as if she was tracking him or anything, but Claire was curious about his strange behavior and she had gone inside one afternoon to see what was so captivating about that library.  She soon learned that it was not _what_ was so interesting, but _who_ was so fascinating.

“Hello. You must be the new farmer,” the librarian smiled politely, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose.  She had a soft, meek voice with a milder accent than most of the townspeople.  The young woman had a very small frame and was short in stature; her shy stance and sloped shoulders didn’t add to her height.

Despite her demure mannerisms, she was, in a word, gorgeous. The woman was dressed in what girls back in the city would describe as “bookish” clothing, but it made her look grown-up and sophisticated.  A soft ribbon tied around her neck reminded Claire a bit of her high school uniform, but the sweater the librarian had paired it with made her look charming and stylish.  Her porcelain skin was contrasted by her long silky black hair that was tied into a loose braid.  Behind her glasses, a pair of soft mocha brown eyes reflected a maturity that Claire longed to have.

It was more than just the young woman’s perceived wisdom that the farmer was envious of. A pair of pale blue eyes was locked onto the librarian and she noticed the beginnings of a smile on the young man’s mouth.

Claire sheepishly nodded and forced a small fake grin on her face, trying not to stare. She was relieved when the young woman continued to speak; the farmer had lost her voice at the sight of Gray.

“My name is Mary, and I am the librarian here. If you have any questions, just let me know.”  Her eyes were kind, and the slight curve of her pink lips was inviting.  “I’m sure that you’ll fit right in here.”  Claire felt herself relax a little bit at Mary’s words.  It seemed she had one of those faces one couldn’t help believing.  Those sincere dark eyes and expressive eyebrows – the librarian could tell her that it was raining grape juice and Claire would grab a bucket and run outside. 

If Mary said she would fit in then she surely belonged here, the farmer supposed. Claire nodded dumbly once again; she was certain she looked absolutely ridiculous to her.  Mary was so put together – her glasses made her look so very clever and smart and her eyes gleamed with experience.

“Ah, and this is my friend, Gray,” Mary gestured toward the apprentice blacksmith, who was standing rather closely beside her behind the desk. The pair had a large book open, and Gray seemed to be marking a spot with his finger.  The young man looked up at Claire.

“Hello… Claire.” The farmer was surprised he knew her name.

“Oh, you two have met already?” Mary smiled, looking between the pair as she weaved her fingers together. The farmer noted with a twinge of jealousy that she had no dirt under her carefully trimmed nails; Claire jammed her hands into her pockets, embarrassed.

The blonde nodded in reply, unable to speak. It was no wonder why Gray was good friends with the beautiful young woman.  In just the few sentences she had heard, a sense of gentle serenity washed over her.  Overwhelmed by the apparent close relationship between the two, Claire reddened.  “W-well, I was just stopping by…  I-I have some work to do, so I’ll stop by longer some other time,” she managed to squeak out as she slowly backed out toward the doorway.

Mary frowned as she raised her eyebrows. It appeared that she was genuinely upset to see Claire leave so soon.  “That’s… too bad.  See you around.”

“Yeah,” Claire’s voice cracked. She turned around and left the building, afraid to look back.

The young woman knew that she was being silly, but she found herself unable to help it. She had run home and thrown herself on the bed, tears streaming down her face.  Why did she care so much about the apprentice anyway?  When did he ever show an interest in her?  Mary seemed like a sweet girl, but Claire knew she was already dismissing her as a friend because of her connection to Gray.  The librarian was intimidating in the fact that she was approachable, if that made any sense.  Of course the apprentice would flock to someone like Mary.  Claire hated her already.  The young woman bit the inside of her cheek as punishment.  She was being stupid; stupid and immature.

Claire’s knowledge of Mary’s existence caused the farmer to lose all desire to go back into town. She spent all of her days at the farm, pouring herself into her work in order to ease her broken heart, and she only went to the village to buy seeds.  Occasionally, Claire would bump into a few of the residents, and they all seemed slightly annoyed that she had been ignoring them by not introducing herself for so long.  The young woman would mumble out a weak introduction and hurry over to the store so that she could buy her seeds and return to the solitude of her farm.

She had grown up in a crowded house with her two older sisters and two younger brothers. Her parents were always very busy, and she had spent most of her childhood by herself, but she still found that she was lonely in her new home. Of course, Koro followed her like a shadow, but it was human contact that the young woman craved.  She was used to working in her busy office, seeing the same people every day.  Sure, they weren’t close, but at least they were people.  She missed her elderly neighbor that lived down the hall in her apartment complex; the widower would make small talk with her and share his leftovers.

Claire drooled. She hadn’t had a hot meal since she left the city.

The ceiling had stopped leaking.

_Drip. Drip._

New tears sprang from her eyes and fell onto the wooden floor below as she sat on the edge of her bed. She was hungry, tired, and painfully lonely.  Claire shivered under her blanket and made a silent promise to herself.  Tomorrow, she would take care of this.


	2. A New Rival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire meets a few new faces, including one of the neighborhood girls, the local pastor, and a painfully shy parishioner. She gathers up her courage to become more social with Gray, but things don't go according to plan.

Claire wondered the next morning if her improved mood was genuine or just part of a coping mechanism, but after remembering the misery she had allowed herself to wallow in the night before, she didn’t care about the reason for her raised spirits. Surely part of it was because the rain had stopped and she slept very well the night before, having a deep and dreamless sleep, much to her relief.  With a fresher and clearer mind she was able to realize that it was silly of her to avoid the whole town just because Gray lived there.  Besides, maybe he wasn’t a lost cause after all.  Perhaps Mary was his cousin or a friend of the family.  Claire nodded her head excitedly to this notion; maybe she did really still have a chance.

Exhilarated by her newfound confidence, she practically jumped out of bed. She stepped into her clothes and brushed out her hair as Koro played with her untied bootlaces.  She scratched the dog’s head absentmindedly.  There was a lot she wanted to get done today, and farming was just the beginning of it all.

Claire grabbed her watering can and stepped outside into the fresh spring air, her puppy following her and sniffing along the ground happily for a few moments before he chased after a butterfly. She admired the sunlight gleaming off of the surface of her watering hole for a moment before filling up her watering can and heading out to her plots of turnips and potatoes.  Claire was reminded once again of the simplistic beauty of the wildlife around her.  The air was cleaner here than in the city, and she noticed for the first time that there was no din of traffic and crowds of people talking.  As she poured the water on her plants, she got used to this new ambient sound – songbirds chirping at each other from the branches, the slowly moving river beside her house, and the clucking of the chickens on the farm to the north.  If she listened closely enough, she could hear an occasional animal from the livestock farm to the east, and if she really strained her ears, she heard a rare clank of metal from the forge.  Her heart leapt; she really didn’t live that far from the where Gray worked, did she?

She saw some small white flowers on the top of one of her plants and she was filled with excitement, rushing to her empty barn to grab an old pitchfork she had found there a few days ago. The prongs were bent and the tool had seen better days, but it would certainly work better than attempting to dig with her gloved hands.  She had read the description of the potato plants at the shop and knew that the flowers had heralded that some potatoes were finally ready.  She clumsily raked the loose soil with the pitchfork, careful not to damage the small cluster of tubers and shoved them in her bag, eager to eat them later. 

The potatoes were a welcome change; she was growing rather tired of flavorless bamboo shoots when she didn’t own any seasonings. Preparing foraged food was much different than putting a cardboard tray in the microwave.  It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to cook; in fact, she rather enjoyed it, and she looked at this new life as an opportunity to get back into practice.  In an attempt to give the bamboo shoots more flavor, Claire had once tried adding mashed berries to them and immediately regretted it.  Just remembering the incident caused her to gag.  She smiled to herself.  At least she would have a little more variety for dinner, as soon as she figured out how to cook them first.  The young woman had partially solved her food problem –for the moment, anyway.  What tomorrow brought was a completely different story, and she didn’t want to think about that just yet.

She watered the remainder of her plants- a few plots of turnips that she had grown from seeds- and grabbed her basket, wandering up the mountain trail. She had never ventured too far up the inclined path, as she was often too winded to get very far and she didn’t want to get lost.  Claire looked around her and ripped at some bamboo shoots she saw with a sharp stone.  The results weren’t exactly pretty, as the bottoms of the shoots got shredded, but it was something to eat and something that sold for a little bit of pocket change.  After harvesting a few, her hands began to feel a little sore, so she took a short break.  She had quickly learned while living on her farm how important it was to prevent an injury.  After all, if she hurt her hands, she wouldn’t be able to search for food as easily.

She spied several other things growing in the green underbrush, but she decided to stick with what she knew. The last thing she wanted was to break out in a rash or cut her hands on an unseen thorn.  Still, she looked at the greenery, briefly contemplating going against her instincts.  If there _was_ something in there that was edible…  The young woman quickly shook her head and tugged at another bamboo shoot.  She was a beginner and pretending not to be could cost her.  An upset stomach or digestive issues were risks she wasn’t willing to take.  She already knew she probably shouldn’t be eating so many raw bamboo shoots.

Claire’s stomach twisted in anticipation as she stepped inside of the spring mines. This was where she usually picked up her scraps of ore for shipping, not to mention her gifts for Gray.  She had never really considered mining as a profession before moving to Mineral Town, but after he mentioned that he regularly came here to pick up supplies for the smithy, she was willing to give it a try, especially after discovering an old hammer in her barn. 

Claire swung the heavy tool, reminded once again that her previous desk job didn’t prepare her much for this new lifestyle. The sound of the hammer crumbling away the rocks echoed through the cave, and Claire found herself coughing on the dust she raised.  An old oil lantern had lit her way, but it was still quite dim, and she felt a chill run down her spine as she heard movement in the far corner of the cave.  Surely she was hearing things, she thought with a wry smile.  She gripped the wooden handle of her hammer.

_Thump… thump… thump…_

The young woman attempted to keep a rhythm to her swings to keep a momentum. She had tried singing songs in the past, but the thought that she might not be alone kept her from doing so.  She took a quick break and wiped her forehead with a handkerchief from her pocket, catching her breath and moving her eyes up to the ceiling, half expecting to see glowing multitudes of bats’ eyes watching her from above.  With a sharp intake of air, she moved the lantern in front and above her, searching for the source of the sound.

_Flap-flap… Flap…_

Something was in the cave with her – that was for certain. She felt her pulse quicken as she picked up the pace, debating whether or not she should continue her work.  It wasn’t as if she had really found much other than cheap rocks, and she often didn’t find much else.  Claire ignored the sound and continued to work.  If she found some sort of ore, she was certain that Gray would be pleased.  The thought of his smiling face kept her going.  After a long couple of hours, she had collected only a couple of small slivers of what looked like copper.  Raw materials didn’t sell for too much, anyway.  Frustrated at letting herself waste so much time and overcome with exhaustion, she decided not to spend more energy and time on this particular project.

The farmer stepped outside of the dim cave, blinking her eyes as she adjusted to the change in light. The sun had risen to its rightful place in the sky, and its beams danced on top of the spring’s water.  A young woman stood at the edge of the small pond, staring at her reflection.  Claire had normally snuck past her when exiting the caves, either too nervous to introduce herself or not wanting to bother her.  The brunette whirled around and caught sight of Claire.

“Good morning!” Her voice was friendly, but it was a little louder than was necessary.

Claire hesitantly took a step near the girl, her heart sinking as she realized she was required to make an introduction. Her stomach churned with anxiety as she gave her a small wave, immediately flushing with embarrassment.  The woman had already seen her; a wave wasn’t exactly necessary, and it probably made her look awkward and childish.  “G-good morning.”  She hoped she didn’t look as sweaty and miserable as she felt.  Her eyes quickly traveled to her feet; she was certain that she was sizing up Claire and trying to hold in her laughter at her lack of social skills.

“You must be the new farmer girl that everyone’s been talking about.” She played with a long strand of brown hair as her eyes curiously moved over her.  “My name’s Karen.  My father runs the supermarket in town.”

She nodded politely in response. “I-I’m Claire.”

Her lips curled up into a smile, and she noticed they were covered in a pretty shade of pink lip gloss that she was certain she couldn’t pull off herself. “It’s nice to meet you, Claire.  Have you had a proper tour of the town yet?  I’d be happy to show you around.”  She said it in such a genuine, sincere way that Claire was taken by surprise.

Everything about the young woman, from the eccentric blonde streaks in the front of her hair to her strong voice to her stance, emanated confidence. She was immediately intimidated.  Karen was beautiful, but in a much different way than Mary.  Claire got the feeling she had men falling all over her everywhere she went.  Claire really didn’t want to walk through town next to such a confident, attractive woman; it would only make everyone realize how starkly plain and awkward Claire was by comparison.

“Oh, thank you very much, but I am quite busy right now.” She forced a small smile on her face, shuffling her rucksack on her shoulders, as if to convince the both of them that she was indeed busy.

“Maybe tomorrow?” The woman’s green eyes sparkled at her.  Her tone of voice was friendly but it also had a commanding sound to it.

“Er-okay… Maybe.”  She was too afraid to say no; she had a feeling that no one turned down Karen’s requests.

Without so much as a goodbye, Claire quickly walked back to her farm, her stomach in knots. She broke into a run as she entered her property, diving into her house and slamming the door.  She had been toying with the idea of going into town today, but when she gave serious thought to it, it caused her to panic.  She had the intention of introducing herself to a couple of people, but what if she ran into a crowd?  Claire knew that she had been avoiding the town for long enough, but the thought of so many unfamiliar people made her nauseous.  She hated introductions with a passion: the awkwardness, the fake smiles, the forced politeness; everyone would quickly learn that she was a city girl who had no idea how to run a farm.  Questions would be asked and she wouldn’t have any intelligent answers.  She’d be laughed at the same way Mayor Thomas made fun of her for buying the property.  After emptying her basket into the shipping bin, she stepped into her house and threw herself on her bed, holding her stomach.

It would only get worse the more she put it off.

Claire sat up. She was spending too much time pitying herself.  If she wanted things to change, she was going to have to do it herself.  Surely there had to be a place in town that would be safe to start – somewhere she could be herself and not be afraid of others making her feel like a fool for moving here.  A sudden idea gave her a burst of hope.  The gods were always there; they would always listen to her troubles.  No one at the church could possibly judge her.  And because it was likely to be empty, she could limit the number of introductions she had to make at once.  The pastor was sure to make her feel welcome, she reasoned.  After all, wasn’t that part of the job?  Almost giddy with excitement, she headed for the house of worship.

It was a simple building on the far side of town, practically identical to the church she attended as a child—two rows of pews with an aisle in the middle and an altar at the front. She noticed that this particular church was dedicated to the Harvest Goddess.  A small door to the left of the altar was where the confessions were usually heard.  She let out a sigh of relief; she was finally around something familiar.  The young woman quickly turned the knob and entered.  Feeling especially bold, Claire walked past the privacy screen and took a seat across from the pastor, who warmly greeted her with a handshake.

“Hello. My name is Carter.  I am the pastor here at church.  Are you the new farmer?”  He had a serene smile on his face and she wondered if he always looked so calm and peaceful.  Something about his gentle aura caused her heart to slow its pounding.

“Yes, my name is Claire.” She nodded and a small grin appeared.  She quickly straightened her posture, wondering if she gave off the illusion of someone who knew what they were doing.  After all, if she was going to start introducing herself to people, she needed them to believe in her and what she was going to do with the farm.

He relaxed in his chair, leaning back and crossing his ankles. Claire studied his shoes.  While carefully polished, she could see that they were quite worn.  She supposed that in such a small town, the residents didn’t give as much to the church, so it was likely Pastor Carter’s vow of poverty wasn’t a stretch of the imagination by any means.  His polite speech pulled her away from focusing on his footwear.  “It is very nice to meet you, Claire.  If you ever need any help or guidance, I will always be here.”

How good it felt for someone to say that, especially from someone who was struggling financially as well! Claire was so happy she could’ve hugged him.  She noticed that he didn’t have the folksy accent she associated with most of the villagers of Mineral Town and felt a little less alone.  His voice had a very proper-sounding lilt to it, one she associated with the wealthier neighborhoods of the larger cities.  It seemed she wasn’t the only one who had given up what they had always known in pursuit of something different.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” His kind voice sounded friendly, but the slight furrowing of his eyebrows made him look a bit concerned.

Claire’s confidence suddenly deflated and she wiped her clammy hands on her thighs. She knew that she should feel comfortable talking to him, but her voice caught in her throat.

“Is something bothering you?” Carter asked gently. Claire was surprised; he had a much more personable demeanor than her previous priest.

What was the point of coming here if she wasn’t going to talk to him? Claire took a deep breath, her cheeks flushing with color.  “I-I also came to confess.”  She played with her fingers, refusing to look up at him.

He gently closed his eyes and bowed his head that particular reverence that only pastors could achieve. A calming aura filled the room as Claire relaxed.  “Alright.”

Claire suddenly felt her face get hot.  Admittedly, it had been a while since her last confession, and she was grateful he hadn’t asked her how long it had been.  It was hard to tell how priests were going to react to confessions.  While most had been very businesslike with her, she hadn’t lived within walking distance of their church.  Mineral Town seemed like a very close-knit community and she wasn’t quite sure how to become part of it.  “N-no one in t-town… seems to l-like me,” she managed to squeak out.

The pastor was silent for a moment, and then he looked up at her. In truth, it was a bit of an odd thing to make as a confession, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t heard some strange things in this confessional booth.  He didn’t know much about her, but he had been told that she was very quiet and a bit reclusive.  “Have you been mean or unkind toward them?”

Claire shook her head, her lower lip quivering, looking up at him and into his face for the first time. Her blue eyes were wide as she silently pleaded for help.

The priest’s eyes widened in what looked like shock and he bounced up from his seat, brimming with excitement. Claire watched him curiously; he almost seemed as if he had been inspired.  “Well, I have an idea, Claire.” Carter hardly sounded like he could contain himself, and she couldn’t help but smile at the grin on his face.  His entire expression was lit up and Claire could swear that a heavenly light shone through the stained glass window on his head, casting a glow on his pale brown hair.  She stifled a gasp at the sight.  “There is someone who I would like you to meet.”  He nodded and offered her his hand to help her up.

Claire accepted the hand and he pulled her to her feet so quickly she let out tiny squeal. Something had the priest terribly elated and she couldn’t help but feel her heart pounding as well. 

He let out a small chuckle and patted her on the shoulder. “So sorry, my child.  It seems I got carried away.”

A smile crept across her lips as she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. Carter didn’t look much older than his mid-thirties and it felt strange for him to call her such a thing.  Perhaps that was why she felt so comfortable around him, she mused.  The closer age made him much more relatable than the elderly priests at her previous churches.  She followed him to the confessional door and he opened the door just a crack, pointing out to the pews before them.

Carter gestured toward a young man in the front pew; he looked around Claire’s age. His shoulders were sloped and he was sunk down in the seat.  Judging from his stare and the way he looked so nestled in, Claire wouldn’t have been surprised if he had been sitting there all day.  He appeared as though he was thinking about something uncomfortable and wanted to sink into the floor; she saw him let out a tiny sigh as he further slouched in the pew. 

Claire was surprised she hadn’t noticed him on her way to the confessional. He was definitely a unique-looking individual, and her first thought was that he was new to town as well.  Claire thought of Mineral Town as a rural area, but he looked even more rustic than the other residents; he looked like an outsider.  His clothing suggested a nomadic life – his hide tunic lined with fur reminded her of photos she had seen in the library of outdoorsmen who lived off of the land.  He had the aura of someone who had experienced a lot in a little amount of time, and his hunched position made him look very small and vulnerable.  She couldn’t get a good look at his face, as his unruly bangs hung in his eyes as he stared down at his feet.  The rest of his hair was tied into a ponytail that was resting on his shoulder.

“Cliff is new to town, just like you,” Carter explained a little too eagerly. “Unfortunately, he is very shy, and he doesn’t attempt to make friends with anyone.  I was wondering if you would try to become his friend; he really needs one, and it sounds like you do, too.”

So this was why Carter had been so excited, she realized as her stomach turned. Claire felt the heat rush to her face at this notion.  Did he really think that after hearing her confess how she struggled getting along with others it would be a good idea to try her hand at befriending someone who was reclusive as well?  Why did Carter make this sound so easy?  Did he really expect her simply befriend someone by talking to them?  She wrung her sweaty hands and gulped.  Conversations were not her strong suit.  What did he expect her to do, waltz right up to Cliff and announce to him that they were now friends?  She had to admit that it would be nice if it were that simple; as Carter had mentioned, she really could use a friend right now…

The young woman peeked out of the slightly opened door. Judging from his appearance alone, she doubted they had anything in common.  What if he didn’t even want to speak to her?  Based on the slight frown on his face, this was definitely within the realm of possibility and Claire didn’t know if she could handle that kind of rejection.  What if he saw that she was just a city girl who didn’t belong here?  If someone who was new to town could already see that she wouldn’t mesh well with the other villagers, how could she ever expect to find her place?  She looked up at the smiling priest and felt that she had no choice at this point; he was practically trembling with excitement.  Swallowing her fears, Claire fully opened the door and stepped toward the young man, her feet as heavy as bricks.

He didn’t look up at her. He seemed off in his own little world, focusing deeply on something.  She looked at his folded hands in his lap and wondered if she was interrupting him from a prayer.  His fingers immediately unlaced and he played with a small polished stone trapped between his palms, running his thumb along the indent on its smooth surface.  Upon closer inspection, Claire noticed that he had a grieving aura about him and was surprised it didn’t immediately repel her; rather, she became overwhelmed with the urge to comfort him.

“H-hello.” Claire’s voice was weak and cracked.  Her cheeks felt warm as she nervously wrung her hands, hoping she hadn’t bothered a possible meditation session.  She certainly had a knack for awkward introductions.

The young man lifted his head to meet her, revealing a pair of deep blue eyes etched in pain. They widened for a moment in what Claire saw as recognition before they immediately went back to the ground and he shuffled his feet.  “Hello…”  His voice was soft but not unfriendly as he rubbed the stone.

Perhaps he didn’t want to talk, she realized with a wave of sadness. However, she found herself glued to the spot, fascinated by the rose colored stone he held, studying the pretty black marbling on it.  “My name is Claire.”  The words slipped out as she felt a small wave of relief for introducing herself.  She slowly gained confidence as she took a tiny step forward.

While it was not as long as hers, she had never known a male with such long hair. She studied it curiously and wondered if he just didn’t like to cut it.  Upon further inspection, she found that it suited him and went well with his heavy eyebrows and face shape.  Her gaze traveled to his eyes.  They were such a deep blue they almost looked indigo.  He was definitely an interesting-looking person, she decided, her curious eyes drinking him in.

“I-I’m Cliff,” he stammered, his face swiftly reddening. He noticed the young woman was staring at him and looked back at her defensively, shrinking back a bit.  “I-is there something on my face?”

Claire shook her head, stumbling over apologies as she realized how impolite she had been.

“I-I’m sorry!” he said a little too loudly as he hung his head, “I-I didn’t mean to come off as rude,” he laughed nervously and looked back down at the floor; it was apparent he had a hard time interacting with people.

Claire frowned; she was certain that her curious eyes hadn’t exactly helped things. She briefly looked back at the confessional booth door and noticed it was still open a crack.  Her throat immediately tightened; it was likely they were being watched.  As uncomfortable as she was at being under Carter’s supervision, she didn’t want to let him down.  She looked back at the young man in front of her and realized it wasn’t just about appeasing the priest anymore.  She wanted to get better at talking to other people, and something about Cliff made her want to help him as well.  “I was just coming to introduce myself,” Claire said gently.

“Ah.” Cliff ducked his head, his cheeks blazing.  His awkwardness gave Claire a small boost of courage.  Someone in town was shyer than she was around others.  Suddenly feeling bold, she took a seat next to the young man in the pew.  She dared to steal a glance at him and noticed his ears were a bright shade of scarlet.  Cliff seemed to be focusing on the stone in his hands and his breathing, and he looked so nervous that she felt bad for introducing herself in the first place.

“Ah… I-I’m sorry…  I…  I can’t breathe…” he admitted, closing his eyes and struggling to control his breath. 

Claire uncomfortably shifted in her seat. She saw a light sheen of perspiration covering his face and she felt guilty for taking a seat beside him.  Introductions could be painful, and they always made her nervous, but his reaction was strong even for her standards.  She could tell from his flushed cheeks and furrowed eyebrows that he was embarrassed at his own behavior.  But this was a church, a place free of judgment.  Claire sat quietly and sent him kind wishes with her mind.  “It’s okay,” she murmured, her voice just above a whisper.  “…  Relax.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes while he slowly breathed in and out. She wanted to give him some kind of reassurance by patting his arm, but she feared touching him would only make things worse.  She watched his calloused fingers work at the smooth stone in his hands; simply observing the slow, fluid motions brought her a sense of peace.

“I’m very sorry about that,” he finally said quietly, startling her a bit. “It’s n-not you…  I-I just get so tense when I talk to new people…”

Claire shook her head. “It’s okay.”  She noticed she had been speaking with the soothing tone she reserved for her younger brothers when they were hurt or upset.

His eyes flicked to her and quickly fell back down to the floor. “I’ve been to so m-many towns now that I’m a nervous wreck when I try to introduce myself to anyone,” he confessed with a sad sigh.

“Oh.” The young man’s statement made her heart ache.  It sounded like he had been afraid to get close to anyone because he moved around so much.  “So… how long have you lived here in town?” Claire ventured.  “I don’t think we’ve met.”

Cliff’s heart sunk. Of course she didn’t recognize him; he had been trying his best to blend in and not be noticed by the other villagers.  He couldn’t understand why such anyone would come up to him, sit down beside him, and try to start a conversation with him in a church, of all places.  “I c-came here a couple of months ago.”

She had noticed right away that Cliff didn’t have a Mineral Town accent, and his inflections were unique to her. Claire wasn’t familiar with the dialect; he must have traveled here from somewhere far away.  She was curious why someone with such a severe case of social anxiety would decide to travel around a lot, but she knew it wasn’t an appropriate question to ask.  Perhaps it wasn’t by choice.

“I just came here this spring on New Year’s to run the farm.” Hopefully knowing that someone else was just starting out as well would make him feel less alone.

“Oh… I-I’ve heard… So, you’re running that farm all by _yourself_?” Cliff glanced up at her and their eyes met for a brief moment.  He quickly stared at the ground again, reddening.

Claire nodded. Every day she was reminded how large the property was and his words further cemented the fact that things weren’t going to be accomplished overnight.  “Yeah, it’s going to be a big job….”  She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.

“Well… I wish you luck with everything.” While he gave her a nervous smile, his words were warm and sounded heartfelt.

“Thank you.” She normally would have ended the conversation now, but she found that she really didn’t want to.  Strangely enough, Cliff’s shyness drew her in and she saw a lot of herself in him.  “You’re not the first new person I met today…  I also met Carter and a girl named Karen,” Claire searched for another topic.  Maybe it would inspire him to talk to other people.

“Oh, yeah, Karen…” Cliff seemed relieved that Claire found something they could relate on. “Her father comes here sometimes.”

“He owns the supermarket, right?” She knew the answer, but she wanted to make conversation.

Cliff thought for a moment. “I-I believe so.”  He was silent for a while.  “Carter’s a good man,” he murmured quietly, moving his concentration back to the stone in his hands.

Claire smiled. “He seems very friendly.”

“It’s nice to have someone that you can speak to without fear of being judged… I spend a lot of time here, and we talk a lot.”  His voice evened itself out; it seemed Carter was a subject he was comfortable speaking about.

Claire nodded politely, but she couldn’t imagine the young man being talkative with anyone. “That’s a pretty stone you have there,” she ventured.

He let out a shy chuckle and the sound lifted a heavy weight from her heart as it echoed through the sanctuary. “Carter was nice enough to give it to me.  Rhodonite.  It’s supposed to be good for h-healing…  My roommate actually polished it for me and shaped it into a worry stone.”

“Wow. That’s pretty impressive.  It’s not like anyone can just take a rock and make it shine like that.”

A small frown crossed Cliff’s lips. “That’s part of his job.  You know Gray.”

She was surprised that he didn’t word this as a question and her face immediately flooded with color – half at the mere mention of Gray, and half with pure mortification that she had never really paid enough attention to Cliff in the room when she came to visit the inn to even recognize him. She noticed that a young man was often sitting on the wide windowsill in the far end of the room, but he never said anything, and Gray never made an effort to introduce him; Cliff was merely a blur of movement out of the corner of her eye.  Despite this, the young man’s silent presence in the room was the determining factor in Claire deciding that it was not improper for her to visit Gray’s room in the evenings as there was always someone else present.

“He seems like a really nice guy. That was sweet of him to do that for you.”  She began to wonder what other kinds of skills Gray had.  What if she found a pretty stone and he polished it for her?  The thought of keeping something he had worked on with his own two hands made her swoon a bit.  She could keep it in her pocket and carry it with her wherever she went.  She studied the colors in the stained glass window in front of them and happily swung her feet.

Cliff bit his lip and furrowed his brow, passing the stone back and forth between his hands. “Yeah, he can be nice…”  A small smile came back on his face as he studied the rock.  “He said… you’re a hard worker.”

Claire gasped involuntarily and covered her mouth with her hand. “That’s awfully kind of him,” she giggled.

Gray talked about her? To his roommate?  Claire’s heart pounded.  How many other people did he sing her praises to?  The quiet blacksmith seemed the type to keep to himself, but if he was gushing to his roommate about her…  Did he talk about her before they went to sleep for the night?  Maybe he dreamed about her…  Claire’s face flushed as she twisted a lock of blonde hair between her fingers.

She glanced at Cliff and noticed he was staring at his feet again, but he didn’t look completely miserable. It seemed he had run out of things to say, but Claire had heard all she needed.  “Well, it was nice meeting you, Cliff.”

“Yes, and you as well…”

She stood up excitedly and turned around to look at him. He was already carrying himself a little differently than when they first met; he was no longer slouched in his seat and the flushing of his face had subsided.  While he wasn’t particularly grinning, he seemed much happier, as if a weight had been lifted from him for the time being.  It looked like she wasn’t the only one who had issues to deal with and progress to make.  “I’ll see you around, okay?”

“A-alright. I look forward to talking to you again.”  A shy smile crept across his face as he tucked his stone in his pocket and waved goodbye to her.

Claire happily bounced out of the church, practically skipping to the library, her mind working so quickly her body was having a hard time keeping up.

It was time to pay Gray a visit.

0o0o0o0

It was a fairly quick walk from the church to the library. Claire’s heart fluttered with excitement and anticipation as she double-checked her rucksack for the lump of copper she had set aside for Gray.  She let out a nervous laugh – she was behaving as if the ore would have magically gotten up and walked off by itself.  Biting her lip, she shook her head; she needed to focus on the task at hand.  Her positive feelings dissipated as she reached the door to the library.  This was no time for being clumsy and messing things up.  Moreover, she was determined to impress.  Claire’s shaking hand hovered over the doorknob as she realized the full extent of what she was planning to do.

_What in the world am I doing? Am I really going to start a conversation with both Gray and Mary?  Perhaps even flirt with Gray in front of Mary_? _Am I crazy?_ _I can hardly speak in complete sentences in front of him, let alone in front of them both! This is a foolish idea, and I’m stupid for thinking it up in the first place!_ She waited for herself to let go of the doorknob and turn around, heading back for Mystic Acres with her tail between her legs.  Her eyes widened in surprise as she gripped the handle.

She recalled Cliff’s words in the church, his folksy accent echoing in her mind. Gray said positive things about her to other people.  She allowed a smile to reappear on her face.  Why wouldn’t he want to see her, then?

Satisfied with her new resolve, Claire turned the doorknob and swung open the door almost violently and let herself in, refusing to give herself more time to think about it.

She wasn’t sure if she should be relieved with the fact that there was no one in the room. Carefully stepping toward the receptionist desk, she could hear voices from the floor above where additional books were kept.  She immediately recognized one of the muffled voices as Gray’s, and her heart pounded uncomfortably in her chest.  She was aching to climb up the stairs after him, but her legs refused to move despite her entire body humming with excitement.  There was almost something pleasant about being able to hear his voice and not having to feel the pressure of thinking of something witty or engaging to say in response.  Just knowing he was up there brought a warm light to her heart.  Whatever it was he was talking about, he sounded very interested and passionate.

Claire didn’t know how many minutes had passed, or if they were even hours. Her feet remained frozen to the ground as she heard a second voice enter in the conversation, which Claire identified as Mary, the librarian.  Mary had a mild and smooth voice that wasn’t too high, and as much as Claire hated to admit it, it was very soothing to listen to.  Claire’s dreamy state faded as she heard a giggle from Mary followed a soft chuckle from Gray.  Claire never heard him laugh before, and the fact that she hadn’t caused it made her stomach churn with jealousy.  She no longer felt comforted by the sound of Mary’s voice.

All too suddenly the laughter stopped, and the building was silent save the loud hammering of Claire’s heart in her own ears. There were a few murmurs as the floorboards above her creaked and she could hear two pairs of feet coming down the stairs.

She could turn away right then. If she left now and let herself out quietly, they would never know that she had been there.  Although this was a public building, Claire suddenly got the feeling that she was intruding, and she was terrified to meet the pair face-to-face.  The fact that she had remained there for so long made the idea of conversation all the more intimidating.  Despite these feelings, she remained in front of the library desk, unable to move.

Gray and Mary had come back from upstairs, and remnants of their conversation were still evident. The young man had a small smile on his face, and he seemed to be trying to keep himself from laughing.  His friend was holding a thick book that resembled an encyclopedia, and her eyes were glued to him in a way that Claire didn’t like.  Mary’s gaze moved to her new guest and a kind smile spread across her lips.

“Claire! How nice it is to see you!  How have you been?”  She walked behind the receptionist desk, half-expecting her to have a chosen book.  She looked at her curiously as Claire began to wring her empty hands, her cheeks beginning to flood with color.

The young woman refused to meet Mary’s eyes. As determined as she had been to come in here, she quickly found that she was having second thoughts.  The room suddenly felt very small; she swallowed the lump in her throat, her mouth dry.  “Oh, I’ve been… alright.  Busy.”

Her eyebrows rose as she saw Claire’s expression. Her tone softened and became gentle.  “That’s great!  That means your farm must be coming along well, I take it?”

Claire managed a nod, and her stomach did a somersault when she glanced over at Gray. The young man was playfully trying to take the book from Mary by peeling her fingers off of the cover.  She giggled and held the book out of his reach, but her body language showed she didn’t really mind.

“Gray, you should know better than to pick on a girl,” Mary’s voice slightly rose in pitch as she lightly slapped his hands, stifling a giggle.

Claire felt a wave of nausea at this gesture, and her heart stopped for a moment.

_They’re definitely not cousins._

_This isn’t going well. Not well at all._

“So, what have you two been up to?” Claire tried to remain casual, but her voice sounded strained.  She realized with disappointment that she wasn’t going to win this round, but she was determined to remain civil and still make a good impression.  The young woman shifted her stance, unsure of what to do with her hands. 

“Oh, yes. I was just reading Gray part of the new chapter I have written for my novel,” Mary held up the thick book.  “I’ve got a couple I’m working on right now, and I’m putting together something for a new story.  We were just kicking around ideas for that one, too.”  Her face lit up as she spoke and Claire couldn’t help but feel a rush of envy – Mary looked so genuinely happy when she thought about her writing, and Claire got the feeling that these meetings the two had were nothing new.  She wished she could think of something she and Gray could do together.

“Mary’s an amazing writer,” Gray quickly interjected, and Claire wasn’t blind to the way his pale blue eyes lit up as he gazed at his companion warmly. “I think that she could actually get published someday.”  Mary’s face flushed in response as her eyes shyly traveled to her book.

The look he was giving her made Claire’s heart ache. Her mind stumbled over ideas, none of them forming into proper sentences.  It was over; she didn’t stand a chance and Mary was sure to win Gray’s affections.  Claire’s throat constricted and she feebly searched for the right words to change the conversation around, but none came to mind.  Her vision began to pulse and blur as the room began to spin…

_Not again…_

“Claire? You look rather pale.  Are you alright?”  The librarian dropped her book on the desk and quickly rushed to her, placing a hand on her forehead.

Claire cringed at Mary’s touch. The last thing she wanted was her pity.  While Claire struggled expressing herself, she still had her own pride, and Mary’s closeness was suffocating her.  “I-I’m fine.  I think I just need to get some fresh air.”

_No, not now! If you leave now, then she will have won!_

A lump formed in Claire’s throat; she had a feeling that losing this round was inevitable. A stubborn part of her wanted to stay, and another headstrong side of her was screaming to leave the room.  She quickly realized what side she needed to listen to as her heart began to flutter – she needed to get away from people.  Now.

“Shall I walk you over to the clinic?” Mary’s eyebrows raised in concern as she took Claire’s arm.

She wished the young woman would just stop touching her, but it felt rude to say so aloud. She began to tremble as she weakly pulled away.  Surely Gray was going to see her as abnormal.  “N-no.  I’ll be fine.”  Claire didn’t mean for her voice to sound so cold. 

_At least I have my dignity._ She was determined to walk out of the library with her head held high.  She had the feeling Gray didn’t like weak women.  After all, how could he like someone that couldn’t keep her emotions in check?

Mary’s persistence began to try Claire’s patience. “You really shouldn’t go out alone, even if you just walk home.  Gray, why don’t you go with her?  I’m worried.”

Claire studied the librarian’s expression. Her mouth was drawn into a tight frown and her eyebrows her furrowed in concern.  Claire had to give her credit – Mary was very good at feigning emotions.  There was no way that she could actually be worried about her.  Claire was certain that Mary was holding in cheers and victory cries.  She refused to be patronized by false sympathy.  Her thoughts began to further cloud as she swayed on her feet a bit, determined to hide that she was upset.  “R-really, I think I will be okay.  Thank you for your concern, though.”  Claire could hardly believe her ears.  Was that her own voice rejecting a walk home with Gray?

They both looked at her with a mixture of confusion and concern – it was absolutely unbearable. Before Claire had any idea what she was doing, her feet suddenly unglued themselves from the floor, and she flew out the door, slamming it behind her. 

0o0o0oo0

The moment Claire was outside, she immediately regretted refusing help from Gray or Mary, but she knew that it was too late to go back inside. She would look ridiculous if she went back in and asked for help.  Claire panted as her head swam, continuing forward as her muddled vision spotted a lamp post.  She had dealt with these attacks for long enough to know that she needed to ground herself by bracing against something solid.  She had realized that she had traded the spinning room for a sidewalk that tilted back and forth.  Why did she do that, anyway?  Moreover, why did she let herself get into this state?  Claire had been aching to get a chance to talk to Gray.  Refusing his accompaniment home was a foolish mistake.  She scolded herself as she stumbled along.  She would have gotten the chance to be alone with him.  Claire blushed at the very thought.  She might even be able to get away with holding his arm or leaning against him as he walked her home.  However, something about that approach felt so immature, so foolish. 

Claire felt hot tears slide down her cheeks as reached her destination, leaning her shoulder and head against the lamp post. Perhaps the whole thing with Gray was foolish.  How could she ever get him to notice her?  It was nearly impossible with that librarian around.

Claire’s thoughts were distracted when she heard the noise of feet shuffling across the sidewalk towards her. She hastily wiped the tears away and looked up, terrified at having someone see her in this state.  It was Cliff, the nervous young man from the church.  In his arms, he carried a decorative basket full of large red apples.  The basket was pretty, but shaped awkwardly, and caused him to waddle a bit as he carried it.  She quickly noticed that his depressed aura had dropped for the moment as he looked at her and waved shyly, his lips turning upward.  He didn’t look so gloomy at the moment, and his smile had a pleasant warmth to it.  The young man looked behind him for a moment, and Claire noticed Carter “hiding” behind a tree, giving him a thumbs-up.  Claire rolled her eyes, struggling to regain her composure.  She failed, as her vision was still pulsing and her throat was tight.  She hoped Carter would just go away and Cliff would continue on his way without any questions.

“H-hello, Claire.” His voice was soft, but it was still louder than the volume he used while in the church.  She was too distracted to notice his hands trembling on the basket handle.  He let out a soft nervous chuckle as he made his way closer to her.

“Hi, Cliff.” Her tone wasn’t unfriendly, but she was praying he wouldn’t look at her too closely.  She was still very dizzy and she craved relief from the aching in her heart; she was on the brink of sobbing out loud, and she hardly felt in control.

He tightened his grip on the handle of the basket, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Ah, I was j-just on my way to your place to deliver this basket of apples to you.  They’re from Carter, as a w-welcoming gift.”  The young man nervously rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and the basket creaked loudly.  His eyes widened as he quickly tightened his hold.

Claire didn’t look up at him; her eyes were focused on the ground as she struggled to keep her vision from shaking. She found it strange that it had already been over three weeks since she moved to Mineral Town, and she was just now getting a welcoming gift.  However, it was also true that she had just introduced herself today.  Three weeks in town, and she didn’t really know anyone or have any friends.  Three weeks in town and she still hadn’t gotten Gray’s attention.  The ground blurred as she blinked, a couple of teardrops falling to the cobblestones.

Cliff noticed that Claire’s cheeks were damp with tears, and he quickly dropped his nervous demeanor, setting down his basket and moving swiftly toward her. “You’re hanging on to that lamp post pretty tight.”  He didn’t ask if she was alright, and Claire couldn’t tell if she was grateful or insulted.

She could feel a sob threatening to escape from her throat. She wanted to cry in privacy.  She wanted to scream and tell him, “That’s because everything is going wrong!  No, I’m not okay, thank you for asking!  I’m miserable!  I’m lonely!”  She wanted to run behind that tree and shake Carter by the shoulders and scold him for forcing her friendship with Cliff at a time like this.  She wanted kick over that silly basket of apples and stomp on each one.  Claire took a deep breath, realizing she was probably expected to put back on a mask of happiness and control.

“I’m okay… j-just feeling a little dizzy.” She meant to add that she was going to go home for some food in an effort to keep anyone from being suspicious, but she found herself unable to speak.  Claire could feel her eyes flickering rapidly as she tried to regain herself.

She felt a warm touch at her shoulder. “What day of the week is it?”

She blinked in surprise. “Tuesday.”

“What is the name of your farm?”

She was about to ask why he was asking questions about her, especially when he seemed so shy, but she was distracted by the tug back to reality. “Mystic Acres.”

“Do you have any animals?”

“I have a dog and a horse.” The world slowly came back into focus and she blinked tiredly, realizing how suddenly weak she felt.  An arm was offered to her and she gratefully took it, a bit dumbfounded by the whole situation.  He picked up the basket of apples on the way back as he walked her to the bench outside of the grocery store and they sat down together.  Claire let out a thankful sigh as she leaned back on the wooden seat.  The ground had stopped moving and exhaustion overcame her; she felt like she could sleep right there.

Her companion seemed to have other ideas. He quietly handed her an apple and she accepted it with a weak “thank you”.  She realized how hungry she was as she bit into the fruit and she couldn’t stop the grin from breaking out on her face as she chewed.  Honeycrisp, her absolute favorite.  For that moment, all Claire could focus on was the perfection of that sweet apple.  The lump that had formed in her throat melted away.  All she had eaten for the past three weeks were raw turnips, bamboo shoots, and colored grass.  The crunchy apple tasted so wonderful that she could have cried.  She glanced up at Cliff, who was watching her with interest.  His eyes quickly averted from her to the ground as she caught him looking at her.

She didn’t mind that he had been keeping his eyes on her; she could tell that his gaze was out of concern and genuine care. With this, her worries began to fade a bit.  “Please, take an apple,” Claire laughed.  She bit into her food and swallowed with satisfaction.   “They’re wonderful.”

Cliff took a piece of fruit from the basket and crunched into it eagerly. She noticed his fingers shook a bit as he selected an apple, his eyes widening with delight as he cupped his chosen one in his hands; they were all so large.  “Thank you.”

The two ate in silence for a few minutes. Claire knew nothing about the young man, and wasn’t sure what to talk to him about.  He seemed friendly enough now that he wasn’t brooding inside of the church, but his shyness made her feel like she had to be very careful with her words.

“So… Have you been up to anything interesting since I last saw you?”  She studied the apple in her hands.  She knew it was a weak beginning to a dialogue, but she never thought of herself as much of a conversationalist.

He was eating at a fairly quick speed, but he still finished chewing before speaking. “It’s only been half an hour since you left the church; y-you didn’t miss much.”  He gave her a slight smile.

“Oh.” Claire was shocked at how little time had passed, and she felt a little embarrassed at how out of touch with reality she had been.

“Carter wanted to give the basket to you himself, but you left before he could give it to you. H-he had to go back to the confessional,” he explained as he took another bite of his apple.

Claire noticed that the priest had gone from his hiding place, and she felt a slight pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach. She really had left in a hurry, hadn’t she?  “Oh!  I had to go and see someone,” she quickly explained a little too loudly.  Her gaze quickly went back down to her apple as she bit her lip.

“Gray?” Cliff raised his eyebrows.

Claire’s stomach lurched. “How did you know that?”  She hadn’t talked about him that much at the church, had she?

The young man shrugged and he moved his gaze at the sky, his heavy eyebrows slightly furrowed. “Just a lucky guess, I suppose.”

“Oh.” The particular expression he was wearing left her a bit confused and she couldn’t help but feel a bit of worry bubble back up in her stomach.

The silence between them was deafening. Claire tried to think of something to say, but she was determined not to recall and relive the incident in the library; her panic and emotions had left her very tired.  Cliff didn’t strike her as the type to take much initiative in conversation, and they sat quietly for a couple of minutes.  He turned his focus back on the sky and Claire watched him for a moment.  He suddenly seemed eager to pay attention to anything but her.

“You two seem pretty cl-close, huh?” Cliff gulped, letting out a shy chuckle.

Claire could sense her face reddening by the second. She chose to ignore the worry lines on his forehead; she got the feeling that this was a regular feature for him.  Maybe he was one of those types of people who didn’t let themselves relax and they looked unhappy even when they weren’t.  She had seen and met enough of those kinds in the city, and she sometimes feared that she was one of them.  “Close?  I…  I dunno if we’d be c-considered that…”

“Huh… you see him an awful lot, though...”

Claire laughed a little louder than she meant to at this piece of evidence that she was actually attempting to pursue a love interest. Her blush crept down her neck.  She was in love and she was trying to express that to someone.  When she thought of it that way, her heart pounded in her ears and a goofy smile spread across her lips.  “I guess that’s true, huh?”  The farmer crunched into her apple and began to swing her feet.

When he didn’t immediately say something in reply, her happiness faded a bit. She looked at Cliff, demanding a response.  His were cast downward as he studied the apple core in his hands.  He suddenly looked back up and his wide eyes grew in surprise at her gaze.  He often had the look of a spooked deer, she realized.  “Oh, I-I’m sorry!  I was just thinking…  This basket is kind of heavy.  D-do you need help carrying it back to your place?  I know you’re probably not feeling one hundred-percent yet.”  He looked genuinely concerned as he gazed at the basket.  He nervously twisted the stem of the apple core in his hands.

It was a kind offer, but an unnecessary one. “That’s alright; I think that I am feeling much better now,” Claire admitted, finishing off her apple.

“Panic attacks can be debilitating sometimes.” His voice was quiet as his sad blue eyes met hers knowingly.  “And… it can be hard to keep yourself grounded when you’re a-alone…”

She now realized why he had been asking her random questions when she was panicking and her face flushed with embarrassment. “Yes…  J-just a mild one, though.” Claire wasn’t surprised that he had recognized the symptoms; it was very likely from his body language and mannerisms that Cliff had them more often than she did, but she was shocked that he had the nerve to call her out on it.  Unfortunately, she was not a stranger to them, but they often just left her feeling a little weak.  A good nap would sort things out.

“It looks like we managed to help each other out today.” His voice was soft as he averted his eyes once more.  Claire caught a hint of blush on his cheeks.

Her shame faded. While she wasn’t keen on someone else knowing about her lack of stability, Cliff didn’t strike her as the type to tell others about it.  “I guess you’re right.  Thank you.” Claire gave him a small smile; beneath the awkward shyness, he seemed like a kindhearted person.  “Here, put your apple core in the basket.  I’ll throw them away when I get home.”  She pulled on the handle of the basket and heard a faint creak from the weight of the apples.

“You sure you got it?” Cliff protectively held the bottom of the container.  “I-I… I r-really don’t mind walking you home…  It’s n-no trouble, really…”  His eyes darted toward the direction of Mystic Acres.

She was determined to make it home without any further assistance. In her eyes, Cliff had already done more than enough for her and to expect any more out of him would be rather rude.  “I’ll be fine.”  Claire smiled as she accepted the basket from him.  Her heart had stopped pounding, and she just felt tired.  Yes, a little rest at home was definitely in order.  “Thank you for bringing me the apples…”  She hesitated saying more, remembering his patience and calmness when she was in a state of panic.  He didn’t seem to think any less of her for it – not openly, anyway.  Her heart relaxed a bit.  “And thank you… for your help.”

“Of course. Any time,” he replied as he nodded, and his voice leveled out.

Claire gripped her basket, and she felt relieved that he seemed a little more comfortable around her. He was someone she wouldn’t mind talking to again.  “Will you please thank Carter for me?  I will come by another day to thank him properly.”

“Sure thing.” He gave her a kind smile, and Claire couldn’t help but mirror his expression.

“Oh, and also… Would you tell Gray that I am alright and that he doesn’t need to worry about me?”  When he gave her a slight nod, she couldn’t help but add one extra request.  “Oh!  And… tell Gray that I said hello.”

“Alright.” He averted his gaze back down to the cobblestones and wrung his hands.  “Uh, I-I’d love to hear about your animals s-sometime,” he muttered so quickly it was almost inaudible.

It took her a moment to understand him. “Sure.  I’ll talk to you later then.  Bye, Cliff!”  She was eager to go home and eat another apple.

He looked back up from the ground and shyly waved to her as she headed in the opposite direction. “Bye, Claire!”

As Claire happily waddled home with that awkward basket, she only had two things on her mind: others were aware that she saw Gray quite a bit, and that she was having potatoes _and_ apples for dinner tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I started rewriting this story around a couple of years ago, my writing has been developing a lot since then. I have been trying to update the chapters to reflect my new style. Chapter 1 and 2 have been revamped. Chapter 3's revamp is currently in the works. I have been posting this story on fanfiction.net for the past couple of years, and I intend to post the same chapters here. I will post all the chapters I have now for content, and I will inform you when these older chapters have been updated. As you read, I hope you can see the gradual improvements in my writing.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading along. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!


	3. A Warm Meal and a Warm Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen and Claire share breakfast at the inn. Claire sees a rather fiery side of her new friend and Gray. Per Karen's promise, the offical tour of Mineral Town begins, much to Claire and Cliff's chagrin.

Claire was awakened the next morning to the sound of a knock on her door. In a flurry of movements, the farmer got dressed, brushed her hair, and opened the door.

“Good morning, Claire!” It was the shopkeeper’s daughter.  “Ready for me to show you around town?”

“Good morning, Karen.” Something about the young woman’s smile made Claire feel at ease.  “Please, do come in.”

Karen stepped inside of the small house, staring at the walls and ceiling as if she were at a museum. “Wow.  The realtor really did rip you off.  No other furniture?  This is it?”

Claire could feel herself reddening. “Th-this is it, right here.”

Karen whirled around, noticing Claire’s expression. “Oh, I’m sorry.  That came out kinda rude, huh?  I was just saying that the real estate agent sure is sneaky.  I’ve seen the ad in the paper myself, and they made the place sound wonderful.”  The brunette glanced around the room.  “Don’t get me wrong, your place is nice, but I was just expecting a little… more.”

Claire sat glumly on the edge of her bed, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. “I know.  But I spent all my savings on this place, so I have no other choice.”

Karen took a seat next to Claire and put a hand on her shoulder. “You can’t think like that.  You spent your money on this place for a new start, right?  Well, you’re going to get a new start.  It’s going to be an adventure.  This is a really nice town, and I’m sure you’re going to love it here.”

Claire found that she wasn’t shuddering at Karen’s touch. “Thank you, Karen.”

Claire stood up abruptly; she had completely forgotten to offer Karen anything. Claire’s eyes darted around her room.  There was an old pitcher on the table she had filled with water from the river outside of her house and the basket of apples sat at the other end of the table.

“Can I offer you an apple, or perhaps some water to drink?” Claire hoped she didn’t sound as pathetic as she felt.

“Actually… I’m not overly fond of apples…”  Karen smiled apologetically.  “Oh, crud.  I meant to bring you a package from the grocery store, but I completely forgot.  I suppose we could pick it up later.  I was planning on taking you to the inn for breakfast if you wanted, my treat.”

“Oh… Are you sure you want to pay?”

Karen laughed; the farmer was overly formal and polite. “Of course!”  Karen beamed.

“Alright.” Claire’s craving for a hot meal won over her fears of looking like a free-loader.

0o0o0o0

Claire couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten a hot sit-down meal. Between her life at the apartment and her new life on the farm, there just didn’t seem to be enough time or effort available to her.

“How do you ladies like the pancakes?” The redheaded grinned at the two, her braid bobbing up and down.

“They’re delicious!” Claire replied, her mouth full. “Best pancakes I’ve ever had!”

“That’s what we like to hear!” The waitress beamed. She paused and studied Claire, who suddenly was becoming uncomfortable with the public setting.  The farmer quickly wiped her mouth and set her hands in her lap.  “So, Claire, we finally get the chance to talk.  I’ve seen you stop by almost every day, but you never stop to chat with _me_.”  The redhead mock-pouted.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!  It’s just-!”

“Relax, Claire. She’s just teasing.”  Karen finished her glass of apple juice and slammed it on the table a little too loudly.  Karen quickly stood up as she saw a figure coming down the stairs.

Claire whirled around in her chair and felt herself blush.

“Gray! Hey, I need to talk to you.  Here, come sit by us.”  Karen pushed open a chair on the other side of Claire with her foot and he sat down.  Too embarrassed to say anything, Claire stared at the table’s surface and refused to meet anyone’s gaze.

“What’s up? Oh, hi, Claire.”

“H-hello.”

Karen leaned across the table. “Okay, so I was talking to your gramps the other day, and-”

Gray sighed. “I already know where this is going, and he already told me.  You’re going to have to go through Won.  We don’t have the supplies.”

Karen slammed her fists on the table. “Bull!  You guys can make a friggin’ mayonnaise maker.  You can’t tell me you can’t make a simple spatula!  Don’t tell me that’s too hard for even _you_ to make!”

The shopkeeper’s daughter had obviously struck a nerve. “A damn spatula is not going to help you win that contest anyway.  Your dish will fail like it does every year.”

Karen slammed the table again, and Claire was beginning to feel a bit crowded sitting between two people glaring at each other.

“I dare you to say that again. I dare you.”  Karen’s voice lowered to a threatening whisper.

“Look, I don’t have time for this. I’m going to be late for work.  You can ask Gramps for it again, but I doubt he’ll be able to get you one.”  Gray stood up and left without another word.

“DAMMIT!” Karen punched the table one last time and buried her face in her arms.

Claire sat silently, debating whether or not to comfort Karen. She wasn’t sure what the argument was really about, but Claire knew that she didn’t want to get caught between the two of them arguing again.  She was surprised at Gray’s comment on Karen’s cooking, but it was true that Karen was the one who started the confrontation.  She glanced around the room and spied Cliff sitting at the counter eating some porridge.  Ann was sitting next to him, eating the same dish and swinging her feet.

“Sorry you had to see that, Claire.” Karen’s sudden voice made Claire jump.  “It’s just that the cooking festival is coming up, and I am really looking forward to it.  I made a new recipe and everything.  The only problem is that I need a spatula.”

“Well, you work at the grocery store, right? Can’t you order one through there?”  Claire suggested weakly.

One icy stare from Karen made Claire sorry she had said anything.

“I don’t want my parents to find out that I’m getting one. My mother is convinced that I can’t cook, and she makes fun of me every time I enter the cooking contest.  I want to prove her wrong.  I want to show her that I am capable of making my own dish.  Mom and Dad are pretty much convinced that I won’t be good with any of that kind of stuff…”

“Wait, what kind of stuff?” Claire asked curiously.

“Well, you know…” Karen reddened and frowned.  “Let’s go.  Thank you for the food, Doug!”  She waved at the innkeeper.

“I-it was nice meeting you,” Claire politely nodded toward Doug.

0o0o0o0

Karen had walked Claire past the winery and in front of the mayor’s house before she opened her mouth, even though it was painfully obvious that something was eating away at her.

“Housekeeping. Cleaning.  Cooking.  You know…. things that… _wives_ are expected to know how do,” Karen had turned a bright shade of scarlet.  “My parents are convinced that I will be the ditzy wife that doesn’t know how to care for her family.  And who says that I have to be that kind of wife anyway?!   I want to prove to them that I can at least keep from starving to death if I lived on my own.”

“Oh, you’re thinking of getting married, then?”

Karen’s face was nearly purple. “I didn’t say that, now did I?”

Claire hardly knew the young woman, but she knew better than to answer this question.

And it was also apparent that Karen didn’t want to stick around to talk more on the subject. She quickly found her escape.  “Oh!  I forgot that I have to go and get that gift I got for you.  I gotta go to the supermarket, but I’ll be right back!”

Before Claire could reply, Karen had already left, and Claire was abandoned in front of the mayor’s house. And soon enough, Claire heard her name being called.

“Hello, Claire!”

Claire turned around. A young man with long brown hair was coming her way.  He looked a bit more cheerful each time she saw him; Ann must have been able to put a smile on his face.

“Hi, Cliff.” She waved to him and found a smile growing on her own face.

“So, what are you up to?”

“Karen is going to take me for a tour around town today. I guess it’s time I learned where everything is,” she laughed.

“I saw you in the inn earlier…” He shuffled his feet.

“Oh, yeah, I saw you too,” Claire responded.

There was an awkward silence.

“S-so, the food’s pretty good there, eh?” The young man fidgeted with the leather bracers he wore on his forearms.

Claire nodded and grinned. “Very good pancakes.”

“I like pancakes, too. But I prefer savory ones,” he gave her a shy smile.

“I’ve never tried those before. Savory?”

Cliff paused. “Well, that’s what they call them at the inn, anyway…  I’ve always heard them called okonomiyaki.  They’re made with cabbage…  They’re a lot different than sweet pancakes, but they’re really good…  M-maybe you should try them sometime.”

“When I earn more money, I hope that I can eat pancakes every day!” Claire beamed.

“You won’t get sick of them?” Cliff chuckled.

“Of course not. They’re my favorite.”

“Well, if you come to eat at the inn again… M-maybe we could eat t-together,” the young man wrung his hands nervously.

“Yeah, sounds fun.” Claire didn’t know why that thought made her so embarrassed.  What if Gray saw them eating together and he thought they were on a date?  Claire immediately wished she hadn’t agreed.

A smile tugged at Cliff’s lips. “Well, I was just on my way to the church…  W-would you like to come along?”

She _did_ want to thank Carter properly for the gift basket…  “Well, Karen will be taking me around town, so maybe we’ll see you there later?”

“Ah! Oh, right!  I-I’m sorry; you already have plans,” he stammered, looking down at the ground.

“Or you can come along with us, and I can show you around, too. I know that you don’t get out much either, Cliff.”  Karen appeared behind the two with a grocery bag in her hands.

The color drained from Cliff’s face.

“It’ll be f-u-n,” Karen sang, draping an arm around Claire’s shoulder.

“A-alright. I’ll come along.”

As Claire walked between the two villagers down the cobblestones, she grinned as she finally realized something. She had two friends.  Maybe the young farmer wasn’t as alone as she had originally thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I like to think that Doug’s Inn is a pretty rowdy place despite the small size of the town. Hope you are enjoying the story so far!  
> Sidenote: Okonomiyaki are super delicious and super easy to make; they have a regular rotation on our dinner menu ;)


	4. Grapes of Wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen introduces the newcomers to her favorite place - the winery! We learn that even among delicious juice and alcohol, the owners, Duke and Manna, have some troubles of their own.

“This is the mayor’s house. Thomas is usually hanging around there.  Apparently, he has a job, but I haven’t really seen him do much; I guess he helps out a bit at the next town over because he lost a rock-paper-scissors match and we send him over to the Valley with shipments from the shop.”

“The Valley?” Claire looked at her friend curiously.

“She means Forget-Me-Not Valley; it’s the next town over,” Cliff answered. “It’s a beautiful place.”

“Oh, I see...” She had never given much thought to other towns in the area; Mineral Town seemed so secluded.

“Anyway, Thomas does more over there than he does here. He apparently organizes the festivals here, but I haven’t seen him even do much of that; he’s a slacker,” Karen giggled.

“Isn’t that a little harsh?” Cliff ventured. He bit his lip thoughtfully.  “Arranging festivals can be a lot of work...  You have to make sure everyone knows their part, and then there’s the music and food, not to mention the proper dances…  You have to make sure that the offerings are done correctly…”  He rattled all of this off rather quickly, and it took Claire by surprise; it almost sounded as if he was speaking from experience.

“What kinds of festivals are you going on about? Thomas doesn’t do _any_ of that!”  Karen grinned mischievously.  “You’ll understand once you get used to living here.  I’m sure Claire can tell you what a bum he is.”

Claire stared at the ground. “I really don’t hope to talk to him anytime soon.”

Karen laughed. “So the rumors are true?!  You really beat the snot out of Thomas?”

Cliff’s jaw dropped as he stared at the reddening farmer. “Really?”

Did everyone know about this?! Claire wasn’t sure how to word it without sounding like a bully.  “H-he made fun of me when I had been tricked out of my entire savings for the farm…  I was angry…”  Claire hung her head.

“I-I’m glad that you moved here, Claire.” Cliff said quietly.

“Me too!” Karen threw an arm around the young woman’s shoulders.  “Things will get better.  Don’t worry.”

Claire thought of her cold bed, her bare house. She thought of her fields, sprinkled with mere sprouts.  She wouldn’t have crops for a long time.  Claire would have to live off of that basket of apples until then.  She wasn’t hungry at the moment, but Claire knew what true hunger felt like.  She remembered having nothing but a cluster of wild grapes for three days before she found where it grew.  But Claire looked up at her friends and realized that Karen was right; things would get better.

“Thanks, guys,” Claire blinked the mistiness out of her eyes.

“I wouldn’t feel too proud about beating up a guy like Thomas,” Karen laughed.

“I-I don’t…” Claire frowned.

“Good!” Karen snorted.  “Because it only means that you’re just a little less of a weakling than he is!” Karen jogged off toward the south, laughing.

She couldn’t remember the last time she was teased before today; she liked it. “Hey!” Claire grinned, taking off after her friend.

Not wanting to be left behind, Cliff chased after the two.

The farmer didn’t stop running until she bumped into Karen, who had stopped abruptly ahead of her. Claire was surprised that Cliff didn’t slam into her as well.

“So-sorry! I d-didn’t see that you h-had stopped!”  Their collision had knocked the wind out of Claire.

Karen turned around, strangely calm. “It’s okay,” She smiled.  The three friends looked out over the water silently.

“What’s wrong, Karen?” Claire noticed that the Karen seemed almost as if in a trance.

The brunette snapped out of her reverie. “Oh, sorry, guys.  It’s nothing.  This is the Goddess Spring.  This might sound dumb, but when I was little, I thought I saw a figure over the water here. People say that the Harvest Goddess shows up here, and if she appears for you, she will answer your prayers.  It’s a… special place for me,” she finished quietly, transfixed on the ripples of the water.

“The Harvest Goddess is all around us,” Cliff said gently.

“I know that, but… The fact that she actually appears here is pretty neat, huh?”

Claire stared at the water. It looked like a perfectly normal spring, yet there was definitely something unearthly about it.

“So how about we hop in the hot spring? All three of us?”  Karen winked and roared with laughter by Cliff’s startled reaction.  “Seriously, though, if you haven’t gotten the chance to go in the hot spring, you’re missing out.”

“Do you have to pay to use it?” Claire asked.

She was surprised when Cliff answered this question. “Nope.  I use it all the time.”

“Oh…” She had avoided using it because she thought that there was an entrance fee, and she had been washing in the spring beside it instead…  Claire realized with horror that she had been bathing in the Harvest Goddess’s spring.  She would have to start using the hot spring.

“Claire, you coming?” Karen laughed.

“I-in the hot spring? N-now?”

“No, dummy! Back to town.  I still gotta show you guys a bunch of places… like the winery, and the chicken farm, and the hospital, and the forge…”

Claire’s ears perked up. “Okay, let’s go.”

0o0o0o0

“Here’s my favorite shop! Besides home, that is,” Karen winked at her friends.  She waved at a middle aged man tending to the grape vines, and Claire was a little surprised Karen walked right up to him while he was working.  The man didn’t strike the farmer as a manual laborer.  He wore a tailored vest and bowtie; he hardly looked dressed for tending to crops.  Claire studied him.  He had silver streaks in his dark hair and a strong chin; he had a very distinguished and genteel air about him.

“Hey, Duke!”

“Hi, Karen! Who did you bring along with you today?  Some more customers, I hope?” He gave her a charming smile.

“Maybe. Fresh meat!” Karen chuckled.

“Nice to meet you both. My name is Duke Cava.  Welcome to Aja Winery; I run it along with my wife, Manna.”

“My name is Claire Dumont,” the young woman nodded politely.

Duke reached out his hand to hers. “What a lovely name.  You must be the new farmer to the south.”  He had a suave, pleasant voice and demeanor, and Claire half-expected him to kiss her hand in greeting.

The young woman nodded as she shook his hand politely.

Duke looked over to her male friend. “And you are…?”

“Cliff Yamamoto,” the young man stammered, shaking Duke’s hand.

A flicker of recognition registered in the winery owner’s eyes. “I think I’ve seen your face around here.  You stay at Doug’s?”

Cliff nodded. “Yes.  Since mid-winter.”

“Welcome to Mineral Town, both of you. How would you two care for a sample of our product?” He gave them both a grin.

Everyone in this town was so generous it caught her off guard. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly…”  Claire felt her face redden.

“Oh. I assumed you were of age since Karen brought you here,” Duke’s smile faded a bit.

“I-I’m of age.”

The man eyed up the farmer; he wasn’t sure if he believed her. Claire looked young to begin with, and the baggy work clothes weren’t helping her look any older.  “How old _are_ you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Oh, well, in that case, let’s go to the wine cellar,” He chuckled softly, leading the way. Karen bounced eagerly after him.

“I’ve n-never had wine before,” Cliff admitted sheepishly to Claire when the other two were out of earshot. “Have you?”

The young woman shook her head. “I would think it probably tastes a lot like grape juice…  Maybe sour?  What if I drink it and I find out I hate it?  I-I don’t want to be rude…  Maybe I’ll just ask for juice if they have any.”

“Oh, good idea. I’m sure he has juice.”  They walked down the stairs together.

Duke’s demeanor had changed as if a switch had been flipped; the winery owner and Karen were pouring rather full glasses straight from the casks, laughing loudly.

“Alright, kids, what do you want to drink?”

“D-do you have any grape juice?” Claire asked timidly.

“Oh, Claire, don’t be a baby!” Karen had already finished half of her glass already and was topping it off from one of the casks. “Live a little!”

“We have juice,” Duke happily poured her a glass. “What do you want, young man?”

“I’d like juice as well.”

Karen rolled her eyes. “You two are absolutely killing me!  Duke, I’m still drinking for them!”

“Oh, no you’re not!” Duke handed the pair their juice glasses and walked over to the cask. “I am!”  He roared with laughter and took a huge swig from his glass.

“I’ve never had fresh juice like this before; this tastes nothing like the processed stuff in the city,” Claire’s eyes widened as she let the juice sit on her tongue for a moment. It was sweet and flavorful, and it was easily one of the most delectable things she had ever tasted.

“It is delicious…” Her friend murmured in agreement as he took a small step closer to her; he’d much rather stand with her than the noisy pair over by the wine barrels.

“Karen’s at the bar a lot at night,” Claire realized. She had seen the woman at the same bar stool nearly every night when she dropped off her copper offerings to Gray.

“Oh, yeah…” Cliff chuckled, taking a sip of juice.  “She’s there quite a bit.  Ann always says she’s their best customer, so she gets treated like royalty.”

“Ann seems really nice.”

The young man nodded. “She really is.  I know I haven’t really lived here that long, but she’s kind of like a sister to me…  A little pushy, though.”  He gave her a shy smile.  “I guess my actual sister was, too…”

“I was never really close to my siblings,” Claire admitted with a small frown.

“Oh… I was…”  Cliff’s voice got quiet and he stared down at his juice.

“So… This is where all of the wine is aged, kids!” Duke appeared behind them with an empty wine glass.  “The grapes in the vineyard are used to make all of our wines.  We have over twenty varieties of wine, and we also make juice.  What do you think of the juice?”

“Amazing!”

“Delicious!”

The winery owner grinned at the pair. “Good to hear it!  This winery is my pride and joy!”

“I thought _I_ was your pride and joy!”  A voice echoed down the stairs.  A woman with dark hair and a long skirt hurried down the creaky stairs.  “Oh, here are a couple new faces.  So nice to meet you!  I see you’ve met my husband, Duke.  My name is Manna Cava; I run the wine shop next door.  Aja Winery was supposed to be a three-person operation with our daughter, but I won’t bother you with that whole long depressing story.  I’m sure Duke has given you a sample of our products, yes?  What do you think?  We work hard at what we do!  I am especially proud of this latest batch of moscato; I think it has the perfect finish.  Karen, dearie, did you get a chance to try it?  If not, have a glass, sweetie.  We always value your opinion, Karen.  Why don’t you two try some as well?  It really is quite delicious!  Once you try our wine, you won’t want to drink any other.”  She gave them a friendly nod.

“This is Claire. She’s the farmer that just moved in a few weeks ago,” Duke introduced her.

Manna’s face lit up. “Oh, yes.  What a pretty young lady!  I have heard that the farm had been under new management.  You have no idea what that means for this town!  Most of our produce is shipped in from the next town over, so it can get a little pricey for us housewives who have hungry husbands to feed!  Work hard, Claire, and I know that your farm will be a great success!  We are all rooting for you!”

“Thank you,” Claire’s heart felt warm, and she was a little surprised when the woman gave her a friendly hug around the shoulders.

“And who is this handsome young man? I know I’ve seen your face around here somewhere.  Are you new, or just shy?”

“That’s Cliff. He’s one of Doug’s boys,” Duke explained.

“Ah, that must be where I’ve seen you. So you live at Doug’s.  You won’t find a nicer inn anywhere.  We sell a lot of our wine to them, you know, we are business partners.  So if you ever want a drink, stop by the inn and think of us.  Or, even better, you can come here to visit me and buy it straight from our shop!” She gave the young man a flirty wink and patted his arm.

“I doubt they needed an entire sales pitch, honey,” Duke laughed. “Karen said she’s taking them to the bar later tonight.”

“Oh, is Karen showing them around town? How sweet of her!  If you really want the inside scoop on what is going on in town, feel free to ask me anything.  I like to pride myself on my knowledge of the goings-on in town.”

“Oh, Manna, you’re nothing more than a gossip, just like Mom!” Karen giggled.

The woman mock-pouted. “You silly girl!  There’s a big difference between idle gossip and knowing the inner workings of a town.  Why, just the other day, Anna told me that Won is selling false good luck charms!  She said she bought one for her daughter to-”

“Manna,” Duke interrupted her, “Why don’t we head upstairs and show them the vineyard?”

“Oh, you haven’t shown them yet? Come on, let’s go upstairs and give them the grand tour!”  She stumbled on a loose floorboard and Cliff swiftly caught her by the arm before she fell.  “Oh!  That gave me a start!  Thank you, young man!  What a sweetheart!  Duke, I thought I told you to nail that board down!” She scowled at her husband.

“I did nail it down!” Duke insisted.

“Well, you didn’t nail it down hard enough; I almost fell!” Manna frowned.

“Are you sure that’s even the same floorboard?” He walked over and stepped on it.  “This isn’t the same one!  I nailed down that one over there!”

“Well, why didn’t you just go through and nail down all of the loose ones?”

“How was I supposed to know there was another one loose?” Duke raised his voice.

“Well, it’s just common sense if you’ve already got the hammer out to go through and do all of them.”

“Well, I didn’t think to do that, now did I? I’ve been busy in the vineyard!”

“Well, we wouldn’t be overwhelmed if Aja were still here, now would we?” Manna’s voice was low and accusing.

“Well, we don’t have that luxury, now do we?!” Duke roared.

Karen swiftly grabbed each of her friends by the arm. “Upstairs.  Now.”  She shoved them ahead of her.  “Thank you, Duke and Manna, for the yummy wine and juice!  See you around!”  She yelled over them.

“Wh-what was that all about?” Claire asked uncomfortably as Karen pulled the cellar door behind them.

“Eh, they argue quite a bit, but they don’t mean any harm by it,” her friend laughed nervously. “They’re nice people, really.”

Cliff was staring at the door with a frown on his face, listening to the yelling, which had rapidly increased in volume.

“Cliff, they bicker all the time; don’t worry about it.”

“They… miss their child terribly,” His voice was soft.

“Yeah… But they always make up before dinner time,” Karen gave him a friendly grin.  “They’re both just a little hot-blooded.  Why don’t we make a quick stop at my place?  I bet I could talk Dad into giving us some free rice balls for lunch.”  She led the way.

Claire followed her female friend, but she noticed Cliff was falling behind, his eyes turning back to the winery several times. She sensed he had that gloomy aura she noticed he had when she first met him at the church.  The farmer slowed down her walking pace so that she could match steps with him.

“Are you doing okay?” She asked softly.

Cliff jumped in surprise. “Huh?  Oh, I’m fine!”  He quickly shot her a small grin, but Claire could see him struggling to hide the ache in his eyes.  Something about Duke and Manna’s quarrel had really gotten to the young man.

She said nothing in response; she wasn’t sure if she could say anything that would help. The grief that emanated from him permeated her own heart and she felt a lump form in her throat.  Claire walked silently by his side.

0o0o0o0

“Here we are!” Karen led the way to the grocery store.  “So, we’ve got your seeds and basic groceries, personal care items…”  She turned around raised her eyebrows in concern.  “Claire, are you alright?  You look like you’re going to cry.”

The farmer swallowed; her throat felt tight. “I’m doing fine,” she insisted and gave Karen a cheesy smile.

“Good; I’m going to get us some onigiri!” Karen walked over to her father behind the cash register.

“I’m sorry, Claire,” Cliff murmured. “I’m okay, really…”  He locked eyes with her.  “I know I can put people off sometimes with my gloominess…  Carter says that I… push people away…”

“I… I just want to be able to help you,” she found herself saying, and her voice cracked.

“J-just hearing you say that already makes me feel a lot better,” Claire could see the relief in the young man’s eyes as he gave her a kind smile.

“R-really?” The young woman’s throat relaxed.  “I’m glad…”

Karen was looking at her two friends with interest. “Are you two going to come over here and get a rice ball or what?”  She handed them each a wrapped bundle.  “I’ve got them packed up.  Eat them now or later, but take one either way.”

“Oh, thank you very much!” Cliff stammered, and Claire nodded emphatically in agreement.

“No problem. Dad just asks that you guys look around the shop for a while and promise to buy something sometime.”

The farmer tucked away her rice ball for later as she wandered the shop and noticed her friend had done the same. She had been to the grocery store a couple of times since moving into town, but there were quite a few things she didn’t notice they sold before, such as stationary.  She’d have to buy some for her next letter to her parents…  It seemed the shop carried some fancy writing instruments as well.

Claire was staring at some lavish feathers locked up in a glass case. “Quills…  They’re all blue…”  The young woman had never written with a quill, but these feathers looked too fancy to use for something as ordinary everyday writing utensils.

Karen laughed. “Three weeks in town and you’re already eyeing up the blue feathers?  You’ve got it bad, girl!  Don’t let the boys catch you looking at them already; you’ll scare them all away!”  She slapped Claire on the back.

Claire was caught by surprise and her head almost slammed into the glass case. “What are you talking about?”

Cliff peeked into the case. “I doubt I’ll ever have to worry about receiving one of these…”  He laughed nervously.

“What about giving one?” Karen teased.

“I… d-don’t think so…” Cliff rolled his eyes, but his face had turned red.

“So they’re given as gifts…” Claire pieced this much together.

“They had the blue feather tradition back in my home town, too,” Cliff was saying to Karen. “It kind of feels nice to know the customs back at home weren’t all completely unheard of.”

“Okay… When do you give someone a blue feather?”

Her two friends looked at each other and Claire was surprised to see that Karen had turned pink. “You mean you don’t know?  Pah, city kid…  Go on, tell her, Cliff.”  She nudged him.

The young man looked back at Karen and sighed. “Fine…  Here’s the way our village elder explained it to the children.  When you finally find someone that truly makes your life complete, it is said that you are visited by the bluebird of happiness.  Giving someone a blue feather represents your desire to share that happiness with them…” He recited, “It means that you want to share your life with them…  How was that explanation, Karen?”  Cliff looked over his shoulder.

Karen nodded in approval and slapped her friend on the back; the young man had loosened up considerably since this morning. “Your elder explained it in a much sweeter way than my mom did.  Mom just said, ‘Don’t be passing those out to any boy!’”  She mimicked her mother and laughed.

 _It’s like an engagement ring…_ Claire admired the plumes.  “So they’re for marriage…  Do men or women typically give them out?”

“Wow… You’re a woman on a mission, huh?  I’d say it’s about fifty-fifty.  My mom gave my dad a blue feather, and Rod gave Lillia one.  But, hey, we’ve all got plenty of time to worry about that!” Karen laughed heartily.  “You’re only young once…  Hey, I know where we can go next,” she blushed, hurrying out the door.

Her friends shrugged at each other and followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I’m especially proud of the interactions between Duke and Manna in this chapter. They’re my favorite married couple in Mineral Town – so wonderfully dysfunctional, yet hopelessly in love. 
> 
> I debated a while before deciding to give the characters last names. They probably won’t be used too often, but they’ll pop up here and there. The last name I chose for Duke and Manna is Spanish/Italian in origin, meaning “cellar”. Cliff Yamamoto’s last name literally means “from the mountains”. Claire Dumont just has a nice ring to it, no? But her last name’s meaning is similar to Cliff’s. Don’t worry; they’re not relatives, haha!
> 
> Please let me know what you think of the story so far!


	5. Crossing the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen takes the newbies to the poultry farm. While Popuri eyes up the fresh meat, Rick is eager to see a new potential customer.

“Huh… I still half-expect to see it every time I come here,” Karen chuckled as they walked through the gate of the poultry farm.

“See what?” Claire asked.

“They used to have this huge statue erected here.  It’s been gone for years,” she snickered.  “Anyway…”

“Welcome to Chicken Lil’s!” A very pretty young woman hurried over to them, picking up her skirts as she ran over the dirt path. She was the very essence of what Claire defined as feminine; long, flowing curly hair, beautiful clothing, and a childlike face.  “Hey, Karen!  Who do you have with you today?”  She gazed at the newcomers, and her eyes fell on the young man.  “Oh, wait!  I know!  You’re that guy I see up at the spring sometimes.  I’m Popuri!  And you are…?”

Cliff could hardly stammer his own name; Popuri was inspecting him as if he were an animal at auction. She slowly circled him, her eyes moving up and down him shamelessly.  The young man turned bright red and stared at the ground, embarrassed.

“What is that? Deer hide?” She muttered more to herself than anyone else as she stared at his clothing.

“Y-yeah…”

“Ah, this looks soft,” her fingers flew to the fur collar on his tunic. “Is this real?”  He looked so different than most of the other men in town; furs were reserved for fancy women in the city, not shabbily dressed mountain men.  A thinly veiled smirk spread across the young woman’s face.

“Uh, y-yes… I, uh…”  He couldn’t make it any more obvious that he was extremely uncomfortable.

Karen bit back a laugh. “Poppy, don’t tease the kid; he’s shy.”

Popuri ignored her friend. “It feels really nice.  What is it?”  She stared at him, coaxing him to speak.

“Fox…” His voice kept getting softer.

“HEY!” A sharp voice made all four of them jump.  A young man their age with wire-framed glasses and strawberry blonde hair tore across the farm to them.

Karen rolled her eyes. “Rick, don’t get your apron in a twist.  These are just some new folks in town.”

The anxiety on Ricks’ face faded only slightly. “Who’s this guy?”  He asked suspiciously, but his misgivings faded when he saw the look on Cliff’s face.  “Give him some space, Sis!”

Popuri went to stroking her cotton candy locks instead.

“New tenant at Doug’s,” Karen explained. “This is Cliff; he’s harmless.  And this is Claire, the new farmer; also harmless,” she ruffled the bespectacled man’s hair, and Claire noticed that Karen’s fingers lingered for a moment on his pale locks.

“Pleased to meet you,” Claire nodded politely.

The young man adjusted his glasses and held out a hand to shake. “Farmer, huh?  So you must be the one who purchased the property to the south.”  He looked very interested.  “It will definitely be a big job, resurrecting that farm.  But you know what?  Hard work builds character!  I’m sure you’ll do a great job, and I hope we can help each other out in the future!”

“Yeah… me, too...”  Rick shifted into a different mode since his initial introduction to the group; Claire relaxed a bit.

The chicken farmer’s eyes moved to his sister; she was still staring down the strange young man. Rick gave her a dirty look.  “Leave him alone, Sis.  Can’t you see you’re making him uncomfortable?  You need to behave yourself; we’re not little kids anymore.”  He sighed and shook his head.  “I apologize…”

“It’s okay…” The young man smiled politely at Rick, but he looked as if he wished he were invisible.

“Anyway, we specialize in chickens here. We sell to local farms and businesses.  Eggs, feed, chickens, meat…  Anything related to chickens, we can cover.”

Popuri sulked and had moved to inspecting Claire. The farmer could see why Cliff had turned so red; those large eyes boring into her made the famer very self-conscious.

“What did I _just_ say?!” Rick’s voice was stern.

Popuri’s garnet eyes met Claire’s blue ones. “You’re really pretty,” she breathed.

The farmer’s face felt very hot; it was such an innocent, blunt compliment. “Th-thanks…  I think you are, too.”

Rick continued. “So, if you are looking to buy a chicken in the future, keep us in mind.  I’d be happy to show you around the farm and we can check out the-”

“What do you think, Rick? She’s pretty, huh?”

The young man’s cheeks turned pink. “Go into the house if you can’t say anything else!”

“All you want to do is talk about work!” She pouted.

“And all you want to do is talk about nonsense!” Her brother retorted. “Besides, Karen told me last night that she was going to show the new farmer around town.  I plan on speaking to a potential customer about what we have to offer, thank you very much!  So where were we?”

“You were _both_ going to show us around,” Karen didn’t miss a beat.  Popuri’s face lit up and she winked at her female friend.

Rick didn’t waste a moment. “Alright.  Here is the main henhouse,” he threw open the door.

Claire’s ears and nose were assaulted with a one-two punch; she knew right away she didn’t want to stay in here for long. Rows of hens in varying sizes and colors lined the walls; there had to be at least one hundred.  While fascinating, the combination of smells and noises almost gave her an immediate headache.

“These are our egg laying hens!” Rick yelled over the clucking and squawking.  “If you ever want to buy a chicken for your own farm, just see my mom and we’ll set you up with a good hen!”

The farmer stared at the birds curiously. Many were attempting to peck each other.  “They’re not very friendly, huh?” She turned toward Karen, who laughed.

“What?! I can’t hear you!”  Rick called over the noisy birds.

“Never mind her; she’s too quiet for this coop!” Karen spoke loudly.

They hurried back outside, and Claire realized she felt pretty excited after looking at the birds. Despite her initial repulsion at the crowded chicken coop, the idea of owning a few hens sounded quite attractive to her.  After all, she had her own space for them already.

“It was a bit like the village square in the afternoon in there, am I right?” Karen gave the young man a friendly nudge.

A guilty smile spread across Rick’s lips. “You know you shouldn’t say things like that…”

“Oh, you know I’m only telling the truth,” she giggled, bumping his shoulder again.

“Anyway… I’d show you the inside of the shop, but Mom’s not feeling well today.  Maybe some other time.  The next coop over houses our capons, males we raise for meat.  We sell to local towns and Doug’s place.  Tastiest chicken around; hope you’ve had the chance to try some.”

“We love chickens, but we’re not above eating them,” Popuri grinned, “Especially the ones who decide to peck at us!”

“D-Do you sell them whole?”

They all turned in surprise; Cliff hardly seemed the type to have any interest in a poultry farm.

“What do you mean?” Rick asked, adjusting his glasses. “We don’t really do any butchering here, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Ah… I was just wondering if you sold offal at a discounted rate,” Cliff’s asked shyly.

“Nah, we only sell good stuff here, nothing awful!” Popuri teased, giving the young man a giggle.

“You mean you actually _want_ the gizzard and heart and other organs?”  Karen cringed.

“Hey, some people actually like that kind of stuff. I told you to give it a try, Karen,” Rick frowned at her.  “But Cliff, you could probably ask Doug for leftovers; he’s a big believer in not wasting anything.”

“Thanks, I’ll ask.” Cliff gave him a friendly smile and nod.

Popuri pulled the female farmer off to the side. “Hey, Claire.  Did you know that me and Karen grew up together?”

Claire shook her head, and she felt a rush of jealousy. She never had a steady friend growing up herself.

“Oh, yeah. Me, Poppy, Rick, and Ann used to think we ran this town when we were little,” Karen giggled as they walked down the dirt path.

Cliff waited until the women were out of earshot. “What about day-old chicks?”

The chicken farmer laughed. “You planning on raising them in your room at the inn?  We only sell fully-grown hens, and I won’t sell a live chicken to someone who doesn’t have the proper space to raise one.”

The brunette’s eyes darted toward the trio of girls and moved back to Rick. “I didn’t say anything about them needing to be alive.  It helps, but it isn’t necessary.”

Rick’s eyes flashed with understanding. “For feed, huh?  I thought Doug didn’t allow pets.”

The traveler frowned. “I prefer to think of him as a partner, and I don’t keep him at the inn.”

Rick’s eyes widened; a potential threat had been made known to his mother’s precious farm. “Well, please be careful where you let… _him_ roam, okay?”  His voice was friendly, but his expression was not.

“I know better than to bring him into town,” the brunette sighed. “I promise you have nothing to worry about; we’ve been together for years.”

The chicken farmer caught the flash of loneliness on the gloomy man’s face. “Hey, I’m sorry if I came off as aggressive.  It’s just…  This farm is my life.  I have to prove to my family that I can support them, you know what I mean?”

“Y-yeah…” Cliff’s voice was gruff as he stared at the ground.  “Take good care of your family; they’re the only one you’ve got.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Yes, I like to think that Mineral Town’s residents EAT the livestock they raise. Yes, this also includes beef and mutton! I always felt like it was a shallow lie that the people in town only ate fish…
> 
> I hope I did the siblings justice; I like to think that Rick is very protective of his family, but he can still be a fun guy. I tried to write Popuri as a bit childish because she’s never really been given the opportunity to be anything but. However, she is not as naïve as she lets on.
> 
> Please read and review and let me know what you think of the story so far!


	6. Getting to the Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group moves along to the forge. While Claire eagerly focuses on getting to talk to her crush, Cliff is a bit more eager to talk to the owner to strike a bargain.

“So, here’s the forge. You can buy more farm tools here, Claire.  The owner’s a little intimidating, but he means well.  Just thought I’d give both of you fair warning.”

“I’ve been here already,” Claire replied.

“Me, too.” Cliff nodded.

“Oh!” Karen was a little surprised.  “Well, I guess we can just skip over it, then.”

Claire’s feet remained glued to the ground. She had another chance to speak to the apprentice, and she was not about to let it pass her by.  “W-wait!”  Claire’s hands were sweaty and she wiped them off on her overalls.  “I-it wouldn’t hurt to go in and s-say hello….”

“Alright. If you want to, then let’s go in,” Karen shrugged.

The farmer opened the door with shaking hands and her heart began to pound as the familiar scent of smoldering metal hit her nose.

“Good day,” Saibara greeted them.

“Hello. I’m showing these new folks around town today,” the young woman explained.

Claire’s eyes were already locked on the left side of the room. She watched the apprentice load the furnace with ingots.

“Hello, Mr. Saibara,” Cliff nodded to him politely.

“Hello, young man. Can I help you with something today, Cliff?”

“Actually… I was wondering if you would be interested in another trade,” he asked with a courteous smile.  “I’m really happy with the work you did for me before; I can that tell you train very hard.”

Karen was surprised at the shy young man’s bold offer; the old blacksmith always made his customers pay up front in cash.

Saibara nodded approvingly and a smile crept onto his face. “Most young people don’t understand…  You must practice hard every day; it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing it…  I’m also satisfied with the work you’ve done for me.  Alright, let’s talk.”

Karen’s eyes moved over to Claire; she was watching Gray throw ingots into the furnace. “Hey, what are you going to make with all of that?” Karen asked.

Gray looked over at his grandfather. Saibara was grinning and nodding at his roommate while the young man skillfully negotiated with him; they looked pretty engaged.  Gray rolled his eyes at Karen.

“None of your damn business.”

“Hey, come on! Don’t be like that!  What are you making?”  She repeated.

He didn’t look up at her. “I said it was none of your damn business.”

“Quit being an ass,” Karen folded her arms across her chest.

“Why does it matter to you what I’m making? It will just end up in the furnace anyway, right?  It’s not your stupid spatula, that’s for sure.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still angry about this morning! If anyone should be mad, it should be me!”

Claire sighed; this visit wasn’t going the way she had hoped for at all…

Karen caught the look on her friend’s face. “Hey…  Let’s not fight.  Why don’t you show us what you do back there?”

“This is dangerous stuff. Don’t treat it so casually like you’re on a field trip or something,” Gray’s voice was gruff as he turned around and glared at Karen.

Claire was watching the glow of the furnace with wide eyes. “You ever get burnt on that?”

Gray almost scoffed at her, but he found himself unable to. Her eyes and tone of voice were both too sincere.  “Well, that’s why I wear these heavy gloves.”  He took them off.  “But accidents still happen.”

The farmer gasped as he showed her a few burn scars on his hands. “Do they still hurt?”

“Not at all. You can’t tell me you have never burned yourself on something before.”

“Well, I worked at a restaurant in the city for a few years, but I’ve never gotten anything like that…” Claire looked down at her own hands for a moment and frowned.  They weren’t quite as soft as when she lived in the city, and despite the fact that she wore work gloves, she was starting to get calluses from handling her farming tools.

“How did you get that one on your right hand, Claire?” Karen asked her friend.

“I got it slammed in a train door on my way home from work a couple of years ago. I couldn’t write for a couple of weeks; catching up at work was worse than the actual injury,” she laughed weakly.

“Well, I got this scar on my elbow from when I was a kid,” Karen showed off her scar proudly.

“How did you get that one?” Claire asked.

“Something stupid, I’m sure. I think I was climbing a tree with Rick and fell.”

Gray showed Claire a long pink mark on his left hand. “That’s nothing compared to this one.”

“Oh, so it’s a competition now?” Karen teased.

Gray ignored her question. “I got this one when I first started.  I sneezed when I was standing in front of a metal rod that was cooling.  Hurt like hell.”

“What about that one?” Claire pointed to his thumb.

“Ha... Got that one when I was a kid.  I came here to visit with my parents and I saw some copper ingots cooling and apparently I thought they were candy.  Goddess, I was stupid…  Check it out; I only have a partial fingerprint.”  He held out his hand.

Claire took his hand in hers and ran her finger along the shiny scar. “That must’ve hurt so much…  Second degree burn at least, right?”

“I guess. I don’t remember it all that well; I think I was four or five...  Hey, that tickles,” A hint of a smile spread across his lips and his cheeks turned pink.

Claire looked up at him and quickly let go. “Oh, uh, s-sorry!” She stammered, blushing deeply.

Gray shrugged and pulled down on the bill of his cap. “Anyway, hot metal’s nothing to fool around with.  It’s best to keep at a safe distance.  I’m not going to be held responsible for anything stupid you decide to do, Karen.”

“Whatever, we have somewhere else to go to next, anyway,” She turned back toward her other companion, who was still talking to the owner.

“So you’re already preparing for fall, huh?” Saibara asked.

Cliff nodded, and Karen was surprised at how comfortable he sounded talking to the old blacksmith. “Well, it’s never too early to start; I’ve been scouting a lot now that it’s warming up a bit.  I am eager to see what Mother’s Hill has to offer.  I haven’t seen too much yet, but I’m trying to remain hopeful.”

“I’ll have half a dozen ready for you by next week… Why don’t you come over for tea tomorrow morning at seven?  We can talk more then.”

“Th-thank you… I’m honored,” the young man stammered, reddening.

The old blacksmith laughed. “I have a feeling you’ll do just fine in this town.  We could use more polite young men like you.”

Gray rolled his eyes.

“Well, I’ve got work to do; see you soon,” Saibara said, not unkindly. “I will see you tomorrow morning, Cliff.”  He nodded at him.

“Yes. I’m looking forward to it,” he bowed respectfully.

Saibara turned around and shuffled through his tools noisily, focusing on his next project.

“You’re meeting Gramps for tea?” Gray cocked an eyebrow. “Hope you like bitter matcha, and you better drink it _real_ slowly.  He’s very particular.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Cliff replied, rolling his eyes; he was familiar with the way his roommate spoke of his grandfather.

“Well, you better hope you are. He invited me once for tea, and he nearly flipped the table over because I sat down wearing my hat.  I think I need to be eight parts more wabi and five parts more sabi to meet his standards,” he rolled his eyes, scoffing.

Claire blinked at the young man; the joke went over her head. Karen roared with laughter.

The old man turned back around, distracted by the young woman’s loud voice. “Get back to the furnace, boy!”  He roared.  “I’m going to need steel!”

Gray sighed. “See you guys around.”  He headed back to his workstation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: Gray’s joke at the end of this chapter is referring to the concept of wabi-sabi. This is kind of a hard term to describe from a western standpoint. Basically, wabi-sabi is the idea of imperfection and rustic simplicity, or the elegance and grace that comes with age and use. So, simply put, Saibara thinks his grandson is an impatient yahoo.  
> I hope I at least got a giggle out of someone with these last two coordinating chapter titles…


	7. Two New Patients

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to the hospital goes unexpectedly as Karen and Claire learn of one of Cliff's phobias.

“Sheep are really cute…” Claire sighed dreamily as they waved goodbye to Barley and May of Yodel Ranch.

“They taste pretty good, too,” Karen smirked.

The farmer’s face fell. “You’re terrible!”

“She’s right though,” Cliff let out a small chuckle. “There’s nothing quite like slow-roasted mutton; we never got to eat it much back at home.”

The blonde sighed, but found herself laughing. “That’s it!  Neither of you are allowed in my barn after I buy livestock!”

“She won’t notice one little missing lamb, will she, Cliff?” Karen nudged her friend. “I won’t tell if you don’t!”

The young man said nothing, but gave her a conspiratorial wink.

“And now you two are plotting right in front of me!” The farmer mock-pouted. “You two have no shame!”

Karen ruffled the blonde’s hair and Claire let out a giggle. “You are perfectly adorable, Claire!  Raise us lots of livestock for us to eat, okay?”

Seeing the horses, cows, and sheep of the livestock farm had put all of the friends in a cheerful mood. They had finished the southern section of town; Karen led the two up a cobblestone path to the north and stopped at a very official-looking building next to the church.

“This is our hospital. The doc’s really nice.  Let’s go in and say hi,” Karen opened the door and her friends followed.

“We’ve got some new patients!” Karen hollered as they walked into the sterile lobby.

“So, what seems to be ailing you?” The nurse frowned at the pair.

“Oh, no! We’re not sick, w-we’re just visiting,” Claire explained, caught off guard by her concerned face.  “Karen’s showing us around town.”

“Oh, well then, good afternoon!” The nurse had a sweet, motherly air about her although she looked like she was the same age as them. “Welcome.  My name is Elli, and I’m the nurse here.  Pleased to meet you.  Feel free to stop by for a checkup any time.  I also sell over-the-counter medicines.”

“My name is Claire.” The nurse seemed friendly enough, and the farmer relaxed a bit.

“So nice to meet you, Claire and…?”

The young man was distractedly staring at the jars of medicine behind Elli’s desk with nervous eyes. His cheerful mood had disintegrated the moment they stepped through the door, and the sterile room seemed to release a sense of fear in him.  “Uh… I’m Cliff…”

“Well, why don’t you guys go see the doctor and he can register you two as patients? We’ll just get some basic information on you so that when you come here for a real visit, we won’t have to bother with the formalities, okay?”  The nurse popped her head in the doctor’s office.  “Doctor Trent, we have a couple of new residents.”

“Oh, good, send them in,” a deep businesslike voice emerged from the doorway. Elli gave Claire a nod and walked back to her desk.

Karen gave Claire a nudge and the farmer nervously walked into the office, not realizing Cliff had followed her.  Karen stifled a giggle and took a seat in the lobby; the young man looked very bewildered and confused.

The doctor turned around in his swivel chair. “Hello.  Doctor Trent.  Pleased to meet you,” He nodded and shook their hands.  “Honestly, a lot of people just call me Doc.  New farmer, right?” He nodded toward the blonde.

The man had a very serious expression, and Claire got the distinct impression that his face rarely changed. His dark eyes were observing her as well, and the farmer noticed there was a subtle warmth behind them.

“Yes, my name is Claire.” She sat down and placed her hands in her lap. Her friend watched her and quickly followed suit, taking a seat close to her.

“So is this your husband?” Trent pointed at Cliff with his pen.

“Oh, n-no! We’re just both new to town,” the young woman shook her head, flustered for a brief moment.  She stole a glance at her friend and noticed his cheeks were flushed.

“Well, I can’t see you both at once then,” Trent sighed; he thought this much was painfully obvious. “Can one of you wait in the hallway for a moment?  I don’t want to violate any health privacy laws,” he pointed at the door with his writing utensil.

“Uh… S-sure…” Cliff stood up and scrambled out of the room.

The doctor rolled his eyes at the young man and grabbed some forms. “Alright.  I won’t get too invasive today,” he gave her a kind smile.  “I’ll just collect some basic information on you.”

He recorded Claire’s height, weight, blood pressure, and took a sample of blood.

“Are there any ongoing health issues that I need to know about?”

“W-well…” The young woman played with her hands.  “I-I get…”  Her mouth suddenly felt very dry.  She tried again.  “S-sometimes my heart starts racing and I feel dizzy and I have trouble breathing.”  Just talking about it made her feel the symptoms again.

The doctor frowned and scribbled on his notepad. He swiftly picked back up his stethoscope and pressed it to her heart.  “Just randomly?  When does this happen?”

She gulped; he was getting the wrong idea. Surely he thought she had some sort of severe health issue now.  She began to wonder if she should have said anything at all.  “N-no…  I-I’m sorry.  I’m not explaining it well…  I just get nervous and then I feel this way.”

“So it’s anxiety then, huh?” His voice was gentle.

“Y-yeah. Panic attacks.  I had one the other day and had to sit down for a while.  I went home and slept really hard; I was really worn out.”  It didn’t feel like her own voice admitting all of this.  She felt too detached to be embarrassed.

“How often does this happen, and is there usually something you’re doing that triggers them?”

“Maybe one every few days… M-meeting new people makes me anxious…” _And trying to get Gray to notice me…_

The doctor bit back a grin. “I suppose Karen’s town tour isn’t helping too much with that, huh?”  He whirled around in his swivel chair and dug through the cabinet behind him.  He produced a small amber bottle and opened the lid.  “Here, take a whiff of this and tell me how it makes you feel.”

She took the bottle in shaking hands and gave it a small sniff. Her nose was filled with a sweet floral scent that made her throat and muscles relax.

He saw the relief on her face and smiled; this was what he lived for, after all. “It feels good, huh?”

She nodded mutely and reluctantly handed him back the bottle. He shook his dark head.  “Keep it.  That’s lavender oil.  Try adding it to your soap or just dab some on your pressure points.”

Claire immediately put some on her neck.

“It’s not a medicine, but it will help you relax. Spend some more time with your friends and the social anxiety should subside.” 

“Th-thank you.”

“If the panic attacks get worse, come back to see us. You also might want to consider visiting the church for some counseling.  Pastor Carter is a very kind, sympathetic man.  Why don’t you send your friend back now?”

“Alright. Thank you, Doctor Trent…”  She clutched the small bottle in her hand, feeling a sense of relief and pride in telling the doctor about her anxiety.  She returned to the lobby.

“See? It only took a minute,” Karen was rolling her eyes at Cliff.

“He’s ready for you,” Claire nodded.

She saw that her friend was looking at around the room as if he was expecting something to jump out at him. “A-alright…” He trudged into the doctor’s office.

Claire took a seat next to Karen and the brunette let out an exasperated sigh. “That kid’s never been to a doctor’s office in his life.  Can you believe it?”

The farmer shrugged. It was a little unusual, but judging from his clothing, he looked like he was from a pretty rural area that might not have very advanced medical equipment.  “I wonder what he does when he gets sick, though…”

Karen shrugged.

“Alright, done!” Cliff hurried out of the examination room; one of his bracers had been removed and he had an elastic band around the exposed forearm.  He tucked the unworn bracer under his arm.  “Let’s go.”

“Get back here!” Trent’s voice roared from his office.

Karen caught her friend by the shirt. “What on earth-?”

Trent stepped into the hallway.

“I-It’s BA… neutral…” Cliff muttered.  “I just remembered!”

“That’s not even a blood type,” Trent cocked an eyebrow.

“Of course it’s not!” He laughed nervously.  “I meant…  A…B.  Yes, AB!”

“It’s just a small needle,” Trent held up the syringe. “It will just take a minute.  Besides, I need to know more than just your blood type.”

“… AB _neutral_ ,” Cliff repeated, clumsily tugging at the band on his arm, hoping that the addition of the new word held some kind of weight.

Claire frowned at her friend; his emotions seemed pretty erratic today, and she knew it was probably from all of the new people he was meeting. The young man seemed extremely agitated; she could see past his frail smile and his blue eyes were darting around the room in panic.  Perhaps today simply had too much excitement and forced socialization for such a withdrawn person.  “Cliff…”

Karen scowled at him. “Do you want to die if you get a blood transfusion?  You can’t just _pick_ a blood type!”

“Come on, just a small sample of blood,” Trent sighed.

Cliff bit his lip; he wasn’t _trying_ to be difficult…  “Well, if all you need is a bit of blood…”  He reached into his pocket and produced a hunting knife, “Why can’t I just nick myself and you can catch the blood in a cup or something?”

Karen laughed heartily while the doctor’s eyes widened in horror. Surely the young man used the same knife to gut fish.  “That’s not a sterile method at all!  Besides, the needle will cause much less discomfort.”

“I… beg to differ,” the patient mumbled under his breath.

“Come on, he’ll probably give you a lollypop if you’re a good boy,” Karen smirked at him.

Cliff turned toward his other friend and noticed she smelled rather nice. Despite his urge to panic, he felt himself relaxing a bit.  “Did he make you do this, too?”

Claire held up a bandaged arm.

“Oh.” He fell silent.

“Take a seat. Now.”  The doctor was tired of fighting.

The young man obeyed mutely and plopped on the couch next to Karen. She immediately stood up and averted her eyes, wandering over to Elli’s area.

“Don’t look at your arm; look at something else,” Trent ordered, tightening the band on his patient’s arm.

Cliff’s eyes fell on his blonde friend and quickly dropped to the floor with embarrassment. He stared at the tiles on the floor, focusing on the sound of his own breathing.

“There, done. Not so bad, huh?” Trent patted Cliff’s shoulder and swiftly bandaged the arm and removed the band in a fluid motion.

The young man didn’t reply; he quickly covered the bandaged arm with his bracer with shaking fingers and looked up in surprise when Claire took the laces.

“These must be hard to tie yourself, huh?” She gave him a kind smile. As she laced up the arm wear, she noticed for the first time how many scuffs and scars covered the young man’s arms and hands; one scar in particular looked jagged and appeared as though the skin had been stitched together by an amateur at one point.

“Th-thank you…” His eyes moved to the floor and his face flushed.

“That reminds me… Karen, you’re due for your bloodwork soon,” the doctor headed back to his office.

The young woman went pale. “R-right…”

“Don’t put it off again like you did last time. Make an appointment soon,” his voice was stern.

Karen swore under her breath. “Alright.  Bye, Elli!  Bye, Trent!” She dragged both of her friends behind her as she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Hope you’re enjoying the story. I feel that it’s important to introduce the readers and Claire to the people of Mineral Town, as they will be making more appearances later. As I’m sure you’ve probably noticed, I’ve given them a few quirks and faults to her friends to make them feel more genuine. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! More to come real soon!


	8. Three Weary Travelers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen's tour of Mineral Town comes to an end and Claire feels a little exhausted by the whole thing, eager to call it a day. The three relax at the bar, and after Karen walks Claire home, the farmer confesses her feelings about a certain young blacksmith.

“I know you’re both familiar with this place,” Karen dismissed it with the wave of a hand as they walked by the church. She turned around to see her male friend heading for the door.  She seized him by the arm.  “Oh, no you don’t!  You’re not going back in there to hide!”

The young man gave a slight frown, but Claire could see the desperation in his eyes; he was on the edge of a meltdown. She could tell that he was aching to sit in his quiet pew.

“Come on. I’ll let you pick the next place,” Karen offered, her expression softening.

“The church.”

He was quiet, but also stubborn. The grocer’s daughter sighed.  “Pick another.”  She folded her arms across her chest.

“Why don’t we go to the church for a quick prayer?” Claire asked gently. Her male friend looked at the farmer gratefully and gave Karen a pleading expression.

The brunette rolled her eyes. “Fine, but we still have other stops to make.  Don’t think you’re getting out of the rest of the tour, Cliff!”

He didn’t say anything in reply, but he opened the door for Claire. Karen raised her eyebrows at them as she followed.

“Oh, there you are, Cliff. I thought maybe you had decided to spend some time with Ann today,” the priest gave his friend a kind smile as the three entered the church.

The color drained from the young man’s face. “N-no…”

Karen began to wonder what about the floor was so fascinating to Cliff; his eyes were almost always drifting there when he was aware that someone’s eyes were on him. When he thought no one was looking, now _that_ was a different story…

“Me and Claire kidnapped him and are forcing him on an excruciating journey through town today,” The young woman laughed.

The priest’s face lit up. “Well, I’m glad that he agreed to go out with someone, at least.  How are you holding up, Cliff?”  The pastor gave the young man a kind smile.

 “I’m doing… okay…”

He could see the young man was struggling a bit; Carter quickly shifted to one of his usual remedies for calming his friend’s nerves. “Well, since you’re all three here, how would you like to listen to one of my stories?”

Claire took a seat beside her friend in the front pew and nodded.

“Oh, alright,” Karen took a seat on the other side of the blonde and smirked.

Once the three friends were looking up at the priest, Carter took a deep breath and grinned. He loved nothing more than an audience, after all.  “This is the story of a perfectly normal family.  The father, mother and their young son lived happily together.  However, the mother got ill and died suddenly.”

Two of the three friend’s faces fell. Karen rolled her eyes.

“It’s just a story,” Carter laughed. “There’s a lesson involved; I want you to think about it…  Anyway, the son was too young to understand, so he asked his father what happened to his mother.  The father knew not what to say, but he told his son that she slept very deeply.  The son became worried and went to get his allowance.  The son asked his father to buy a large alarm clock to wake her up…  Any thoughts about it?”  Carter gave the three friends a grin.

Claire looked at her companions; Karen had a snarky look on her face, and Cliff was staring at the ground, his expression unreadable.

“I think you’ve got a dark sense of humor,” the grocers’ daughter admitted with a grin.

The priest raised his eyebrows. “It wasn’t supposed to be a funny story…”

“You’re saying we should confront our problems,” Claire replied quietly.

Her friends turned toward her.

“If the father had just told the child his mother was dead it would have caused less heartache. Avoiding the issue only made things worse, and now he has to mourn his wife’s death all over again as he explains it to his son.”

“Yes… Dodging the issue didn’t seem to help much, did it?  What do you think, Cliff?”  The pastor turned toward the young man.

“I… I think…”  He was silent for a few moments as he stared at the colors of the stained glass windows.  “Well, I agree with Claire, but I also think that giving something unpleasant a different label doesn’t help things.  Renaming something to obscure it is just as bad as telling a lie.”

“Yes… Perhaps the father learned that avoiding the word ‘death’ with his son failed to solve his problem,”  Carter nodded.

“Ah, I didn’t know you guys were going to get all serious about this!” Karen’s cheeks flushed. “Now I just sound like an idiot!” She pouted, and her voice rang through the large room.

“Well, what do you think the meaning of the moral of the story is?” Carter asked her kindly.

The brunette bit her lip. “W-well…  I agree with them…  I don’t really have anything to add to it…  Except maybe the father shouldn’t shelter his kid so much…”

“These are all great insights,” The priest nodded; he was very encouraged that he had gotten all three of them to make a comment on his story. “And I think that it’s something that all of you can apply to your own lives.”

Claire sat silently, taking in this latest remark by Carter. He was right; she needed to be more proactive about talking to people.  Simply living in the village was not enough; if she wanted to cure her loneliness and social anxiety, she would need to take matters into her own hands.  Not to mention, if she wanted to win Gray’s affections, she would need to be more aggressive…

Her eyes moved toward Cliff. The young man looked deep in thought; it seemed he was thinking about confronting some sort of issues as well.  His expression had gone back to what she referred to as _church mode_ in her mind – eyes glued to the floor, pensive face, a slight frown, and furrowed eyebrows.

“Facing our problems is something we all must do in our own way. There is no one who can do it for you, it must be a willing change done by yourself,” Carter said kindly, returning to the altar.  “But that doesn’t mean that you have to be alone; I will always be here for anyone seeking guidance.”

Claire was surprised when she looked up and saw her female friend approach the altar, giving the priest a hug. 

“Thanks, Carter…” Karen’s eyes were misty.

The farmer’s eyes widened in surprise; the grocer’s daughter didn’t strike her as someone who had problems at all. Karen had seemed so carefree today…

“Yes, thank you as always, Carter,” Cliff nodded at the priest. “I never really thought of myself as a very religious person in the past, but you’ve helped me more than you know.”

The pastor gave his friend a kind smile, and Claire had a feeling that Carter _did_ know.

“Thank you,” Claire echoed, standing up.

“I know that today has been a whirlwind for the two of you, but remain strong. Today’s outing will help you more than you realize.  Cliff?”

“Huh?” The young man was standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder.

The priest gave him a meaningful look. “I know that today has not been easy for you.  I’m proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself.”

The young man turned a bright shade of red and his eyes returned to the floor. “Th-thanks…”

“Don’t worry, our next stop will be somewhere more quiet, and I promise they won’t threaten to stick you with needles,” Karen grinned. “Don’t worry, we’ve got just one more stop before I take us back to the inn for drinks!”

“And where is that?” Carter laughed, smoothing out his robes.

“The library.”

Claire’s heart jumped.

0o0o0o0

“Wow, we’ve got a full house today,” the librarian smiled at her guests; there was usually only one.

“Hey Mary, you got any books on overcoming shyness?” Karen shot Cliff a meaningful glance. He frowned at her and walked over to a shelf on plant life.

“I actually do have a book on overcoming shyness, but someone checked it out already.” Mary remembered, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

Claire’s heart was pounding out of her chest; she was busy trying to figure out what to say to the young man reading in the corner. He hadn’t looked up from his book since they came in.  She dragged her feet over to him.

“So… W-we’ve been seeing a lot of each other t-today,” Claire stammered, wondering if he could hear the deafening throbbing in her own ears.

She seemed to have startled Gray; he jumped a bit. “Hey, Claire.”  He tugged on his cap.  “Still following Karen around?”

“Y-yeah…”

“It’ll be good for you to get a look around town. Cliff, too…  He’s a bit of a hermit; he’s either cooped up in the church or alone in the mountains all day.”

Claire said nothing in reply; she couldn’t form a sentence in her mind.

“So…” He felt her eyes on him; she was still standing there.  He marked a page with his finger and closed his book.  “What kinds of books do you like?”

It was one of those rare moments when he actually asked her a question about herself. Claire wracked her brain.  The young man’s pale blue eyes were distracting.  “Uh… I… um, I like…”  Her mind drew a blank.  “I like lots of books…”  She pondered for a moment.  “Fantasy with a touch of romance.  Nothing mushy, though,” she quickly added.  “I hate romance novels.”

“You sound like Mary,” A smile played at his lips. “She gripes that most romance novels are either trash or smut and she wants to write a proper one someday.”

Claire frowned; Mary probably wanted to use a real relationship as reference…

“Would you read it if she did?” He asked shyly.

“Huh?” She was caught off guard by the odd question.  “Uh…  Sure, I guess…”

He saw the confused look on her face. “Mary’s working on a few books, but she’s too afraid to let most people read them.  I give her feedback, but she wanted me to ask if you would be willing to look at one she’s working on,”  he explained.

Maybe it was a love story about Mary and Gray and she just wanted to rub it in her face, Claire inwardly fumed. The young woman immediately shoved this thought from her head.  When she was little, she had a school friend that would show her silly stories he wrote.  “Yeah, I’d be willing to read some,” she found herself nodding.

“Oh, good,” he smiled. “But don’t sugarcoat anything; she likes very honest critiques.”

“Alright… Wh-why didn’t she ask me herself?”  She couldn’t help but wonder.

Gray reddened. “She… she was too shy to ask you.  She sees that you come by quite a bit and she asked if I would have a word with you about her writing.”  He couldn’t meet her gaze.

“Oh, okay.”

“Hey, Claire?”

“Y-yeah?” Her heart skipped a beat.

“Thanks,” he gave her a small but genuine smile. The young woman’s heart melted.  “Hey…  Why don’t you see what Cliff’s got over there?”

“Uh, o-okay… See you later,” She found herself unable to disobey as she wandered over to the other side of the library, her heart light.  Her male friend was flipping through a book curiously.  “What did you find?”

“Eh, not much really,” he admitted, closing the book and returning it to the shelf.

She studied the spine of the book he put away. “Ah, a book on growing crops!  Maybe that would help me a bit.”  She grabbed it and began rifling through it.  “You looking to grow something?”  She gave him a small grin.

The young man chuckled. “N-no…  I was just curious to see what all goes into farming.  It’s a lot of work, huh?”

Claire nodded. “I still have no clue what I’m doing out there,” she admitted with a chuckle.

“Do any of us ever, really?” Cliff asked quietly with a sad smile.

Claire was taken aback by her friend’s philosophical statement. “I suppose not.”

They stared at each other and burst into laughter.

“Hey, we’ll figure it out together, okay?” He gave her a friendly grin.

“O… okay!” His friend nodded emphatically; she was encouraged with by his enthusiasm. It seemed their time with Carter was just what he needed.  “This book will be my start.  What will be yours?”

Cliff looked caught off guard. “Uh…  I dunno…”

The young man was in desperate need of a good friend, and so was she… “H-how about you sit beside me at the inn tonight?” Claire blurted out.  She knew they’d most likely sit together anyway, but if he knew that she was actively seeking his company, it might make him feel more confident.

“That seems like a pretty simple start,” he started nonchalantly, but the young woman noticed that color was creeping up his cheeks. “I-I mean...  W-we’ve been at each other’s s-side all d-day…”  He fidgeted with his bracers.

Claire frowned; he was already getting nervous again. “You make that sound like it’s a bad thing,” she teased.

“Oh! N-not at all!” He didn’t mean to raise his voice so loud.  “It’s…  a-actually helped quite a b-bit.”

Claire noticed how comfortable she felt traveling in a group today. Karen was their fearless leader, but it felt nice to have someone who wasn’t as outgoing accompany them as well.  “I think it’s helped me, too,” she admitted.  She held up the book on crops.  “So, here’s my start!”

“A-and here’s mine…” He looked at her with a kind chuckle.

Claire’s heart swelled, and she found herself giggling in delight.

“Hey, now! This is a library!” Karen scolded them.  She looked at them with a grin.  “Hey…  Let me in on the joke, okay?”

“Th-there wasn’t any joke,” Cliff admitted with a blush.

“You two just happy? Well, I’m about to make our evening a lot happier.  Check out your book, Claire, and let’s roll!”

\-------

“Sir, could we get this lady a Fall Breeze? And for goodness’ sake, Cliff, you’re not a kid; you don’t need to be drinking milk!  Get me and Cliff a beer!”

“You want two straws for that beer so you can share?” Ann giggled.

“Like heck if I’d share with anyone. Make that two beers for me.  I need one for each hand,” Karen laughed heartily.

Ann smirked; Karen was too easy. The waitress turned toward the young man.  “So _now_ you’re willing to go around and check out town, huh?”  She looked slightly annoyed at him and stared at his companions enviously.

The color drained from Cliff’s face. “W-well…”

“I kind of bullied him into it,” Karen grinned at the redhead.

“W-well… I tried to, too!”  Ann blushed and flounced back to get the beers.

Doug slid a drink down the counter to Claire, and she almost dropped it in surprise.

“What’s in this?” Claire timidly turned toward Karen.

“You don’t need to know what’s in it. You just need to know it’s good.”  Karen got her beer and drank deeply.  She ignored the fact that the waitress had slammed the other beer a little too loudly in front of Cliff.

Claire carefully took a sip of her drink. It was sweet, yet tart, and it made her body feel tingly and warm.  She glanced over at Cliff, who sat on her other side.  He had taken a swig of his drink and decided to stick with the milk.

“… Is Ann mad at you?” Claire whispered to him.

The young man sighed. “She will be over it by the end of the evening.” 

Claire got the distinct feeling that this kind of thing happened fairly often between the two.

Karen sighed. “Gimme your drink, Cliff.  If you don’t want it, I’ll get rid of it for you.  Maybe you’d like wine better.  Hey, Doug, get the kid a red wine.  The usual.”

The beverage was handed to a nervous Cliff.

“I can’t believe neither of you have ever had alcohol. I must have found the two most sheltered people in town.” Karen laughed, nudging Claire in the ribs.  “You probably don’t swear either.  Especially you, Cliff, you goody two-shoes!”

Claire gave Karen a strained smile and turned toward her male companion. Their eyes met for a moment; the young man seemed to be uncomfortable with Karen’s words as well.

“Karen, leave those two alone. You could learn a thing or two from them,” Doug’s fatherly side kicked in.

Karen laughed loudly as she slammed down another mug.

“Like what? How to-”

Doug’s stern look caught the young woman off guard and she quickly laughed it off. “Whatever.  Another beer, Doug, it’s been a long day.”

Claire finished her drink and found that it made her very sleepy. How Karen was staying so alert was beyond her.  She looked over at Cliff, and he seemed fine.

“You okay?” The young man noticed Claire’s drooping eyelids.

“I’m fine,” the farmer answered, “Just a little sleepy.”

Karen quickly finished another mug of beer. “Okay, sleepy head, let’s get you home.”

Ann took Karen’s empty mugs. “What?  Karen’s leaving the bar early?  The world is coming to an end!”

“Aren’t you just hilarious? I know Claire’s gotta be up early tomorrow, so I’m walking her home,” the grocer’s daughter explained.

“Well, that’s really sweet of you. Goodnight, Claire.  I hope you stop in town more often.  Maybe we can hang out sometime.”  The waitress’s perky demeanor had already returned.

“Thanks, Ann.” After today, going into town didn’t seem so scary.

“We love to see you at the bar, but don’t you start drinking like Karen,” Doug grinned.

Karen stuck out her tongue. “What is this?  Pick on Karen Day?”  She picked up her bags and stood up.  “Ready to go, Claire?”

The blonde stood up, but not without some effort. “Okay.  Goodbye, everyone.”

The waitress gave her a friendly wave as she carried the empty mugs to the kitchen to wash.

“Claire… I had a good time with you and Karen today,” Cliff said quietly.

“I did, too.”

“We’ll have to do it again sometime. And… maybe you can come for lunch sometime, too… or we could go to the church together.”

Her heart felt full at this request. Someone shyer than her had enjoyed her company enough to want to see her again.  “Yeah.  I’ll see you later.”

“Goodnight, Claire.”

“Goodnight.”

0o0o0o0

The night air was cool, and the breeze made Claire more alert. Claire was surprised as Karen let out a loud laugh.

“I can’t believe I’ve been carrying these bags all day without giving them to you. Here, I’ll let you carry them now.”

“These are for me? What are they?”

“I just got you some basic things from my dad’s store. I made you a little care package.  There’s all sorts of food in there from the shop.  My mom baked you a loaf of bread and added it in there, too.”

Claire quickly blinked away tears; her constant gnawing hunger was something she had been shoving down for the past few weeks. “You didn’t have to do that, really.  And please tell your mother I am very grateful.”

Karen rolled her eyes. “It’s not a big deal.  I only spent like 500 gold on it.”

It sounded like an awful lot to Claire, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. “It still means a lot to me, though.”

“No problem.”

Claire opened the door to her house and turned on the lights. Karen followed her inside as Claire set the bags on her table.

“So, how do you like town?” Karen sat on the edge of Claire’s bed, raising her eyebrows.  “See anything or anyone you like?”

Claire blushed. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Karen played with a strand of hair. “Oh, just saying that maybe there was a certain boy that caught your interest…”

Claire wouldn’t meet Karen’s gaze and her heart pounded uncomfortably in her chest. “I d-don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Karen giggled. “You’re a terrible liar, Claire.”

Claire stared at the floor. “Maybe there is…”

Karen swung her feet. “I knew it!”

“You could tell?” What if she was that obvious to everyone? Claire’s stomach began to churn.

“Sorry, but it’s painfully obvious. And if I were to venture a guess, I’d say he likes you, too.  I could see the way he was looking at you throughout the day.”

They had bumped into the apprentice an awful lot today… “R-really…?  Promise you won’t tell anyone!  Please!”  Claire’s eyes were begging.

“Well, if you don’t tell him how you feel, he’s not going to know. I would imagine he’d be like that,” Karen shrugged.

“I just get so intimidated when I try talking to him with that librarian around!” Claire sighed.

“You mean Mary?”

“Yeah, I thought that you could tell that she has a thing for Gray.”

 Karen’s smile faded a bit.  “Yeah, that Mary…  Don’t worry about her.  I’m sure things will all work out.”

“Yeah… I hope so,” Claire suddenly felt very depressed.  “But you don’t like Gray, do you?”

Karen paused. “I wouldn’t say that I dislike him.  I guess he’s alright; we just butt heads sometimes because we’re too alike,” she admitted.  “I suppose he’s pretty handsome; don’t avoid him because of me.”

“Okay…” She thought she’d feel a little more relieved after admitting her crush…

Karen perked up. “Hey, I had a lot of fun today.  It was the first time I hung out with Cliff, too.  What do you think of him?”

“He seems alright.” The farmer’s mind was still focused on the apprentice.

“Yeah. He’s not too bad-looking either, huh?”

“Sure,” Claire nodded casually, but her face felt unexpectedly warm.

“Ah, those expressive deep blue eyes!” Karen sighed. “If he weren’t so shy and anti-social, he’d be pretty popular with the ladies,” she pretended to swoon, giggling.  “He should probably lose the mountain man getup as well,” she snorted.

Claire bit her lip; she felt a little hurt at her friend’s comment.

_Anti-social._

She knew Karen had probably used the word without meaning to sound cruel, but Claire had been called the very same thing by her friends in the city. They had used it in a playful tone as well, and it always hurt her deeply.  It had always been difficult for her to socialize with people herself.  Did Karen see her as socially inept as well?  Claire suddenly wondered if this was how everyone saw her.  This was why she had been so hesitant about going around town in the first place.  But today had been different; she actually had a great time in town.  It had really helped that she wasn’t the only shy person in the party.

Claire felt she could relate to Cliff well. At first glance, they seemed as if they couldn’t be any more different; she was a city girl and he was a rural traveler.  However, something about his presence made her feel less alone.  Perhaps it was that they were both new to town and she didn’t feel like she needed to have all the answers when she spoke to him.  Another reason, perhaps the largest one, was that neither of them was very outgoing; Claire didn’t feel like she had to put up a bubbly, overly cheery front for him like she did with her friends in the city.

“You busy daydreaming about him now?” Karen giggled.

Claire snapped back to reality, reddening. Karen was going to get the wrong idea.  She tried to laugh it off.  “Why?  Are you interested in him?” Claire teased.

Karen roared with laughter. “No thanks; too quiet for me.  I like a guy who is going to push back.”

The farmer thought of Karen and Rick’s playful banter when she showed them the poultry farm. They had obviously been friends for a long time, but Claire was keen on the looks they were giving each other when they thought no one else was looking.

“I’ll just have to break both of you out of your shells. Cliff will be a tough one to crack; he’s even quieter than you,” Karen winked.  “Well, I guess I’m going to head back to the bar.  The night is still young!  I’ll see you around soon, Claire.  And if you don’t come back into town soon enough, I’m going to drag you out again, you hear me?” Karen laughed.

“Uh-huh. Well, I think it’s time for me to go to sleep.  I’ll see you soon, Karen.”

“Okay, goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I love Carter’s stories, and I couldn’t not include them. Don’t worry, there will be more to come later, haha!


	9. A Springtime Visit to the Spring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire is eager to thank Karen for her help the day before and invites her to spend some time at the hot springs together. Cliff gains the courage to ask his new friend to have lunch sometime. Afraid Gray will mistake it for a date, Claire is hestiant, but at Gray's encouragement, she agrees to meet him at a later time. 
> 
> Karen and Claire enjoy the hot springs together and Claire is once again reminded of how different things are from her old home.

Claire woke up the next morning with a burst of energy. She got dressed and played with Koro for a bit.  She found that she was laughing again.  The farmer walked to her table and fished through the bags that Karen had left the night before.  Everything in the package was premade and shelf stable, and Claire was grateful because she didn’t have a kitchen to cook anything in.  She ripped a chunk off of the bread and added some honey that she had harvested the day before.  It was so delicious and she was so thankful that she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

Licking her fingers, Claire grabbed her watering can and headed outside.

The field was lined with sprouts, but soon they would be crops. Claire took comfort in this fact as she watered.  Koro ran about in the grass, barking at the squirrels.  This place would be her home now, she realized for the first time, and it actually made her excited.  Claire smiled; after last night, she felt more comfortable about life in Mineral Town. 

And it was all thanks to Karen. If Karen hadn’t dragged Claire out to see the town, the farmer had no idea how long she’d have kept herself cooped up.  She wanted to thank Karen somehow, but she wasn’t sure how to go about doing it.  Claire thought about taking Karen to the bar sometime and paying, but she quickly changed her mind.  There was no way she could afford that, especially with how much Karen drank.  What if she bought a nice bottle of wine at the Aja Winery for her?  That could also prove to be quite costly at her current financial level.  There had to be something she could do or get for Karen that wouldn’t cost Claire anything, and maybe alcohol wasn’t the best idea.  Maybe simply spending time with her and bonding a bit with her would be good enough for right now.

What about spending some time with her at the Harvest Goddess Spring? Karen had mentioned how important the place was to her.  It wouldn’t cost Claire anything.  It was rumored that the Harvest Goddess was fond of flowers; they could go to the spring and make an offering.  The more Claire thought of the idea, the more excited she became.  She still felt a little nervous inviting Karen, though.  While Claire saw Karen as her closest friend, she still felt a sense of intimidation around her. 

And why shouldn’t she? Claire wondered miserably.  After all, Karen was confident, carefree, and she never hesitated to say exactly what was on her mind.  Claire quickly shook these thoughts out of her head.  She was already having problems with jealousy as it was, although the target of her envy was quite different than the brunette.

Mary seemed to be the polar opposite of Karen. She was quiet, reserved, and polite, yet she was on Gray’s good side.  Claire suddenly wished that she knew how to write well.  She wished that she could recommend books for Gray.  The farmer shook her head.  She could write decently, but it was a chore for her.  And while she did enjoy reading from time to time, there was no point in competing with Mary in that field.  Claire would just have to find something else that she and the apprentice had in common.

Claire felt glum as she finished watering her crops. It frustrated her how drastically her mood had changed from the time she woke up.  Maybe she shouldn’t think about Gray for a while.  That would be hard to do since she was heading to the mines next.  Claire had been giving him copper she found in the caves.  She figured that she would give him the copper that evening after she was all finished with her chores.

Claire hurried to the mines and went straight to work. She found three pieces of copper and a bit of silver.  Thinking about giving Gray his present made her giddy.  Her joy was quickly disrupted.  Now that she had been introduced to Cliff, it would be rude to give Gray a present in front of him when she went to the inn this evening.  Perhaps she should get something for Cliff as well? 

Claire bit her lip. She had no idea what the young man liked.  She didn’t have the money to buy him something, so she would have to find something to give to him.  The farmer doubted that Cliff had much interest in ores.  But if she gave Cliff presents, would Gray start to notice and think that Claire was interested in his roommate?  She wasn’t really intending on wooing two men…  The young woman sighed.  She heard the flapping of wings again and what almost sounded like talons scraping on rock.  There must be really large bats in this cave…  She quickly decided a simple hello for Cliff would suffice and she threw more ores into her basket, hurrying out of the cave.  It definitely wasn’t because she was scared, though… really.  She made her way back to the farm, setting aside a piece of copper for Gray.

0o0o0o0

Claire knocked anxiously on the inn room’s door. The blacksmith opened the door, as usual.

“Hello, Claire.”

“H-hello.” Even though the young woman had been visiting on a regular basis, she still got terribly nervous.  She stepped inside.  It was a simple room.  Three beds lined the wall, and a table sat at the side of the room.  She spotted Cliff sitting at the table, and he looked up from his book; it looked like a field guide of some sort.

“Hi, Claire.”

“Hi, Cliff.”

“Cliff was just telling me about your outing,” Gray smiled. “I’m glad that you and Karen showed him around yesterday.  I’ve been trying to get him to learn more about the town for a while now.  Even sweet, perky Ann tried to show him before at Carter’s request, but he refused.  He’s such an unfeeling jerk,” the apprentice teased.

Color rushed into the young man’s cheeks. “I wasn’t trying to be rude to her!”  He was flustered.  “She was just being so pushy about it!  I-I apologized t-to her!”  Cliff paused.  “I _was_ kind of nervous about going into town, but I’m glad we went anyway.”

Claire almost mentioned her own hesitations about going into town, but decided to hold her tongue. “I learned a lot about the town yesterday.”  She wasn’t quite sure what to say. 

The young woman began to reach for the copper in her rucksack, but felt a rush of guilt. Maybe giving gifts to Gray in front of Cliff was a bad idea after all.  Cliff broke the silence.

“Claire, remember when we talked about eating at the inn t-together? Would you w-want to… eat lunch with me sometime after the cooking festival?” The young man stammered, looking at the floor.

Claire’s hands immediately began to sweat. She was glad that he seemed a little more comfortable around her, but why did Cliff have to say these kinds of things to her in front of Gray?

“I’m sorry, but I’m kinda broke right now,” Claire responded numbly. It wasn’t a complete lie…

“Cliff’s a gentleman. He wouldn’t ask a lady out to lunch and then expect her to pay for it.”  Gray beamed, folding his arms.

The brunette’s face turned a lovely shade of burgundy. “But i-it’s _not_ a d-date.”

“No one said it was,” Gray said simply, nodding to himself. He turned toward the farmer.  “Well, what do you say?”

_Well, Gray himself agreed it wasn’t a date…_

But Claire felt cornered, regardless. Carter was probably putting Cliff up to this.  And why was Gray encouraging the whole thing?  How she wished Gray were the one asking her to lunch, even if it wasn’t a date!  Claire bit her lip.  She knew she wasn’t being fair.  She knew that Cliff was probably nervous about asking her to lunch the same way she was worried about asking Karen to the Goddess Spring. 

“Okay,” Claire responded timidly. “What time do you want to meet?”

“How about a few days after the cooking festival? I’ve been told the inn will be packed with customers the day after, so we can wait until it calms down here.”  The farmer noticed Cliff wasn’t stammering now that he got his answer.

“That sounds fine. I’ll see you then.”

“Alright. Goodnight Claire.”

“Goodnight, Cliff, Gray.”

The young woman left the inn, breathing in the cool night air. She was overcome with relief of how harmless the outing sounded when she thought about it logically.  In fact, she felt so mellow and at ease that she had forgotten all about the ore she was debating about giving to Gray.

 She was in such a good mood that she walked to the grocery store and asked Karen if she would like to meet her at the Goddess Spring the next day to offer wildflowers.  The grocer’s daughter was so pleased that she gave Claire a squeeze.  The farmer took that as a yes.

0o0o0o0

 

Claire was brushing her hair when she heard a knock at the door.

“Good morning!” Karen was perky today and had a bag slung over her shoulder. “Let’s go to the spring!”

“Alright,” Claire smiled and grabbed her own bag.

“I go up here a lot of mornings,” Karen said, leading the way up the trail. “The Goddess Spring is my main stop.”

The pair began picking wildflowers and bundling them into bouquets.

“You know, Carter’s told me that the Harvest Goddess loves wildflowers,” Karen said very matter-of-factly. “You better make your prayer a good one,” she laughed.

Claire knew exactly what she was going to pray for. The two friends dropped their flowers into the water and prayed silently for several minutes.

 _Harvest Goddess, please forgive me for bathing in your spring. I had no idea, and I meant no disrespect._   The farmer closed her eyes, and the vague vision of a lovely figure appeared in her mind.

_Of course you are forgiven, my child. Go forth, and use your farm to bring happiness to the people of this village._

Claire jumped. She had never received such a direct response from a prayer.

“Did you see her?” Karen asked quietly.

The farmer stared at the ripples in the water of the unearthly spring. It was crystal blue, and the waterfall was a constant din that she had blocked out a long time ago.  This was definitely hallowed ground.  “Kind of,” Claire whispered.

“I didn’t get a vision this time, but it happens once in a blue moon. This spring is a very special place,” the brunette stared at the flowers floating on the water.  “What did you pray for, anyway?”

Claire blushed. “I realized I had been bathing in her spring; I was asking for forgiveness.”

Karen laughed heartily and slapped her friend on the back. “Did she show you her wrath?  I’ve been told she can be kind of moody for a goddess.”

Claire felt uncomfortable that Karen was speaking so candidly in a sacred place. “She was very understanding.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Karen hoisted her bag over her shoulder, pulled out a towel, and tossed it at Claire’s face. “Hot spring time!”

“Really? During the day?  Don’t you think people will pass through here?” Claire reddened, pulling the towel off of her head.

Karen had already removed her vest and shirt as she walked toward the spring. “Come on, no one cares.  There are usually only girls up here anyway.”

The farmer let out a sigh of relief and followed Karen behind the privacy fence and hesitantly began unbuttoning her flannel shirt. She thought of her school in the city, and she typically got changed in the restroom while the rest of the girls had no problem getting changed right in front of each other.  She couldn’t understand how it didn’t bother some people to be naked in front of others.  Weren’t they afraid of someone judging them? 

Claire frowned; she had always been self-conscious about her body, especially since she hit puberty. Now that she was an adult, she was aware that sometimes men’s eyes followed her as she walked past them in the office and it made her a little nervous.  She hated being dragged to the bar by her girlfriends in the city; the looks her group got there were far worse, and she felt awkward that she was the only one in the party who wasn’t actively seeking these glances.

Karen had already stripped down and scrubbed herself. Claire stared down at the ground as she stumbled out of her boots; she was so nervous about undressing in front of her friend that she had made the process as clumsy as possible. 

The brunette finished washing and dumped a bucket of water over her head. “Slowpoke,” she scoffed, balancing her towel on her head and climbing into the water.  She looked up and noticed the uncomfortable look on her friend’s face.  “Come on, we’re both grown women; I don’t care.  There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”  She stood up in the water, and Claire wished her friend had a bit more modesty.  “It’s only weird if you make it weird, so stop it,” she laughed, splashing the farmer.

Claire quickly got undressed, washed herself as swiftly as she could, and held her towel in front of her as she stood at the edge of the spring.

She didn’t want _anyone_ to see her, not even Karen.

“Are you coming in or not? Come on!” Karen rolled her eyes.

Claire looked around her nervously before setting her own towel on the edge of the spring. She sunk down into the water until it reached her chin.  Karen smirked at her.

“You’re from out west, huh?” She cocked an eyebrow.

“W-well, yeah…” It had been a daylong ferry ride due west to get back to the city, and she was reminded daily how far away she was from what she had grown accustomed to.  She still wasn’t completely used to the concept of an open air bath; she folded her arms across her chest for modesty.

“Oh, no! You have breasts, Claire!” Karen roared with laughter as Claire reddened.  “Seriously, though… relax.  No one’s going to come up here.”

Just as she said those words, a Claire could see a couple more girls were walking up the path together through the cracks in the privacy fence.

“Good morning, Karen, Claire!” Ann walked right up to them; she must have heard Karen’s laughter. “Hot springs, eh?  I’m jealous.  I’d join you, but the inn will be opening soon,” the redhead pouted.  “It must be nice having a flexible schedule, huh, Claire?”

Ann was looking their way, but she wasn’t threatening at all. Claire relaxed a tiny bit.  “Yeah…  Yeah, it is really nice,” the farmer caught herself smiling.

“Well, I’ve come to say a prayer for Mom; I’ll catch you two later,” the waitress winked at them.

“Popuri!” Karen called out and waved to the other young woman.

Claire buried her face in her hands and a new wave of embarrassment washed over her; she wished Karen would just sit down already.

“’Morning, Karen. Hi, Claire!” Popuri seemed cheerful.  “Got room for one more?”

“Sure, come on in! I brought an extra towel.  It was an emergency towel in case I dropped mine in, but I guess I can make an exception.”

“I’ve got nothing better to do this morning,” Popuri commented, washing up and taking a seat next to Karen, and Claire quickly noted that the only one in who seemed to be self-conscious was herself. The farmer calmed down a little and stopped crunching herself into a ball, but her eyes didn’t look up from the steaming water.

“Rick’s still not letting you do much?” Karen frowned.

“No!” Popuri folded her arms and pouted. “I don’t know why he thinks I can’t do anything at all to help!”

“Rick won’t let you help out?” Claire asked quietly, “But I thought your mother was ill…”

“Exactly!” Popuri splashed the water angrily. “He’s taking it all upon himself, and he acts like he’s the one in charge.”

“Well, your father _did_ put him in charge,” Karen reminded her gently.  “I’ll have a word with him.”

“Oh, _will_ you?” Popuri’s face lit up.  “Thank you, thank you!  He never listens to a word I say, but I know he’ll listen to anything _you_ say.”

“Alright, alright,” Karen’s face reddened. “I’ll talk to him later today.”

“My brother’s a big dummy,” Popuri smiled at Claire.

“Popuri, you know he means well,” Karen sighed. “He’s been assigned man of the house, and he takes his responsibilities very seriously.”

“Too seriously.”

“I know, I know. I told you I’d talk to him,” Karen rolled her eyes.

“Well, I’m starting to get pruny; I’m out,” Popuri hopped out and dried off. She flashed a smile at the brunette.  “Thanks again, Karen.  See you guys later!”

“No prob.”

Claire watched the chicken farmer walk away. She noticed that all of her aches and pains had melted away from the hot water.  She rested her eyes.

“We should probably be getting out, too,” Karen sighed, pulling herself out of the water.

Claire was starting to feel sleepy. Her friend reached her hand out to her and she accepted it.

“Let’s go to the bar,” Karen suggested as they were drying off.

“You want a drink this early?” Claire giggled.

“I’m getting us a couple of ice cold milks,” Karen laced up her boots. “It’s the only thing that will do after a hot bath.”

“Alright.” That sounded lovely to Claire.

They got dressed and headed back to town. They took a seat at the bar.

“You know we don’t start serving liquor until evening,” Ann laughed, wiping off the counter.

“Two milks!” Karen ordered. “Ice cold!”

“Oh, that does sound nice,” Ann went to the back and produced two glass jugs and gave one to each young woman.

Claire was amazed to see her friend chug the entire milk in one go. Karen drank in what Claire thought of as a country style; she put one had on her hip and threw her head back.  She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand when she finished draining the bottle.  “Ah, that was refreshing.  I’ll have another.”

“All righty,” Ann went back to the fridge.

Claire was taking a drink of her milk when she noticed a familiar brunette walking down the stairs with a satchel strapped across his back.

“Good morning, Cliff,” Claire set down her jug.

“Good morning.”

Karen swung her feet. “Well, you’ve missed the fun wagon this morning.  Claire and I just got back from the hot springs.  Too bad you slept in; we would’ve invited you, too.  You could’ve sat right between both of us lovely ladies!”

Cliff said nothing, but turned a bright shade of red. He turned to leave.

“Hey, aren’t you going to eat breakfast before you leave?” Karen teased. “It’s the most important meal of the day.  Come on, have a milk with us.”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry…  I’ve got work to do…  I’m out to Mother’s Hill.”

“He rarely eats the food here,” Ann rolled her eyes.

“Okay, see you later,” Karen waved goodbye to their friend.

“Bye, Cliff,” Claire smiled.

“G-goodbye,” he blushed deeper as he whirled around and left the inn.

Karen looked a little too pleased with herself.

Ann had returned with Karen’s milk. “You tease him too much, Karen.  That’s my job,” she smirked.

Claire didn’t see why either of the young women needed to give him such a hard time, but she held her tongue.

“He’s started talking a lot more,” Ann commented to no one in particular.

“Ah, that’s good… We’ll crack him out of that shell…  Well, I think it’s time to head back to the store,” Karen finished off her second milk and slammed a fistful of coins on the counter.  “Thanks for hanging out with me today, Claire.”

“Yeah, I had a good time, too,” Claire set her empty jug on the bar and Ann took it away.

“I’ll see you again real soon!” Karen winked and left the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Cold milk after a hot bath really is the best. I don’t know what it is about it. I like to take baths that are so hot I feel faint; I usually don’t realize I’m doing it until I’m already dizzy. That’s when the milk is the best!


	10. Nighttime Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire visits the men's quarters at the inn to share a present with Gray. She quickly learns that the two of them are not as alone as she originally thought.

“We’ve got a room… But you don’t want to stay, do you?” Ann smirked; this had become her running gag with the farmer.

“Uh, is…?”

“Gray’s upstairs,” the waitress rolled her eyes, wiping down a table.

“Th-thanks…”

The wooden steps creaked as Claire climbed up them. Her feet didn’t want to move; they were heavy as bricks.  It was that golden hour of the day; Gray had come home from the library after work, and it was the perfect time to get a moment alone with him.  She looked forward to this time nearly every night, but it didn’t make her any less nervous.  Surely, Gray had noticed by now that she was actively seeking his attention.  Surely he had to…

She timidly knocked on the door. After a few seconds, she heard heavy boots shuffling and the blacksmith opened the door.

“’Evening.”

“G-good evening, Gray…”

“Come on in,” he stepped out of the doorway. He politely nodded to her and noticed her evening visits were becoming a ritual.

“Th-thank you,” she reddened as he closed the door behind her.

“So, what do you need?” The young man asked her, standing in the corner by the doorway.  She noticed he never sat down when she came to visit, and it always made her feel a little uncomfortable.

Claire adjusted her rucksack; her hands were sweaty and her mouth felt dry. “I…  I just came to say hi.”

“Hello…” He didn’t enjoy small talk at the best of times.

“S-soo… How do you like living here?”  She nervously looked around the room.

“You mean the inn? I use what little Gramps pays me to rent out this place.  It’s not too bad; I get discounts on the food.  The roommate’s pretty quiet and doesn’t hang out here too much, so I’ve pretty much got the place to myself.”

“Oh… I thought you and Cliff were friends…”  She noticed his description of the young man sounded rather cold.

“We are,” Gray shrugged. “You kind of have to be if you’re going to share a bedroom.”

 _Ah, an opening! We actually have something in common; don’t blow it_!  She scolded herself.  “I-I had to share a bedroom with a couple of toddlers when I lived with my parents,” Claire ventured.

The blacksmith looked surprised. “Siblings?  How old were you?”

“A teenager. Two little brothers.”

“Yikes... My apologies,” He tugged on the bill of his hat and a hint of a smile crossed his lips.

Claire’s heart pounded at the reaction. She noticed his warmer demeanor and tried to keep him talking.  “So, how do you like town?”

“Town? …  It’s alright, I guess.  There’s not too much to do around here, but I suppose that could be nice for some people.”

Claire got the distinct feeling he was not one of _those people_.  “Well, there’s the mine…”  She said boldly as she reached into her rucksack and offered him a small piece of ore she had cupped into her hands.  She had braved the strange sounds of the spring mine for the young man nearly every day.  “… For you,” she blushed.

“A-are you sure you want _me_ to have it?”  Gray was distracted as he saw the bedroom door silently open and he reddened.

Claire was grinning at the color in the blacksmith’s cheeks. Her hard work was finally starting to pay off.  “Yeah…  I …  I know you guys work with ores…” 

 _Wow, way to state the obvious!_ She immediately hated herself for her stupid response.

“Well, thanks…” He took the piece of metal.  Claire’s heart gave a flutter when their hands touched in the exchange.  “It looks like good quality…  Thanks again.”

“Y-you’re welcome…” She was lost in his pale blue eyes.

There was a long silence.

The young man blushed deeply and cleared his throat. “So…”

“Yeah…?” She was staring at him dreamily.  She didn’t want to waste a single moment of her precious alone time with Gray. _He was blushing…_

“Uh… I’ll make something neat out of this someday, okay?”  His hands were shaking as he took the copper to a haphazard pile of assorted things he kept on the floor by his bed.  If there was any order to the mess, Gray was the only one that would be able to distinguish it.

It was at this point that Claire noticed Gray’s roommate was in the bedroom with them. Claire jumped when she saw Cliff and felt her face get hot; she could’ve sworn he was not there when she arrived…  He was sitting cross-legged on his bed on the far side of the room, expertly sharpening a stick to a deadly point with a small knife.  He was catching the shavings in a bowl, and several more sticks waiting to be cut were propped along the side of the bed. 

“Cliff startle you?” Gray laughed.

The young man looked up apologetically. “I’m sorry…  I d-didn’t mean to scare you…”

“W-were you here when I came in?” Claire’s heart pounded uncomfortably in her chest; she thought she had been spending all of this time alone with Gray.  She felt a little angry at the fact that they weren’t by themselves.

The blacksmith grinned. “He snuck in here around five minutes ago.  I’m only now getting used to it; he’s like a ninja a lot of the time.”

Cliff didn’t look up from his work. “I just don’t stomp around like you do,” he said quietly.

“You going fishing tomorrow?” Gray asked him.

This roommate nodded, finishing one stick and grabbing another.

“If you catch any rainbow trout and smoke it for me, I will pay you.”

His eyes widened in excitement. “R-really?”

“Sure; I’ve been craving it since the last time you made some. How much you want for it?  I know you need the cash,” Gray nodded.

“Ah…” The young man felt uncomfortable discussing his financial situation in front of Claire.  “L-let’s talk about it later… Y-you have a guest…  Please… pay me no mind,” he reddened, continuing with his work.

Claire found that she was fascinated by the makeshift spears her friend was creating, but she was more focused on the blacksmith.   Claire had no problem at all fulfilling Cliff’s request; he had, after all, interrupted her time with Gray.

“So… What kind of things do you guys make out of copper?” She asked, picking up where they had left off.

“We actually refine a lot of it and sell it to an artist who lives over in Forget-Me-Not Valley, but we make tools, machine parts, jewelry…”

“Wow… So if I brought you some more copper could you m-maybe… make me… s-something?”  She imagined wearing a piece of jewelry made with Gray’s own two hands and felt weak.

“An ingot is the best you’ll get from me,” the apprentice sighed. “Gramps won’t let me make much else for our customers.  I make other things, but they’re just always thrown back into the furnace…  My grandpa is so hard on me for every little thing!  I can hardly stand it!” He fumed.

“W-well, you _are_ in training,” She reminded him gently.

Gray stared at the floor; he realized this conversation sounded a lot like the one they had the day they first met. He had promised himself that he would not lose his temper with Claire ever again; she had looked as if she was on the verge of tears when he had raised his voice at her at the beginning of spring.  “Well…  Apparently, I make an awful lot of mistakes even for an apprentice…”  He couldn’t help but feel bitter.

“He just wants you to be the best you can be,” Claire offered.

“Thanks… I guess you’re right.”  He folded his arms across his chest and attempted to smile.  He looked out the window and noticed it was sunset.  “…  Don’t you think you should be heading back to the farm now?”  He asked.

Claire’s heart sunk. “Yeah…  I suppose so…” Her eyes moved up to him hopefully.

“See you later.”

 _Not tonight._ Claire’s heart sunk.

The young man on the opposite side of the room had looked up from his spear making. “H-have a good evening, Claire…  I’m… looking forward t-to our lunch together.”  He gave her a friendly smile.

“Yeah,” Claire’s expression mellowed out. “Good night, Cliff; I’ll see you soon.”  She looked over at the blacksmith; she wanted her last word to be with the person she had actually traveled to the inn to visit.  “Good night, Gray.”

“See you later,” he repeated, not unkindly.

As the young woman walked home, she couldn’t decide if she should be proud or disappointed at how the conversation with the blacksmith’s apprentice had gone that evening. As always, there were so many opportunities missed because of her nerves.  She threw herself on her bed and attempted to sleep.  She tossed and turned for hours before finally passing out from exhaustion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I always thought of Gray as the type who hates being tidy and organized. He gets enough orders from his grandfather all day and at least he can come home to his comfy, messy nest of random junk and unwashed laundry. I think I’m channeling my own laziness here…
> 
> People may notice I also gave Cliff a few hobbies and interests from the N64 game. I find it hard to believe that a wandering traveler clad in rural mountain wear just has a year’s worth of rent sitting in his pockets and eats at the inn for every meal.
> 
> As for what exactly is in the spring mine, if you haven’t figured it out yet, don’t worry! It will be revealed with time.


	11. Bittersweet Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire bumps into her new friends while grocery shopping. Cliff expresses his frustrations at not finding a job in town, and he says a couple of things about Gray that make her angry. They continue to talk about their own weaknesses, continuing to rely on each other for honest advice.

“Thirty bags of turnip seeds? You sure?  … No, I don’t doubt you… Oh, so it’s a challenge, now?...”  Karen was talking on the phone when Claire entered the grocery store.  She waved to her friend and looked back down at the notes she was jotting down.  She smirked at the earpiece of the phone.  “Honestly, I swear you’re not human sometimes…”

“Looking for anything in particular?” Karen’s father asked.

“I’m ready for more seeds,” she smiled.

“Alright, a smart choice... The money will come right back to you if you do it right,” he gave her a nervous grin.

“I’m going to look around a bit first…” Claire looked at the shelves of goods.

“Sure. Take your time,” he nodded.

“Yep… I’ll have Thomas bring them by tonight when he gets your shipment…” Karen was still on the phone.

Claire was eyeing up some chocolate bars when she was startled by a loud laugh from her friend.

“Okay… Alright.  Talk to you soon, Pete.”  Karen hung up the phone and finished writing up the receipt with a huge grin on her face.  “Dad, I talked him into fifty bags of turnip seeds!” Karen announced proudly.

“He’s paying tonight?” Jeff asked nervously, slouching his shoulders.

“Of course! This isn’t Duke or Thomas we’re talking about.”

Her father perked up. “Alright.  Well, go pull his order then,” Jeff ordered, fixing his posture.

“Be right back, Claire,” Her friend gave her a grin and headed to the storage room.

“You’ll get to his level someday, Claire,” Jeff wrung his hands. “We all have to keep trying hard…”

She wasn’t quite sure who they were talking about, but it sounded like a very established farmer in the area. Claire nodded as a young man stepped into the shop.

“Oh, hey, Cliff.” Jeff looked up from his hands.

“H-hi… Jeff…” Claire noticed her friend looked a little nervous. “How are things going at the shop?”

Jeff knew where this was going. “Pretty good, pretty good…  I’m sorry, but we’re still not hiring,” he said gently, but his insides ached.  He genuinely felt bad for the unemployed young man, but the shop wasn’t making enough income to support another worker.  The shop owner’s gut always hurt when he got anxious.

“I see… Please keep me in mind if you need any extra help…”

“Of course…” The shopkeeper put a hand on his sore stomach and gave the young man a shy smile.

“Hi, Claire,” Cliff gave his friend a nod. She couldn’t help but notice he looked a little disappointed.  “Shopping today?”

“Yeah… Getting more seeds and a couple essentials.”

“Me, too… Well, not the seeds,” he let out a shy chuckle.  “L-let’s shop together.”

Claire noticed that of the two men in the shop, Cliff was surprisingly the calmer of the two. “Okay.  I’ll get the seeds last.”  They walked over to a shelf of goods.

“What do you need to buy?” He asked.

“Hmmm… more soap.   I’m almost out.”  She sniffed a couple of bottles.  “I have to test them all,” she explained with a laugh.  “Which one do you like?”

“… This one.” He held out a bottle of lavender soap, and the young woman wasn’t sure why his face was so red.

Claire opened the bottle and took a whiff. “Ah…”  It had quickly become her favorite fragrance; she had been wearing the lavender oil Doctor Trent gave her daily now.  Her muscles instantly relaxed at the scent.  She smelled another.  “Hey, try this one; it smells weird,” she handed him a bottle.

“What is that?” He laughed.  It was nauseatingly sweet.

“I dunno. It’s called Angel Feathers.”

“It smells like… I don’t even know…”  He chuckled, cringing his nose.

Claire was happy to see he cheered up a bit. “What?  You don’t know what the wings of an angel smell like?” She asked in mock disgust.

“Apparently not.”

“Well, now you know,” she beamed at him.

Karen came back from the storage room with a crate of seeds and set them off in an area designated for pickups. “Phew…  Hey, guys!”

“Karen, what does this smell like to you?” Claire handed Karen the bottle.

“Popuri,” she nodded.

“Potpourri or Popuri?” Claire giggled.

“Both, I guess,” Karen answered, laughing as she handed the bottle back to Claire. “Are you guys just back here sniffing soap?”

“Well… Yeah…” Claire didn’t think of it as odd at all until Karen worded it that way.

“Moonlight Tempest, Eir’s Love, Wild Rain… What is all of this?” Cliff cocked an eyebrow.

“Ah, those were all a part of a series of fragrances. They’re all a little intense for my tastes,” Karen shrugged.  “Especially Popuri’s favorite here.  You wanna smell a good one?  Try this,” the young woman thrust a bottle under Claire’s nose.

The blonde’s eyes widened and she suddenly felt terribly homesick. “Wh-what is that one?”

“Bay rum.”

Claire sniffed it one more time. She was a child again, and her father was giving her a pat on the head to say goodbye before he left for work.  She reached up for a hug, but once again, he was already gone…  She was sitting at the table with her oatmeal and her older sisters were bickering over some boy they went to school with.

“You okay, Claire?” Cliff asked, noticing the look in her eyes.

“Oh, yeah,” the young woman smiled. “My father must’ve worn this fragrance; I got all nostalgic for a moment,” she giggled, swallowing the lump in her throat.

“My grandpa wore bay rum,” Karen nodded. “He said all real men wear it.  Guess you better buy some, Cliff.”

The young man shook his head. “I like this one better,” he handed Claire a bottle and she sniffed.

It was warm and earthy; the scent made her think of fall leaves and toasty comfort. It was a very attractive scent; she nodded in approval.  “Yes…  Very nice.”

“Lemme try!” Karen snatched the bottle and took a whiff.  “Hoofah!”  She gagged.  “Too… _planty_ …”

“ _Planty_?  Is that a word?”  Claire giggled.

Karen sniffed it again and had the same reaction. “Ugh!  What is that?  Mud?  Herbs?”

“Patchouli,” Cliff laughed, taking the bottle back and returning it to the shelf.

“It smells like… dirt.”

“Maybe that’s why I like it so much,” Claire thought of the smell of her freshly tilled fields. She was tempted to buy this bottle of soap, but she knew Karen would complain.  She opted for the lavender instead.  “I’ll go with this one.”

“Oh, so you’re actually shopping then, and not just bumming around, eh?” Karen teased.

“We both are shopping,” Claire replied with a nod. She looked back over to the candy she was eyeing up earlier.  She had a small cushion of money after her latest turnip harvest and she had been craving a treat.  “Ah, chocolate…  I’m going to buy a bar…”

“Blah!” Karen stuck out her tongue. “First you like the smell of mud, and now you like chocolate?”

“I love chocolate,” Claire frowned. She thought it was a little odd Karen didn’t care for it; the sweet was very popular in the city…

“I can maaaaybe do a small amount of milk chocolate.”

“That watered down garbage is _not_ chocolate!”  Claire’s eyes flashed at her.

“Whoa, okay, then…” Karen chuckled.

“I can’t remember the last time I had chocolate,” The farmer stared at the variety of candy bars. “Don’t tell me you hate it, too, Cliff.”

“I love it. I haven’t had it in years.”

Claire smirked at Karen. “Let’s split a bar, my treat.  What kind do you want?”

“Y-you sure?” He reddened.

Claire nodded excitedly. “Yeah, let’s indulge!”

The young man shyly picked out a bar of extra dark chocolate.

“I think you made him afraid to pick anything else,” Karen laughed.

“A-actually this is my favorite,” he admitted. “Thanks again, Claire.”

“No problem. We don’t have to share any of it with Karen,” the farmer grinned.

They walked further down the display.

“Well, here’s your stop, Cliff,” Karen laughed.

“Yep.” He hoisted a large sack of salt over his shoulder.  “This ought to last me a while.”

“I should hope so,” Claire laughed. “You like salty food or what?”

“Well, smoking meat and fish takes a lot of salt; I brine lots of things before I put them over the coals. I also use it to tan hides and pelts and then sell them to the merchant who lives off of the beach.”

“Oh.” Claire had never considered using salt for much more than seasoning.  It seemed like her friend had to be creative to make ends meet as well.

“That’s pretty much all he buys,” Karen laughed. “Dad sometimes just calls him ‘That Salt Guy’.”

The young man rolled his eyes. “I see your father is very creative with nicknames…  I guess it’s better than ‘that guy who is always asking for a job’.”

Karen gave him a slight frown as Claire ordered her seeds from Jeff and finished her purchase. “Hey, don’t sweat it.  Someone will be happy to snap you up; you’ll see.”

“Eh… I hope so…  I don’t really have a skilled trade like Gray, Rick, or Trent, though…”

“Well, what kinds of things are you good at?”

Cliff counted out his coins and placed them on the counter, shrugging. He made sure they were out of Jeff’s earshot before he spoke.  “I don’t really have _any_ special skills.  The training I had as a teenager felt pointless at the time, but now…”

The grocer’s daughter and the farmer both looked at him curiously. The color drained from his face; he had said too much about himself again.  He had been finding himself doing this more and more regularly since he moved to Mineral Town.  The young man silently cursed himself.  There was no point bothering anyone else with his problems, he had already made so many people unhappy over the years in other ways...

“What were you trained in?” Claire asked, shuffling her bag on her shoulder. “Fishing?”

He frowned and shook his head. He went fishing with his uncle regularly when he was young, but he didn’t really look at that as training.  The two were only eight years apart in age, but it felt like decades to Cliff sometimes.  Cliff was often a little discouraged at how slow and sometimes unfruitful rod fishing could be; he preferred moving targets and not having to rely on bait, and since he began his travels over three years ago, spear fishing was much more practical anyway.  Ray would laugh at his nephew’s impatience and tell him that a true fisherman learned to appreciate all parts of fishing, including the quiet lulls between bites. 

After failing to convince Cliff into staying, his uncle had decided to leave their hometown as well, claiming he was in search of better fishing spots. Cliff knew better; Ray had left because Cliff had ruined the village for everyone, and surely all of his relatives had been treated like pariahs because of their relation to the foolish boy…  He didn’t want to think about home right now; it never failed to make him feel miserable.

“Well, see y’all around…” He reddened and shifted the sack of salt on his shoulder and headed out the door of the grocery store before his companions said anything.  Thinking about home was making him slip into his home dialect.  He had been mildly teased at the inn a couple of times for doing it in the past.

He hadn’t walked far when he heard his name being called.

“Cliff, w-wait!”

He froze in his tracks; Ray had called his name the very same way the day they both left. This voice was a much higher pitch than Ray’s baritone, though.  He slowly turned around.  “Huh?”

“Why did you take off like that?” Claire asked gently.

He didn’t answer, but looked down at the ground. Had he been that obvious?

“H-hey… I don’t exactly have the best memories of life in the city,” the young woman felt a spring of courage well up in her as she stared at her friend.  “B-but you can use your past experiences to prepare for new ones...  better ones.”  She was a little proud of how profound she sounded for that brief moment.

Claire wasn’t telling him to disregard his past like his friend at the inn did in an attempt to cheer him up; the redhead’s motto was a playful “forget about it” accompanied with the unsolicited ruffling of his hair. Cliff really enjoyed Ann’s company, but her aggressive cheerfulness ended up intimidating and clamming him up more often than not.  He took the bag of salt off of his shoulder and stood pensively.

“That looks pretty heavy; want to take a seat for a moment?” She shyly held out the chocolate bar, reminding him of her promise.

He wasn’t particularly in the mood for talking, but he remembered the agreement they had made at the library. The farmer had only agreed to sit with him at the bar, but both of them knew the implication behind that was much more; they had labeled each other as equals.  The allure of chocolate didn’t hurt, either.  “Okay…”  He followed her to the bench outside of the shop and plopped the bag down.

“How heavy is that thing, anyway?”

“Twenty-five kilos.”

Claire scrunched up her nose; she was immediately reminded how far from home she was. “I’m still not used to the way everyone out here uses the metric system,” she admitted as she unwrapped the chocolate bar.

“Around fifty-five pounds, give or take,” he offered.

“Well, you did that math pretty quickly; I’m impressed.”

The young man shook his brown head and pointed at the bag sheepishly. Both units of weight were posted on the fabric.

Claire let out a giggle as she handed her friend a square of chocolate. “You could have just let me be impressed, you know.”

“Well, I can do rough conversions, but it is written right there. “ He shrugged as he accepted the candy and his face lit up.  “Thank you for the chocolate…  It’s been so long since I’ve had any.”  He realized he had already stopped thinking about home and Ray and ignored the wave of guilt that threatened to come.  He sucked on the piece of chocolate and didn’t regret sitting down at all.  Wonderful, decadent, dark chocolate…  Cliff had really forgotten how much he loved it.  He would have offered to carry Claire’s heavy sack of seeds home with the salt strapped to his back if it meant one more square of the delicious candy.

“No problem.”

The young man had an amused smile on his lips.

She hadn’t spent much time with the man, and this expression was new; she found it made her feel warm inside. “What’s on your mind?” Claire swung her feet, biting off a corner of her chocolate and letting it melt on her tongue.

 “I was just thinking how you lured me over here with food,” he confessed bashfully.  “I was afraid if I called you out on it, you wouldn’t let me have any.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” She grinned. The chocolate was smooth with just the right amount of bitterness; she could have easily eaten the entire bar herself.

“That’s how Ann gets me to talk; she feeds me. I guess when it really comes down to it, I’m no better than the deer I bait,” he laughed.

“Aw, don’t say it like that! You make it sound like Ann is out to get you!”  She giggled.  “Besides, what is it they say?”

“Hm? Who are _they_?” He looked at her curiously.

Claire ignored his question. “Right! _The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach_!” She beamed as she handed him a piece of candy and he looked at it thoughtfully for a moment.

Cliff snorted. “I seriously doubt those are her intentions,” he rolled his eyes, studying the logo embossed on the block of chocolate, but Claire caught a hint of color in his cheeks.  “I’m just one of her projects…  It’s kind of like how she’s trying to train Gray to be less of a slob, or, as he likes to put it, ‘less of a man’.”  He popped the candy into his mouth and shook his head with a soft chuckle.

Claire’s heart was stung with an uncomfortable jolt. Cliff had just called Gray a slob.  She straightened her posture and her smile fell.  The young woman was reminded of the uncomfortable position she was in a couple of weeks ago when she had to listen to Karen and Gray argue.  Why was everyone so harsh when it came to Gray?  She suddenly felt herself scrambling to defend the apprentice blacksmith.  “S-some people _like_ a little organized chaos…”  She ventured, her eyes moving to the cobblestones.

Cliff shrugged. “I suppose… but you and I both know Gray’s chaos isn’t organized; you’ve seen his side of the room _plenty_ of times,” Claire caught the tone in his voice and she didn’t like it.

She had seen the apprentice’s pile of assorted objects but never managed to start up a conversation about what they were or what they meant to him. Claire had been in Gray’s room dozens of times and never got more than a polite “Hello” finished off with the ever-dreaded “Shouldn’t you be heading back to the farm now?”  He never offered to walk her home…

On the inside, she was frustrated and confused. Why would someone who had such a quiet, shy demeanor dare to say something so mean-spirited?  On the outside, quite frankly, she looked exactly the same – frustrated and confused; the farmer was never very good at hiding her emotions, try as she might.

“W-well… He’s probably busy doesn’t have the _time_ to clean it,” she replied curtly.

The young man stared at the ground in silence for a few minutes. They were both keenly aware of the tension between them.  Claire wished Cliff would just go away already; she was done talking to him.  She regretted buying the chocolate bar…

The blonde heard the young man let out a quiet sigh; his blue eyes looked up at the clouds. “Carter told me once that the gods gave us faults so that we could learn to help one another…”

Claire’s anger diffused immediately. Cliff wasn’t claiming to be perfect, she realized.  He never had; he had just said that Ann saw him as a challenge.

“He said that the desire to improve ourselves is what makes us different from beasts… But… we have a tendency to only do it when it is convenient for us and the reasons are often selfish.  I… I want to become a better person, but I can’t even manage to do that…  Perhaps I’m lazy…  That’s much worse than simply being unorganized…”

The young woman shook her head; she had stopped by the church a few times a week and had seen the anguish on her friend’s face as he sat in his assigned pew. Often, after having a word with Carter or taking confession, Claire would take a seat beside her friend and they would spend an hour or so in silence.  Some days, they recited prayers together.  Other days, he had no words for her, but she swore when she waved goodbye to him he looked less depressed.  He was trying hard, but he seemed to be having a difficult time seeing any progress in himself.  She had noticed a change just within the past couple of weeks; he seemed to brood a lot less.  “Y-you’re not lazy.”

He gave her a sad smile. “Maybe you’re right.  Not lazy… just selfish.  My fault is that I am the most selfish person I know.”

The blonde turned toward him and handed him a piece of chocolate, shaking her head. “But everyone’s selfish to some degree.  No…  Your fault is that you tend to over think things and get melodramatic.”  She raised her eyebrows and gave him an apologetic smile.

He sucked on his chocolate pensively. “Melodramatic, huh?  …  You know…  I actually tr-try really hard not to let anyone see how I feel,” his voice was barely audible.

The young woman let another piece of chocolate melt on her tongue as she worked on her response. “Exactly.  And you let your negativity stew inside of you and turn it into something far worse,” Claire looked down at their feet.  Maybe she was being too candid with him…

“I suppose you’re right…” His voice was emotionless.  “You know…  You and Carter are the only ones I feel like I can be completely honest with.  Everyone else either keeps their distance or is constantly asking why I don’t have a smile on my face all the time.”

“That’s what my friends in the city would always ask... And I’d get the impression they’d only ask because everyone’s expected to be happy all of the time,” the farmer rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, faking it is exhausting; I gave that up years ago,” Cliff admitted with a bitter chuckle.

“Just… be who you are. Happiness will follow you in time,” Claire handed him another piece of chocolate and took one for herself.

“Huh…” He mulled the words over in her head.  “Do you really think so?”

“Well, that’s what Carter told me, anyway… I think I believe him, though,” Claire nodded.

“I… I want to believe…”

“Then allow yourself to.” She handed him the final piece of chocolate and crumpled up the wrapper, shoving it in her pocket.

Claire had a way of making things sound so simple; Cliff found a smile on his face.

“Carter seems pretty smart, doesn’t he?” The young woman grinned at him.

He nodded. “Smart, yes, but also a little goofy sometimes,” he chuckled, “He’s always practicing his ideas for sermons on me.  Some of them can be a little odd.”

“Oh, you mean like that story he told us a couple of weeks ago?” She recalled.

“Yeah… He’s also getting way too excited for the summer festivals and keeps trying out his ideas for summertime ghost stories on me,” he groaned.  “I don’t think he could even scare May or Stu.”

Claire giggled, but didn’t want to admit she scared easily. “Well, I think I had better head back to the farm and put these seeds in the ground.”  She stood up and stretched.  “I’ve been following the instructions in that book I got at the library and realized I’ve been making things harder on myself than I need to.  I’m going to try to have a good pile of money for seeds once summer rolls around.”

The young man smiled up at her. “I’m glad.  So the book has helped?”

The blonde nodded. “It has blueprints for farm layouts.  I can only do it on a small scale right now, but this summer, I’m going to get serious!”  She pumped her fist.

Cliff stood up. “Cool.  I know you’ll do great, Claire,” he replied with a friendly laugh.

“Thanks!” She beamed.  “And how about your projects?”

Cliff got quiet and shrugged.

“You keep trying hard, too!” Her eyes blazed.

He perked up a bit. “Okay!  Smoked trout and tanned rabbit hides, here I come!” He laughed, hoisting the large bag of salt on his shoulder with a grunt.  “Thanks again for the chocolate, Claire.”

They both knew he was talking about more than just the candy. The open, honest conversation had helped both of them; she owed him her gratitude as well.  “Thank you, too.” 

They went their separate ways as the brunette followed the path toward the inn. Claire shuffled the heavy bag of seeds on her back.  Things were changing; they were growing…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Fans of the Tales Series will probably recognize some of the names of soap fragrances in the shop. Kudos to anyone who caught that!
> 
> Watch out, Cliff! Your back story is showing! I’ve developed a whole background for him and I’m pretty excited to reveal little pieces of it as the story goes on. Yeah, I threw in Ray. I’ve played Magical Melody a bit and thought he’d made a nice fit to Cliff’s story and hometown.
> 
> I was really excited to post this chapter because I enjoy writing honest dialogue, especially with characters that have such guarded hearts. I was also excited to write a scene with a little bit of tension between two people who normally avoid uncomfortable situations at all costs. Hope you enjoyed! Please leave me some feedback on what you think of the story so far!


	12. Kind of Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eager to prove her mother wrong, Karen is adamant about entering the Cooking Festival. With a bit of illegal help from Claire, they create an... unusual dish. Will the judge be able to give it a taste test without getting sick?

“So I’m thinking something sweet, yet savory,” Karen pulled on her apron.

It was the night before the cooking festival and Karen had come over to practice a recipe with Claire.

“You do realize I don’t have a kitchen,” Claire reminded her once again.

“Details, details!” Karen scoffed. “It’s just practice, anyway.  The important thing about cooking is that all of the ingredients taste good.”

“I guess I can’t _completely_ disagree with that,” Claire replied quietly.

Karen emptied a grocery bag on Claire’s table. She quickly grabbed a chocolate bar, a loaf of bread, and some curry roux.  She had swiped a hotplate and skillet from home.

“So here’s the idea – a sandwich with melted chocolate inside with a curry spread. I was inspired after your visit to the shop the other day; maybe I should give chocolate another chance.  I think it would be good if we spiced it up a bit.  What do you think?  It would be sweet, spicy, and salty!”

“Uh….” Claire tried her best to keep an open mind.  “Maybe we should taste the chocolate and curry together before you commit to using the whole package.”

“Fair enough.” Karen broke a corner off of both bars and popped them in her mouth.  She immediately spat them out in disgust.

“Maybe if you cooked up the roux first,” Claire offered weakly.

“How do you do that?”

Claire sighed and broke off a couple blocks of roux and dropped them into the skillet filled with hot water.   Karen watched as it slowly melted.

“Did you get the spatula?” Claire asked, surprised that Karen acted like this was all so new to her.

“No, I didn’t. Damn that Gray,” Karen grumbled.  She rustled through the bags for something else to stir with, but produced nothing.

Claire took the curry box and folded it in half to stabilize it. “Let’s give this a try.”  She pushed the sauce around with the stiff cardboard.  It worked better than she expected.  A warm, savory smell filled the room as the curry reached its magical temperature and began to thicken.  Claire tried her best not to drool at the aroma.

“Wow, Claire! You’re awesome!” Karen was genuinely impressed.

“Now let’s try adding some chocolate, I guess.” Claire felt bad to be wasting food.

Karen broke the bar in half, but Claire halted her. “Let’s add little by little,” Claire instructed gently.  “We can always add more chocolate, but we can’t take it out.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Karen handed her a small piece, and Claire melted it with the curry.

Karen dipped her finger into the skillet to give it a taste. “Hey, this isn’t half bad.  It needs more chocolate, though; it just tastes like curry.”

Claire decided to give it a try. Her friend was right.  It was savory, but needed just a hint more of sweetness.  Karen handed her another small piece, but Claire broke it in half.

“Oh, you’re such a chicken, Claire,” Karen laughed.

By the time the sauce was done, the cardboard had become flimsy and useless. Claire turned off the hotplate.

“I guess all that’s left to do is try it with the bread,” Karen reasoned.

Claire hesitantly ripped a couple of pieces off of the loaf. She handed one to Karen, who promptly dunked hers into the sauce.  Claire brushed the bread along the top of the sauce gently.  They both bit into their bread in unison and stared at each other with widened eyes.

“This is AMAZING! Claire, we are GENIUSES!”  Karen exclaimed, her mouth full.  “This is the strangest, most addicting thing I have ever tasted!”

Claire laughed and had to agree.

“How did you learn to cook, anyway?” Karen asked.

“Well, I learned when I was a child; my parents taught me. They wanted to make sure I could take care of myself from an early age.”  Wasn’t that how everyone learned?

“My mom won’t even let me in the kitchen,” Karen tried to play off her frustration. “She thinks I’ll burn it down or something,” she scoffed, “But she never even gives me a chance.  I mess up once, and she puts everything away and tells me I’m helpless.”

“Well, that’s not a really encouraging learning environment,” Claire commented, taking another chunk of bread.

“You’re right, it’s not. I mean, look at what we made together tonight.  Sure, it’s weird, but it’s edible and strangely delicious…”  She licked her fingers.  “It was an experiment…  Isn’t that all life is, anyway?”

“You got real deep there for a moment,” Claire giggled. Karen laughed and shoved her.

“You’re smart, Claire. I like you a lot.”  Karen put an arm around her friend’s shoulders.  “And tomorrow we’re going to kill the competition!”

0o0o0o0

Karen and Claire impatiently waited at the gate to the town square the next morning. Karen spied Rick and his mother waiting and made her way toward them.  Claire saw a familiar redhead waving to her.

“Good morning!”

The farmer walked over to Ann and her father. “Good morning.”

“Are you entering the competition this year, Claire?” Ann asked.

“I’m not really sure,” she admitted, “I don’t really have a kitchen.”

“It will all have to depend on what the theme is for this year, then,” Doug thoughtfully stroked his moustache.

“Themes?!” Why hadn’t Karen mentioned this to her before?

“Oh, yeah,” Ann replied. “The Gourmet will announce a theme and then we have a couple of hours to cook our dish.”

“Wow.” The farmer found that she was very intimidated.  Karen’s culinary skills were already so narrow…

“I can only really make simple things,” Ann admitted. “But I’m willing to give it my best shot!”

“I really don’t have any say in the matter,” Doug chuckled, “If I don’t enter and win, I’ll make the inn look bad!” He looked a little anxious despite his smile.  Claire wondered if he really wanted to be here at all or if he simply felt obligated to enter the competition.

Ann scanned the crowd that was forming. “I asked Cliff if he wanted to come to the festival, but he seemed a bit indifferent,” she sighed.

“Were you eager to show off your skills for him?” Doug teased.

Ann reddened. “It’s not like that, Dad!  He needs to get out and be with people!”

“Well, there’s Carter,” Claire recognized the priest in the crowd.

Ann eagerly looked in Claire’s direction. She pouted.  “But no Cliff.  Carter shows up every year for the free food.  Quite a few people do; there’s Gotz, too.  Everyone gets to eat the leftovers once the contest is over…  That’s actually my favorite part,” She admitted sheepishly.

“Is this competition done in teams or individuals?” Claire wanted to know all the rules.

“Individuals. Why?” Ann looked at the farmer.

“Well, I was going to help Karen with her entry if that was allowed.”

Doug smiled good-naturedly. “Honestly, Karen needs all the help she can get.  And what the Gourmet doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” he winked at Claire.

“Yeah, Karen always gets discouraged during this festival year after year,” Ann kept her voice low. “Her mother keeps telling her not to enter, but she does anyway.  I wonder if she does it just to defy her.”

“She doesn’t.” Claire tried to keep her voice level; Ann’s comment had struck a nerve.  “She’s just trying to prove to her mother that she can do something on her own.”

“Oh.” Ann looked over at the grocer’s daughter.  “Well, I can respect that.”  She smiled genuinely at Claire.  “I hope that the two of you are able to make a great dish!”

“Thanks, Ann!” Claire’s feelings toward the waitress greatly improved.

“It looks like they’re letting us in now,” Doug watched the moving crowd.

Claire made her way toward Karen and her mother in the square.

“Are you really sure you want to do this again?” Sasha sounded exasperated.

“Of course! I think I have a good chance,” Karen’s voice was strained.

A heavyset man stuffed into a loud purple suit waddled up on stage. The crowd fell silent.  “Welcome to the Annual Cooking Festival!  I am here to announce this year’s theme!  The theme is appetizers!  I’ll see you back in the square at noon to judge the dishes!”

The crowd quickly dispersed. Claire followed Karen and Sasha back to their house and into their kitchen.

“I don’t have time to help you with your dish, Karen,” Sasha said curtly.

“I didn’t ask for your help!” Karen’s voice was a little too loud. She turned toward Claire.  “Come on, let’s go to over here and plan what we are going to make.”

“Okay,” Claire was a bit afraid to do otherwise.

Karen pulled her friend to the other side of the room.

“Okay, so I’m thinking deep-fried rice balls on skewers. But we can fill the rice balls with different things…”

“Let’s stick with what we know. We could just cook what did last night,” Claire offered.

Karen cocked an eyebrow. “I think I would classify that as a main course.”

“We could just cut the bread into toast points and present the curry as a dip.”

“Yes! I like that idea!  It’s so much easier!”  She ran to the kitchen to fetch the ingredients and equipment.

Claire sighed.

“Alright, here we are! And I even grabbed a spoon for stirring!” Karen chuckled.

Claire was relieved that Karen’s mood lightened. They worked together swiftly.

“Hey, I think this tastes even better than last night’s!” Karen exclaimed.

Claire smiled, “Me, too, but let’s save some for the judge.”

They made their way back to the square. A few people had come back and were waiting for the judge to return.  Cliff waved and headed in their direction; Claire was surprised to see the shy young man at the event.

“Hello, Claire, Karen,” he seemed a little anxious even in the small crowd.

“Ann’s not here yet,” Claire said to him.

“Oh, right… I only came because Carter told me that you two were competing today, but don’t tell Ann that.”  Cliff’s gaze moved to the ground and he guiltily shuffled his feet.

Karen grinned. “Well I’m glad you did, because we’re going to win with this dish!” she shoved it in her friend’s face.

Cliff’s face lit up at the smell. “Curry?”

The girls nodded.

“Well, then, yes, it’s going to win,” a small smile spread across his face.

“We actually took chocolate and melted it in the curry to make a dip. It’s a delicacy!” Karen looked a little too proud of herself.

“Did you follow a recipe?” He cocked an eyebrow.

Karen shook her head. “It was a happy accident we created last night!  Originally it was going to be a sandwich.”

Claire could see from his expression that he was having a hard time choosing his words. “Well, it will definitely be a unique entry.”  She smiled; he was very polite.

“You’re more than welcome to stay here and watch us win,” Karen beamed.

“A-alright,” Cliff stammered, taking a spot next to Claire.

Claire spied the chicken farmer making his way into the square with his mother.

“Hey Rick!” Karen ran to her friend, carrying the dish, eager to show it off.

With the main focus of her attention now gone, Claire scanned the crowd for any sign of the blacksmith. She wasn’t surprised she didn’t see him; this didn’t seem like his kind of event.

“This is the first festival I’ve attended at this town.” Cliff’s sudden voice made her jump.

“Me, too.”

“I do a bit of cooking myself, but I don’t think I’d be much competition,” Cliff continued. “I do very simple outdoor cooking.”

“Ann said you don’t eat much at the inn…” She remembered.

“I don’t need to; I go up Mother’s Hill a lot,” he sounded a little more confident. “There are a lot of great resources there.”

“Oh, Cliff, I’m so glad you could make it!” Ann beamed and made her way over to them.

“Hi, Ann,” Cliff smiled at the waitress.

“I made french fries,” she grinned at the pair, “And guess whose potatoes I used?”

Claire’s face lit up. “Mine?  Wow, that is so awesome, Ann!  I’m honored, really!”  She managed to say.

“I knew you’d be impressed,” she winked at the farmer. “So how did Karen’s dish turn out?”

“I think we did pretty well. I will be interested to hear what the Gourmet has to say about it.  Karen’s a… creative cook.”

“Well, I wish you luck!” Ann smiled warmly at Claire.

“Thank you, you too!”

“Claire, you make sure Cliff doesn’t sneak away today. I asked him to come earlier to socialize with people.”  She laughed and headed back toward her father.

Cliff reddened. “She makes me out to be so anti-social…”

There was that word again. _Anti-social_ …  “Hey, I’m not the biggest fan of crowds, myself,” Claire offered, and his face relaxed.  She noticed he had a much calmer demeanor than when she first saw him earlier.  “H-hey, Cliff?”

“Huh?”

“I was just wondering… D-did Gray happen to mention anything about coming to the festival today?”

The young man shrugged. “Nah.  I think he had work today.”

“Oh… I thought all of the shops were closed today for the festival.”

The brunette chuckled. “That doesn’t stop Saibara; he didn’t even let Gray go to the horse races last month even though he went himself.  Gray was… _not_ happy…”  He frowned.

“S-So he likes horses, huh?” She noted.

“A _lot_ …  S-Sometimes… I feel like it’s the only thing I have in common with him…  That we both love animals, I mean.”  The young man’s expression turned pensive.

“I have a horse,” She murmured to herself more than anyone else. “A dog, too…”

“And I have a-” Cliff cut himself off. “I have a… fondness… for horses, too.”

Claire looked at him curiously. “Yeah… horses are pretty great,” She nodded politely.

They sat quietly together on a bench and watched more people enter the square. Claire squirmed when she noticed the mayor coming their way.  She hadn’t spoken to him since she purchased the farm.  Cliff sensed his friend’s nervousness and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Good afternoon, Claire and Cliff.”

“G-good afternoon to you, too, Mayor Thomas,” Claire couldn’t meet him in the eye.

“Did you enter the competition today?”

“No, Sir. I came to watch my friend Karen compete,” She said cordially.  She politely left out the fact that she didn’t compete because she had been sold a house that didn’t have a kitchen.

“Ah, well, hopefully next year,” He smiled at her. She nodded uncomfortably.  “Well, I’m sure some of the competitors are using your vegetables.  You’ve made us rather proud.”

“T-thank you,” his compliment caught her off guard.

“Running the farm will take some getting used to, but I know that you’ll be great at it.” He turned on his heel and left.

Cliff turned toward her, confused. “And the last time you talked to him was when-”

Claire blushed. “Yes.”

They both stared in amazement as the mayor slowly made his way up by the stage, chatting with the man in the purple suit. Thomas didn’t say a word about her attack on him the day she moved into town.  She wondered if maybe she wasn’t the first to do something like that…

“Hey, guys.”

Claire’s heart pounded as the scent of oil and smoldering metal hit her nose.

“Ah, you made it, man.” Cliff gave his roommate a nod.  “Saibara let you out early?”

“Yep. I made a passable horseshoe and we had a few rounds of sake to celebrate.  Scoot; give me some space and I’ll sit with you guys.”  Gray commanded, tugging on the bill of his hat.

Claire’s face caught on fire; she was happy to oblige. She nearly slammed her hips into a startled Cliff as she eagerly made space for the apprentice; he was going to sit by _her_.  “H-hi, Gray.  It’s n-nice to see you.”

“Ah, Claire… you’re always so polite,” He gave her a friendly nod and a hint of a smile crossed his face.

Her heart gave a flutter; the apprentice was in a very good mood today.

“S-So… We were just talking about horses,” Claire explained, turning to face her new bench mate.

“What about them?”

“W-well, we both like them,” the young woman said lamely, playing with a strand of blonde hair.

“Ah, I like horses a lot, too. Great creatures…  I help out at Barley’s sometimes, you know.”

“Oh, really? You must know all kinds of things about livestock, then!” She grinned; she felt much more comfortable talking to Gray in a more open environment.  He seemed to as well.  Gray seemed awfully chatty today, and it was very encouraging.

The young man blushed. “I wouldn’t say that.  I mean, I pull and reset horseshoes.  That hardly makes me a pro at anything.”

“W-well, hey! It’s a start, right?”  She encouraged him.

“Yeah… I guess so,” he nodded.  He readjusted his hat and Claire’s heart stopped when his arm brushed past hers.

“S-So… I’m surprised you came to this festival,” Cliff ventured, leaning forward on the bench to talk to his roommate on the other side of Claire.

“Oh, I usually don’t come, but this year, I had to. I came to watch Karen fail,” He smirked.

Cliff groaned and rolled his eyes, and Claire was surprised at how informal he was around the apprentice, but she quickly remembered the obvious fact that the two lived together. “You are still on about that?”

“It’ll be funny, don’t you think, Claire?” The apprentice gave her a flirty grin and winked at her. “Karen can be a bully sometimes, eh?”

The young woman’s face caught on fire and she suddenly had a hard time figuring out who to pledge her allegiance to.

Cliff frowned, but didn’t say anything. Claire wondered if he was debating to tell Gray that the farmer had helped Karen make her dish.  She was a little curious if Cliff knew that she and Karen were bending the rules a bit; she sat in nervous silence.

“Well, _I’m_ rooting for her,” Cliff finally said.

Claire wondered if she was being asked to pick sides. “I-I think Karen might surprise you this year, Gray,” she said quietly.  After all, she had helped make the dish, and it tasted even better today than it did yesterday.

He said nothing, but his smirk grew.

The Gourmet made his way up as to the stage, and the competitors began submitting their dishes.

“The first dish is Ann’s french fries!” He bellowed.  Ann made her way up to the judging table and watched him sample her dish.

“Hmmm… Very crispy and flavorful. Just the right amount of salt.  Very good.”

Ann beamed and walked back toward her father, braid bouncing.

“Wow, so I guess he just critiques them right in front of everyone?” Claire whispered.

“It would seem so,” the brunette returned.

“This is gonna be good,” Gray’s eyes lit up.

Claire watched nervously as the Gourmet sampled Lillia’s hard boiled eggs, Doug’s pickled turnips, and Sasha’s croquettes.

“And the final dish is Karen’s…” He looked at the plate, confused.

“Chocolate Curry Dip!” Karen boldly stepped forward.

Gray snorted and smugly mumbled a few colorful words, but Claire was too busy concentrating on the judge’s reaction to listen properly.

“Alright…” The Gourmet looked at the food nervously. He took a bite and sat silently for a moment.  The crowd fell silent.  Claire could feel the tension in the air; she found herself clutching Cliff’s arm.

“Hmmm… Very interesting…. The flavors blend together in a unique and exotic way. The toast offers a bold contrast in texture… It’s… kind of good!”

“Heh… Well, what do you know?  The crazy broad actually kind of did it,” Gray folded his arms and gave a nod of approval.

The crowd broke out in cheers. Karen’s face lit up and she strutted back to her mother.  Sasha was unable to hide the pride on her face.  She embraced her daughter.

“And now for the winner! Doug’s pickled turnips!”

Doug made his way up to the judge’s table. “Your dish was truly fresh and delicious, a wonderful taste of spring.  Thank you all for competing!”

“Leftovers are over here on the table!” Thomas hollered to the crowd, and people lined up for the free food.

The trio made their way over to Karen, who had a crowd around her. She may not have gotten first place in the competition, but she had won in her own right.  Claire noticed that her friend was blinking away happy tears, and the farmer’s heart felt full.

The grocer’s daughter caught sight of Gray and stuck her tongue out at him, winking. The apprentice rolled his eyes, but the blonde noticed a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Karen, I’m so glad you dish went over well,” Rick blushed, “I’m really impressed.”

Karen reddened. “Really?”

“Well… yeah. Maybe you can show me how to make it sometime,” he smiled shyly at her, rubbing the back of his neck.

“O-okay!” She waved goodbye to him. “Thank you for your help,” Karen whispered to her friend.

“Don’t mention it,” Claire smiled.

“Cliff, get in line to try it!” Karen ordered. “You said you like curry, right?”

Her friend looked over at the table of food. “It’s already gone,” he laughed.

“Well, maybe I’ll just have to open my own restaurant,” Karen smirked and put an arm around Claire. She looked over at her mother.  “Maybe a food stand inside of the supermarket…”  She laughed heartily at her mother’s expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I tried making some curry a while back and added cocoa powder. It was actually kind of good, I kid you not! Hope you enjoyed my attempts at humor! :)


	13. A Softer Shade of Gray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dull axe and need for horse supplies bring Claire to Saibara's. Her interest in taking care of her colt isn't unnoticed by Gray, who eagerly offers to show her a few pointers.

Claire walked nervously into town, gripping the handle of her axe in both hands. Her hands were sore from holding the tool; she had been chopping wood well into the night until it was too dark to see.  Karen, who was on her way to the spring, caught sight of her and waved.

“You look like a woman on a mission,” Karen’s eyes pored over her friend. The farmer looked, in a word, ragged.  Claire had bags under her eyes, her cheeks were still rosy with exertion, and her pale locks were disheveled.  It was likely the blonde had been taking advice from the book she got at the library a few days ago and had started some big projects on her property.  The brunette pantomimed swinging an invisible axe with a giggle.  “You also look kind of scary carrying that thing around.”

Claire realized she probably looked like an axe murderer in a horror film and laughed; she shifted the tool so that it rested on her shoulder and she found it was much more comfortable. Her arms ached.  “My axe is pretty dull,” she explained, “I’m going to get it sharpened.”

Karen looked over at the forge. “Ah, I see why you look so anxious now,” she smirked.  The old blacksmith wasn’t exactly known for his cordial behavior, especially around the younger generation.  “Saibara doesn’t bite; I promise.”

“He’s not the one I’m worried about,” Claire frowned.

The young woman wondered if the farmer was afraid the apprentice would make a snarky remark or ignore her completely. Karen had a feeling that this second reason was more likely her friend’s fear.  As far as she was concerned, Claire worried far too much about what Gray thought of her.  “Ah, I see.  You’ll be fine,” Karen laughed it off, patting her arm as she headed off to her destination.

Claire recalled the first time she had visited the smithy; it was the first day she moved into town. The handsome young man quickly stole her heart despite the fact that he had been in a bad mood that day and had taken it out on her.  She had surprised herself when she stood her ground instead of getting upset and fleeing from the shop.  Perhaps it was the way Gray was trying so hard to get his grandfather’s approval that her heart went out to him. 

Since then, she had visited him regularly at his room at the inn. She had forgotten weeks ago about her debate over whether or not it was proper for her to call on a young man by herself in the evenings.  Claire tried her best to visit only when she knew Gray would be alone, but when his roommate happened to be there as well, she exchanged a few words with Cliff about her farm in lieu of a gift.  The brunette would give her a polite smile; he seemed satisfied enough with a few moments of her company, however short and formal the young woman forced the conversation into being.  After all, Claire reminded herself, she didn’t want to give Gray the wrong idea.

Claire had only visited Gray a few times at work after that fateful day when he not-so-subtly asked her to leave the shop and mind her own business. He had apologized to her a couple of times after the incident, but she quickly saw that Saibara was a trigger for his angry outbursts.  Gray still seemed a bit embarrassed about their initial meeting; he didn’t talk to her much while he worked.  Claire was content watching his strong arms swing his hammer for a few minutes while she talked with Saibara, not really listening to the words the old man was saying.  She noticed that when he saw that she had her eyes on him, he picked up his pace and swung harder.  The young woman blushed at the very thought.

She was standing in front of the door to the forge. She slowed down her breathing and stepped inside.

Claire was immediately greeted by the scent of smoldering metal and oil; it was the fragrance she associated with Gray. The apprentice was in his usual spot, tending to the forge.

“Good morning,” the old man greeted her, not impolitely. He had picked up on the young woman’s behavior when she came to shop, and, quite frankly, he was a little disgusted that she didn’t seem all that interested in what he had to sell, especially considering she was the one in town who would benefit the most from his wares.  Today she seemed to have a different demeanor, he noticed.

The farmer set her axe on the counter.

“Looks very dull,” Saibara commented without even picking it up to inspect it.

Claire nodded. “It’s not really doing much anymore.”

“Well, you can’t work well without good tools,” Saibara replied. He looked at the blade; it had definitely seen better days.  “You must be cleaning up the farm.”

“Yes.” Claire noticed the old man rarely had any sort of expression on his face, and she was hesitant to say anything more than she needed to.  She didn’t feel that it was necessary to explain the techniques that the library book had suggested; she needed to clear more land to create some of the plots the book described.

“I can have it ready by tomorrow,” he replied, taking the axe and propping it against the wall. “I’ll sharpen it for you for free today, but if you bring me some ore next time, I can make it last longer for you.  Gray will drop it by your farm tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you very much,” she bowed her head; she was surprised the old blacksmith would go out of his way to do anything for her. But there was another reason why she came to the shop; she had seen an advertisement in her mailbox for the livestock products the old man sold.  “I also came to make a purchase.”

“Oh?” Maybe Saibara had been wrong about Claire after all.

Claire hesitated; she had an honest interest in buying a product, but she had also hoped to garner a particular young apprentice’s attention. “Yes.  I was given a horse recently…”

Gray whirled around from the forge, suddenly very interested. “Was it the colt that Barley had?  He wasn’t doing too well.”

Claire nodded. “Barley put him into my care.  I want to give him extra attention, and I was told you might have some grooming tools.”

“That we do,” Saibara produced a comb and set it on the counter.

“Thank you,” Claire handed him her money. She picked up the comb and looked at it curiously; it didn’t seem to really have bristles…

“W-why don’t I come to your farm and show you how to use it?” Gray’s sudden voice startled the young woman. The old man gave his grandson a nod of approval.

“A-alright,” Claire could feel the color creeping into her cheeks. The best she had been hoping for was an interested glance from Gray at the mention of the horse, but she wasn’t about to complain about this fortunate turn of events.

Gray swiftly removed his work gloves, and in a flurry of movements he grabbed a couple of items from a drawer, threw them in a paper sack, and opened the door for Claire.

\------

It was a short and silent walk to the farm. Claire wasn’t quite sure what to say.  She knew that the young man liked horses, but she found she was nervous about actually starting a conversation on them; she had next to no knowledge on caring for the creatures.  Koro saw the pair approaching the farm and began to run up to greet Claire, but the puppy shied away when he saw the stranger.

“Koro, you’re such a goof!” The young woman laughed at her dog. “Sorry, Gray, don’t take it personally.”

The blacksmith shrugged; he knew that his cold manner put a lot of people off, and it looked like the dog wasn’t an exception to this, either. He wasn’t particularly fond of dogs, anyway, and didn’t take offense to this at all.  “I heard what he did to Thomas, so I’ll take what he just did as a compliment.”

The farmer turned a bright shade of red. “Well, I’ll take you to the stable.”

“Yeah, let’s see the little guy.” His voice wasn’t as gruff as it usually was and his steps sounded less like stomps as he followed her.

Claire opened the door and Tucker looked up at them. Gray’s eyes immediately softened as he walked up and stroked the colt’s back, exhaling deeply.  “Ah, he looks much better already…  You’ve been taking good care of him.”

“Th-thank you,” Claire reddened; he had a much different demeanor around the horse than he did around his grandfather.

Gray studied the horse’s face and brushed the brown forelocks out of the creature’s eyes as he let out a sigh. He was no stranger to horses, but he was always left breathless at how majestic and beautiful the creatures were, even at a young age.  “What do you call him?”

Claire saw the apprentice’s facial expressions and her heart raced. If only he would look at her like that someday…  Perhaps this horse could be the catalyst for such a dream to come true.  “Tucker.”

The blacksmith smiled warmly at the horse, and his voice was gentle. “Tucker… I like it; it’s a good name.”  He studied the colt for a few moments, running his calloused hands along the animal’s back with a tenderness the farmer had never seen before.  He turned back toward Claire and held out his hand.  “Give me the brush; I’ll show you how to use it.  Let’s just do the basics today.”

“O-okay.” For a brief moment, she thought he wanted her to take his hand; her heart hammered in her chest.  Claire blushed as she handed him her purchase from Saibara.

“This is called a curry comb,” Gray explained. He began making circular motions with the brush and clouds of dust puffed up.  He smiled.  “Looks like he needs it.  Watch out for his sensitive areas or he might nip or kick,” Gray motioned with his free hand and was pleased to see Claire was watching with great interest.  “You’re going to use it to break up dried sweat and dirt.”  Gray unstrapped the brush from his hand and gave it back to the farmer.  “Now you try.”

“Alright.” She began to imitate the motions she saw Gray use.  The young woman wanted to show the apprentice that she loved the horse as well and could be a responsible, hard worker when it came to livestock.

“You have to press harder,” he instructed.

She was taken aback; surely gentleness was the key. She had seen the kind motions Gray used on Tucker and wanted to be able to replicate them.  “B-but I don’t want to hurt him…”

Gray sighed; despite her interest, the farmer had much to learn. “Here…  Feel the pressure I’m using.”  He covered Claire’s hand with his own and guided the brush.  “See?  You’re not hurting him.”

Even though she knew that he was simply instructing her, Claire found that she had to focus the most on keeping her breathing steady; she was so happy she could hardly stand it. The young man’s hand was a little rougher than she imagined it in her mind, and it wasn’t quite as warm, but it was real.

The apprentice caught the look on the blonde’s face and swiftly he removed his hand from hers. “There.  You have a feel for it now.  Give it a try yourself.”  The young man folded his arms and watched her, his face reddening a bit.

Claire debated about whether or not to brush lightly on purpose in the hopes of getting another lesson. She quickly shook the idea out of her head and brushed the horse the way she was instructed; she wanted to impress him.

“Good. Next we have a body brush,” Gray took another brush out of his paper sack and gave it to Claire.  “Use it to brush off the loose hair and dirt; this one’s easy.”

The farmer brushed Tucker and could tell he was enjoying it; she grinned. “I’m going to have the prettiest horse in Mineral Town,” She ventured, quickly focusing her ears on any comment the apprentice may make in response to this statement.

Claire wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but she didn’t get any sort of vocal reply. She looked back over at the young man, though, and he had a genuine smile on his face as he gazed into Tucker’s eyes.

They combed out the colt’s mane and tail, and Gray rolled his eyes and grinned when Claire began french braiding the horse’s mane.

“One more thing,” Gray pulled a metal hook from the bag. “You’ll need to clean his hooves regularly.”  He briefly demonstrated the hoof pick to Claire and let her practice on a couple of hooves.  “Once he needs to get shod, take him over to Barley’s.  I’ll come over to pull and reset him.  He’ll need it done regularly.”

“Alright.” Claire was slowly realizing what a responsibility Barley had placed on her when he brought Tucker to her farm. She would probably need to borrow a book on horse care as well.  She was reminded for the millionth time how overwhelming managing a farm all by herself was proving to be.

Gray noticed Claire’s expression. “Everything will be fine,” he reassured her, giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder.  She was trying, and he could appreciate that.  Gray could see why his roommate had mentioned the blonde farmer several times in the past few days; she was pretty inspiring, whether she realized it or not.  After all, she was just a clumsy city girl attempting to revive a massive piece of overgrown property, but she was still attempting to make it work.  The apprentice supposed he needed to keep trying, too, with his job…  “I’ll stop by and remind you if it’s been too long, okay?”

Her heart leapt at his touch. “Okay… Thank you for all of your help, Gray.” Claire was grateful.

He tugged on the bill of his hat. “I’ll come back over to help you train him a bit if you like.  It will be a while before he’s big enough to ride, but he needs to get used to being around you and learn some vocal commands well before you get into the saddle.”

“Oh, I would _really_ appreciate that!”  She replied a little too quickly.  Claire wanted to say he could come over every day if he wanted to, but she stopped herself.

“You can keep the brush and hoof pick. Consider it a welcoming gift,” Gray shrugged, but his cheeks had a hint of color to them.  He didn’t want to come across as too desperate about wanting to spend time in the stable.

Claire turned a bright shade of red in response. She had just gone in to town to sharpen her axe and buy a brush, but the afternoon had already gone much better than she could have ever hoped for.  “Th-thank you.”

“Okay… See you, Claire.”  His eyes were focused on the colt as he left.

“Bye…”

He left the stable and headed back to work. Claire spent the next few minutes stroking Tucker’s back, reliving the last hour or so in her mind.  She snapped back to reality and silently cursed herself for not seeing Gray to the exit of the farm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I’ve been told in the past that I’ve channeled a bit of the N64 character personas into my Mineral Town folks. I always liked the idea of Gray living and working at the ranch, and I felt that his blacksmithing apprenticeship was a natural way for him to get to spend some time with the horses.
> 
> Side note: I went to a summer camp for a couple of summers as a teenager, learning, caring for, and riding horses. Awesome experience.


	14. Hand-Drawn Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire goes out to lunch with Cliff, who is has a surprise planned for the afternoon.

The town had finally calmed down after the Cooking Festival; Karen had achieved superstar status for a couple of days. Once the festival was over, Cliff was eager to select a day for Claire to meet for lunch, and once a date was set, the young woman found that she was looking forward to it as well.  The farmer finished her chores extra early the day of so that she could play with Koro and spend some time out by the Goddess Spring for a quick yet heartfelt prayer.  The young woman made an offering of wildflowers and asked the goddess to bless her with a positive new beginning.  She wasn’t met with a vision, but a warm feeling glowed in her heart; she had a feeling today was going to be a good one.

She went home to freshen up before her outing, trying to keep in mind not to primp too much. Claire had some casual male friends back in the city, and she didn’t know why she felt a little anxious about having lunch with Cliff.  Perhaps it was because a lot of the time she spent with the young man was in silence.  What had started out with a visit to thank the priest for the gift basket of apples swiftly turned into regular meetings with Carter, and she found that it eased her anxiety quite a bit.  When she finished speaking to the priest in the confessional, Cliff was often sitting quietly in the front pew and would look up at her with those wide deep blue eyes.  Claire wondered if her friend was aware that he had perfected the sad puppy-eyed look; she found herself unable to not sit beside him when they made eye contact.  The young woman would join him in prayer for an hour or so, and on several occasions, she would loosely intertwine her arm with his.  It seemed that a sympathetic touch did wonders for the young man.  She noticed on days when she did this, Cliff would give her a small smile and they would talk for some time. 

They often spoke about some of Carter’s sermons, but on days when he was in higher spirits, Cliff would ask Claire about her farm and its progress; he seemed very interested in both the crops and her plans for livestock in the future. He had once asked how Tucker was doing and she excitedly explained how helpful Gray had been in showing her how to care for the horse; she was too caught up in her gushing about the apprentice to notice that her companion had gone tight-lipped and returned his stare to the carpet.

Claire ran a brush through her hair thoughtfully. Cliff was plenty polite and thoughtful, but he was very quiet sometimes.  She couldn’t help but notice that he never talked much about himself, but the young woman figured it was best not to pressure him; getting Cliff to talk to her about anything and catching a glimpse of that shy smile felt like enough of a reward most days.

Talking to Cliff in the church was one thing; he was comfortable there. This would be their first public outing with just the two of them; Karen wouldn’t be there to act as a catalyst for conversation.  The grocer’s daughter had taken her to the bar the other day and when Claire had mentioned her upcoming plans with the young man, Karen had been very encouraging.  The young woman had given the farmer a warm smile and said that it would be good for the both of them.  Claire decided that it was okay for her to be a little excited about having lunch with a new friend, but getting nervous about it was just silly…

Claire studied her reflection in the mirror as she applied her peach lip gloss and froze in horror as she realized what she was doing; she had already applied a touch of cosmetic rouge to her cheeks. Her face lit up with a natural blush and she hastily wiped off the makeup and returned the cap on her lip gloss.  What was she doing?  Claire silently scolded herself as she cleaned off her face.  She saved her makeup for special occasions, namely, when she went to the inn to give Gray his piece of copper.  The young woman didn’t have the money to purchase new cosmetics, and she shouldn’t be using them so liberally, especially when there was no reason to get dolled up in the first place.

She thought about all of the times she had been in the same room as Cliff, and she worried about all of the silences between them. Would he find her boring if she didn’t know what to say, and then report his findings to Gray?  Claire tried to shake this thought unsuccessfully for some time.  The two had seemed rather chummy at the Cooking Festival, and Gray had encouraged this whole outing…  Maybe the apprentice was having his roommate scout for him to see what she was like…

 _Yeah, right_.  Claire laughed out loud at the absurdity and put on her boots.

0o0o0o0

“Thanks for meeting me here,” Cliff was already waiting at a table.

“Thank you for lunch,” Claire smiled, not without some nervousness, and took the seat across from him.

“Hi, Claire! What can I get you today?” Ann’s braid swished back and forth as she made her way to the table.

Claire looked at the menu hesitantly. She knew Cliff must not have much money himself, as he was unemployed.

“Order whatever you like,” Cliff gave her a small smile.

The young woman felt herself relax a bit. She stared at the handwritten specials of the day.  Doug’s Inn definitely sold a much homier array of foods than she was used to in the city, and if the pancakes she had here earlier in the season were any indication, she could safely order anything she wanted on the menu and be pleased with the result.  “Omelette rice sounds very good,” she finally decided.

Cliff had hardly scanned the menu. “Make that two.”  He nodded, handing the menus back to his friend.

“Well, that was fast,” Ann giggled, accepting the menus. She tucked her pencil behind her ear; there had been no need for her to take notes.  “I’ll bring you guys a couple of cold barley teas, on the house.”

The pair thanked Ann in unison, and that made the waitress laugh harder as she walked away. Cliff turned pink and looked at the floor.

“Hey, great minds think alike,” Claire winked.

A smile returned to the young man’s face. He looked like he wanted to say something.  “After we finish eating, I want to take you somewhere,” he said a little too quickly.

“Alright.” The farmer wasn’t sure what the rush was all about, but she found that his eager words had made her feel a little excited.

Ann returned with the tea. “So what are the plans for today?” She took a seat at their table and propped her elbows on the table, cupping her cheeks in her hands.  Ann’s eyes moved between the pair curiously, and she noticed that her male friend’s eyes were lit up.

“Ann!” Doug craned his head from the kitchen, “What on earth are you doing?  I need you in here!”

“Coming, Dad!” Ann rolled her eyes and stood up with a sigh; surely she was going to get a scolding for not behaving like a lady.  She reluctantly returned to the kitchen.  “See you guys in a few minutes.”

The young man watched the waitress walk away and Claire noticed he was wringing his hands. “I-I was thinking we could go to the m-mountain today… th-that is, if you have enough t-time this afternoon,” Cliff stumbled over his words.  He quickly took a sip of tea and stared at the beverage as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

“Sure. I already finished all of my chores for the day.”  She felt bad that he seemed nervous, but hadn’t her own stomach been tied up in knots half an hour ago?  Claire didn’t want their outing to be riddled with anxiety for either of them; today was supposed to be fun.  “I finished them early so we didn’t have to rush anything.”

A wave of relief swept over the young man’s face and he removed his gaze from his glass of tea. “Thank you.  Not having a job, you kind of lose your sense of time,” he gave her a sad smile as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Claire played with the beads of condensation that were forming on the outside of her drinking glass. It was a warm day for spring and she noted that her friend had stopped wearing his leather bracers due to the higher temperatures.  “No luck finding work in town?” She frowned.

The young man was silent for a moment. His gaze returned back to the barley tea and his brows were furrowed in worry.  “No… and I… _really_ don’t want to have to leave.”

“But I thought you just got here!” Claire’s stomach sank. She suddenly wished that she hadn’t agreed for him to pay for their meal and she quickly lost her appetite.  The young woman was aware that they didn’t know each other for long, but he was already one of her closest friends in town.  The thought of him not living here anymore made her feel like crying.

Cliff didn’t say anything for a while; he shifted his glass on the table’s surface and stared at the water trail it left behind, poking it with a finger. “Yeah, but I’ve moved around a lot,” he laughed bitterly.

He almost sounded defeated, like he had given up already… She had seen him depressed before, but the young woman had never seen her friend like this.  Claire could quickly feel a distance appearing between them; she was losing him.  “Don’t give up hope!  I’ll help you find something!” She almost yelled.  She surprised both of them.

“It’s alright,” he replied, and his expression softened. He wiped the dampness on the table off with his napkin and folded it again neatly, but his eyes remained glued to the glass.  “I’ve got a bit of savings I’m sitting on right now...  I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to bother you with my worries,” he gave her an apologetic smile.

But he had to pay for board, and surely he had other expenses…

Ann brought out two identical plates. She had drawn matching hearts on the omelettes in ketchup.  Cliff returned his gaze to the floor and reddened.  Ann giggled.

Claire looked down at her plate. “Thanks, Ann.  You’re quite an artist with the ketchup.  The heart’s really cute,” she smiled, and her face felt a little warm.  The extra attention to detail was one of her favorite things about the eatery, and she had to admit to herself that the hand-drawn ketchup made her feel quite special.

“Thank you, Ann,” Cliff’s worry lines went away as he noticed his tablemate wasn’t offended by Ann’s handiwork.

The waitress walked back to the kitchen, rather pleased with herself.

The smell of the food made the farmer’s appetite return immediately. “Don’t let her get to you,” Claire took a bite of her omelette and she realized just how hungry she was.  She noticed that the young man’s face was still quite flushed, and she realized it was probably because of the shape Ann chose to draw the ketchup in.  Claire tried her best to hide the heat in her own face; she wondered for a brief moment if Ann had thought that the two were on a date.  “She’s just teasing you because she likes you.”

“I know… She just always does stuff like that… Ivy would always play tricks on me like that, too, just to see how I would react.”

Claire had met everyone in town, but the name didn’t sound familiar to her at all. “Ivy?” 

Cliff finished chewing. “Yeah, I had a younger sister named Ivy.”  He looked back at his plate emotionlessly.

Claire noted the past tense and quickly changed the subject. The young man looked as if he was quickly choking down an overwhelming sense of grief; she couldn’t stand to see him like this.  She wanted him to focus on the fun activities that they were going to do today.  “So, what are we going to do up in the mountains?”  She took a sip of tea and savored it; the toasty flavor was perfect.

To her surprise, a smile crept across his lips. “I wanted to show you something that I thought would help you.”  The pain faded from his eyes as he looked up at her, and his expression had changed to an eager one.

She was relieved that he had cheered up so easily. “Alright… Do you care to tell me what it is?” Claire grinned at him teasingly.  She wasn’t sure why he was being so secretive…

The young man let out a small chuckle, and Claire’s heart swelled. She had spent enough time with him in the church to be familiar enough with his behavior; he had finished reflecting.  “Did you bring your rucksack?” He asked.

Claire shrugged and found that she was giggling. “I thought we were just going to lunch.  I just brought myself.”

Cliff finished his omelette. “Well, you’re going to need it.  We’ll stop by your place on the way back to get it,” he said with authority.

“Yes, Sir!” Claire teased, popping the rest of her food in her mouth. It was interesting to see the young man take charge for once; today would definitely prove to be something out of the ordinary. She found that she was more excited than ever for the next phase of their outing. 

Cliff gave her a genuine smile. “I’ll be right back!”  He walked up to the counter, thanked Doug and paid him, then ran upstairs.

Ann came back to the table to clear up the plates. She grinned mischievously at Claire.  “He gets embarrassed way too easily, but it’s kinda cute, though, huh?”

Claire wasn’t expecting her own face to redden. “Cliff just needs to have a little more faith in himself.”

Ann smiled knowingly at the farmer. “And I’m just trying to help get him there.  Just trying to push him out of his comfort zone a little; just a little harmless fun…”  The redhead paused and gave her a serious glance.  Claire was caught off guard; the waitress had never been anything other than playful with her.  “You know, when he does talk, it’s often about you...  Be a good friend to him, okay?  He’s been through a lot, I can tell that much.”

Anyone could. Claire looked at the stairs, longing to go up them and see what it was Cliff was so excited about.  She didn’t have to wait long.  He hurried down the stairs with a simple yet beautiful handmade satchel strapped across his back.

“Let’s go!” He hardly waited for her to get up from her seat and led the way with a friendly chuckle.

“O-okay!” Claire had to jog to keep up with him.

They quickly made their way to Claire’s house.

The young woman was staring at the satchel that was strapped to her friend’s back. It looked, like most of the things he owned, very rustic and worn.  “So, what’s in the bag?”

“Not much… _yet_.”

Claire hesitated at her front door. After all, he was a man and she was a woman.  She wasn’t sure what the protocol was for this kind of situation.  It seemed natural when she visited Gray it the inn, as there was always someone else present, but this felt different.  Claire looked up and saw Koro running straight toward the two friends.

The young woman’s stomach jumped and she made a quick prayer to the gods that her puppy would behave himself. “Sorry, Koro’s not always the friendliest with strangers-!” 

Cliff crouched down and greeted the dog in a dialect Claire wasn’t familiar with. Fascinated, Claire fell silent and watched the young man patiently hold his hand out to the sniffing Koro.  For a moment, Claire feared she would be bandaging up a dog bite wound, remembering the dog’s encounter with Mayor Thomas.  Koro sniffed Cliff curiously then licked his hand.  The young man laughed and scratched the puppy’s chin.

“Nah, your dog is very sweet. Can we bring him?”

“Of course,” Claire breathed a sigh of relief and used this as an opportunity to dash inside her house alone while he patted her dog.

She suddenly realized she had no idea what they were going to actually do once they were up in the mountains, but she figured this was some sort of surprise. “Should I bring any tools in my bag?” She craned her head out the door.

Cliff was rubbing the top of Koro’s head. Claire nearly laughed out loud at the expression on her pet’s face; he was in heaven.  “Empty it.  You’ll need all the space you can get.”

He was so different than the gloomy young man in the church; his excitement was contagious. Claire didn’t waste another moment; she overturned her rucksack onto her table and came back outside.

“Alright, I’m ready.” She looped her thumbs through her rucksack straps and eagerly rocked back and forth on her heels and the balls of her feet.

The young man laughed, “Then let’s go, already!”

Koro barked and led the way. It wasn’t long until they arrived at the Goddess Spring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you so much for following along!
> 
> A little sidebar on the dog’s name: I’ve named my dog Koro since my SNES days because that’s the name that SNES Ellen originally has for the dog when she brings it to your farm. I kind of like to think of that as the default name for the dog. Plus, he just looks like a Koro, whatever that means.


	15. A Warm Cliffside Afternoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cliff takes Claire to the mountains for the afternoon and teaches her about the resources there. Claire starts to see the other side of the young man when he isn't nervous or worried.

“Over here, Claire.”

The young woman followed her friend to a grassy patch where Cliff showed her some wild strawberries. They were a little ways off of the main mountain trail, and Claire had never noticed them before.

“Oh, how pretty. Can we actually eat those?”  She thought of the wild grapes she had been snacking on when she could find them.

“Yeah. I do all the time.”  He began picking dandelions and tying the bundles with long pieces of grass before putting them in his bag.  He handed her one and she twirled it in her fingers like a child.  “You can eat those, too, but they wilt fast.  You’ll want to eat them the day you pick them.”

Claire suddenly realized how Cliff was able to make his money last. She remembered Ann’s comment about how he rarely ate the food at the inn.  Claire popped a leaf into her mouth.  It was bitter, but not terrible.  The farmer looked around her; there were dandelions everywhere… there was _food_ growing everywhere, free for her to eat…  She hastily began picking some and copied her friend’s bundles.

“Cliff.”

Claire jumped at the sudden deep voice behind them.

Cliff turned around. “Ah, hello, Gotz.”

“So this is her, huh?” Although his tone was what the farmer believed to be friendly, the man’s baritone voice seemed to rumble the entire ground as he spoke.

Claire observed the man. That farmer knew that she had never met him before; the young woman was certain that she would remember someone like him.  If she had one word to describe his appearance, it would be _intimidating_ – the middle-aged man was very tall and solidly-built, and Claire vaguely wondered if he could fit through a doorway.  The male had a heavy-looking axe resting on one shoulder and a hunting rifle slung across his back.  Claire wasn’t used to seeing people carry weapons so openly and instinctively felt a little nervous; people in the city didn’t carry around firearms or blades through the streets for the purpose of hunting deer or pheasants, after all. 

The young man stood up to greet him, and she noticed that her friend only came up to the man’s shoulders. Gotz had a mess of thick brown hair, a bushy beard, and heavy eyebrows, but the farmer noticed that his dark eyes had a quiet warmth to them; he was no one to be afraid of.  After all, if Gotz was someone that Cliff already was on friendly terms with, he must be a good person and have a gentler side.

“Gotz, this is Claire. She’s running Mystic Acres, the farm just to the north of your place,” Cliff explained, and the young woman was surprised at how someone who was typically so quiet and shy still knew how to make a proper introduction.  “Claire, this is Gotz.  He lives a bit to the southwest of here and he is a master at carpentry.”

The farmer had stood up quickly as the introductions were made and she brushed off her overalls, hoping that she was making a decent first impression. “Hello.  Pleased to meet you,” Claire bowed politely and wasn’t taken aback to see that the man chose not to mirror her gesture.  He folded his muscular arms across his chest and grunted.

“You make me sound much more impressive than I am,” Gotz let out a gravelly laugh as he looked over at his friend. “I cut wood and build stuff.  I also patrol around here.”  His dark eyes bored into Claire’s and his expression turned serious.  “Don’t waste resources.”

To the young woman’s surprise, Cliff let out a friendly laugh. “Of course she won’t!  I’m going to be her guide this afternoon, and I’ll show her how to properly forage around here.”

Claire’s eyes travelled curiously between the two; she wondered how long the two had known each other, and if they spent a lot of time up here together.

“Well, alright. Show her how to do it right.  You should show her the burdock.  They’re growing like crazy over by the lake.  You know where I keep my shovel back at my place.”  The woodcutter gave Cliff a slight nod, and Claire realized that this was not a suggestion, it was a command.

“I’ll be right back,” the young man gave his female friend a kind smile and hurried over to the cottage. The farmer noticed that he looked back over his shoulder at them a couple of times as he jogged away.

“He’s a good kid...” Gotz’s deep voice startled her.  He was staring up the path toward the mountaintop.

“Y-yeah…” Claire’s voice faltered; she wasn’t expecting to be left alone with a stranger today and he hardly seemed like the type that enjoyed small talk, not that she was an expert on the subject herself.

“The mountains can be dangerous. Don’t go up the trail if the weather’s bad.”  His eyes didn’t move from the peak of Mother’s Hill, and Claire noticed his eyebrows were furrowed in what almost looked like regret.  They stood in silence for a few uncomfortable minutes, staring at the top of the mountain together.

“I’m back.” Cliff’s sudden voice made the pair jump.

Gotz swore under his breath; he obviously wasn’t the type that enjoyed being surprised, but Claire noticed that there was still kindness in his eyes. “Alright...  I’ll be around if you need me.”  He hoisted his axe over his shoulder and headed out into the deep woods.

Claire never went far off the trail; she watched as the large man loudly crunched sticks and twigs under his boots. Honestly, she was a little afraid to venture too deep into the forest; she had no idea what was living out there, and the fact that Gotz was walking around with a rifle didn’t make her feel any more confident about doing her own exploring out there.

Cliff bit back a laugh. Koro was staring at the woodcutter with wide eyes the same way his master was.  They both looked a little unsure of how they felt about him.  “Gotz is a nice guy; he’s just not crazy about people in general.  Don’t take it personally.”  The young man didn’t feel that it was his place to explain why Gotz preferred to spend his time away from others.

The pair followed the trail to the pond, Koro in tow. They spent some time digging up burdock roots and Claire quickly found that it was hard work.  The roots were very deep and much harder to get out of the ground than her turnips or potatoes; tilled soil made a huge difference.

“So I guess you kind of know how it feels to harvest crops, then,” Claire smiled, leaning on the shovel while they took a quick break.

“A burdock plant here or there is nothing compared to a field of turnips,” her friend returned, cutting the leaves off of the roots and storing them in a separate pile.

“Someday I’ll have an actual field… Right now, I just have a few pathetic plots,” the farmer let out a sigh and took a seat in the grass.  She stared out at the lake and frowned.  “There’s so much more I can be doing with that land, but I just don’t have the resources right now.”

Cliff was staring out at the water as well. “Give it time.”

Claire knew he was right. She pulled her knees to her chest and admired the crystal blue lake for a few minutes.  Summer would be here before she knew it.  A new season meant new crops she would be able to plant, and a chance to start out fresh.  She wouldn’t waste the first chunk of the season wallowing in self-pity like she had done this spring; the farmer was determined to improve.

Her eyes moved to the greenery around them, and they lit up when she saw a few thin green sprouts popping out of the ground. She pulled herself up to her feet, eager to show her friend that she wasn’t completely clueless when it came to wild plants.

“Ha!” Claire exclaimed proudly, “I know what these are!” She excitedly began tearing at a bamboo shoot with her bare hands.  She looked up and saw that Cliff had joined her and was harvesting a few of his own; he was able to do so quickly with the aid of the knife he brought with him.  The natural way his hand moved with the blade told Claire that this was something he had been doing for years.

He presented her with a few of them. “I bet Zack would even pay you for these.  People cook with them, and there are so many here already.  Honestly, you can probably cut as many as you want; they grow so quickly, anyway.”

“Thank you.” He was really fast at gathering things, she noticed.  She paused.  She suddenly knew how she could help the young man.  The farmer didn’t know why she had never thought of this before, and the idea made her giddy.  “Hey, Cliff!”

“Y-yeah?” He shuffled the bamboo shoots in his arms and looked at her curiously. He saw the smile on her face and found that he was mirroring her.

“Why don’t you keep these bamboo shoots for yourself? You know, you can use my box to ship some things any time you want.  Just give me a list of what’s yours and I’ll bring you the money.”  It was so simple; there was no reason why she couldn’t share her bin with him.

His eyes widened at the notion of guaranteed money for things he found growing up in the mountains. Finding a steady buyer in Mineral Town had been his main struggle with hunting; Doug wasn’t too keen on serving possum and raccoon on the inn’s menu.  Gotz was happy to take it off of his hands, but for a very low price.  Hunting wasn’t reliable in this season, anyway; despite the lush beauty of Mother’s Hill, there was not nearly as much wildlife as he had expected.  He wondered how the hunting season in the fall would be, but this was a worry for another day. 

“You’d really do that for me?” He was so surprised at Claire’s generous offer that he had to sit down, and the farmer quickly realized that there was a good chance he was exaggerating about how much money he had in savings. He sat silently for a moment, taking it all in.  “In exchange, I can show you how to prepare the things we forage today.”

“Sounds fair enough.” She cooked well with familiar ingredients, and was eager to learn about some new ones.  “But… I don’t even have a kitchen in my house.”  She was reminded of how meager her house was when Karen had practiced cooking with her.  “I don’t even have plumbing.”  She slumped down beside him.

Cliff shrugged. “That doesn’t make any difference.”  He placed a friendly hand on her shoulder and gave her a small leaf, “Here, taste this.”

“Okay.” This time last year, she couldn’t imagine herself sitting on the ground, tasting wild plants with a man clad in animal hides.  At that time, she had been busy trying to catch the train to work while shuffling her bags of paperwork she had taken home to catch up on.  Life was so different now.  She closed her eyes and focused on the herb.  She was sure she knew the flavor.  “Rosemary.”

Cliff nodded. “One of my favorites.”  He picked a cluster, inhaled the fragrance, and put it in his bag.

She watched him gather more herbs and noticed how much more confident he was acting today. He had a gentle spirit, and Claire had always seen him as painfully shy and anxious, but he seemed so relaxed at the moment.  The farmer noticed how she often felt a bit intimidated by Karen’s strong personality, and realized that there was a good chance he felt the same way around the grocer’s daughter.  Claire snapped out of her reverie and looked back down at the rosemary.

“Do you just eat it plain?” She asked.

“It’s quite strong by itself; I mix it with things,” Cliff explained, “But every night I tuck some in my pillow for the smell.” He handed her a small sprig and she took a whiff.  She almost instantly felt her muscles relax.

“Stress relief. It helps you to sleep, doesn’t it, Cliff?” The words and solemn tone came out of her mouth before she could stop them.  She had often seen him with dark circles under his eyes when she had visited Carter at the church.

He looked up at her, surprised she had been so blunt with him. “Yes.  Yes it does,” he answered honestly.

“Then I’ll try it, too,” Claire stated, smiling at him.

They spent the next couple of hours collecting herbs, berries, and the like. Claire had a lot of questions about foraging, and Cliff answered all of them in an encouraging way.  She got a strong sense that he had been doing this for a long time, but he never came off as proud or boastful; he was eager to be useful to someone.  Gotz took a quick break from his work and identified some poisonous plants to Claire and showed her what was safe to eat.  The woodcutter gave them a grunt goodbye and took the shovel along with him, and Claire thought that she saw a small smile under that bushy brown beard.

“Let’s go back to the inn and I can show you how to prepare some of these things.”

“Alright.” Claire’s bag was getting pretty heavy.

Gray was on his way up the stairs carrying a book when he saw the pair lugging their packs behind them.

“Oh, you made a nice haul today, Cliff,” Gray noted, eyeing up Claire. A smug look was plastered across his face.

Cliff didn’t notice his roommate’s teasing; he was eager to get started.

“H-hi, Gray. How are you doing?” Claire stammered.  The rest of the world disappeared; there were only the two of them walking up the stairs together.

“Same crap, different day,” he shrugged good-naturedly.

 _Ah, he is in good spirits again today…_ Claire had a feeling her good day was about to get a lot better.  Cliff opened the door for them and set his bag on the table.  Claire found herself hesitating before following Cliff to the table; she suddenly realized she would much rather spend time with the other young man in the room.

Gray had a book in his hand and threw himself on his bed, getting straight to his reading. Claire noticed that he had a much more casual air about him tonight.  It looked like he was reading a war novel.

Cliff was sorting through the burdock roots. He shuffled them around to get his friend’s attention.  “Claire,” he said her name kindly, but not without a little bit of sternness.

The farmer realized she had been caught staring at the blacksmith and whirled around. She blushed.  “I’m sorry.  What did you want to show me first?”

“The burdock.” He reached at his waist and removed his hunting knife from its leather sheath.  The blade was sharp, but the handle was well-worn; Claire could tell that it was one of his prized possessions.  The farmer had watched the young man work with the tool, and he used it so naturally he acted as if it were simply an extension of his hand.  She watched as her friend deftly peeled the root with his knife.  “You can eat the outside, but it doesn’t really taste as good, and it can be a pain to clean.  It’s the inside you want.”  An earthy smell filled the room.  Claire was initially caught off guard by the scent, but quickly found that it grew on her.

The young man taught her how to string up herbs for drying and showed her how to combine the fresh herbs with the dandelions to make salads and teas. He told her that she could eat the burdock buds raw if she wanted to, but told her a couple of other ways to prepare the root over a fire.  They were simple things, and Claire felt a bit silly she hadn’t thought to do them before.  Cliff had even brought some burdock leaves in his bag to wrap up the wild strawberries.  They cleaned up the table and shared a snack of wild fruit.

“Well, I should probably be heading out,” Claire finally said; her eyes had moved to the window and she saw that it was sunset. She half-expected Gray to recite his line about her needing to go back to the farm, and she realized with disappointment that she had cut the visit short herself.

“I will walk you home,” Cliff jumped up eagerly, helping her get her things together.

Gray put down his book, stretched, and walked over to the table where the two were sitting.

“Have a good night, Claire.” His pale blue eyes were focused on the piles of goods they had acquired up in the mountains.

“Thanks, you too.” Claire’s heart pounded; he rarely said goodbye to her in such a friendly manner. She turned toward him, trying to think of something more to say.  “… Tucker’s doing well,” she added brightly.

“Oh, good. You’ll get used to having him,” Gray gave her a nod, but his eyes didn’t move from the table.

She was disappointed he didn’t say more on the subject.

Cliff pushed a bundle of roots toward Gray. “For your grandfather.”

Gray took a seat next to his roommate with and wore an emotionless expression; he had been expecting this. “More burdock for him.”  Gray sighed and rested his chin on his hand.  “I don’t get it.  Gramps fell in love with you the moment he met you.  What am _I_ doing wrong?”

Claire was shocked by his candidness.

“Saibara loves you very much,” Cliff stated with a warm smile. He tied up an extra bunch and set it off to the side to keep for himself.  “You just need to see it in the everyday things he does with you.”

Gray rolled his eyes. “You’ve been hanging out with Carter too much.”  He tugged on his hat.  “Go on, get out of here.  Get Claire home safely before it gets too dark.”

Their walk to her house was a quiet one. Claire was dying to ask Cliff more about Gray and Saibara.  She wanted to know more about the blacksmith’s apprentice, anything, really.  She had seen a gentler, friendlier side of him again this evening and it intrigued her even more.  She opened her mouth and quickly closed it again, realizing that ever since they had returned to the inn her focus had quickly narrowed to Cliff’s roommate.  She was a bit embarrassed, realizing how brushed off Cliff must have felt when he was only trying to help her.  She was reminded of the times she first met Cliff in the church and when he brought the basket of apples from Carter; she had been very rude to the young man then, too.  They finally arrived at her house.  They had dropped Koro off at the farm on their way back to the inn, and the puppy was sleeping beside his doghouse.

Claire hesitated at the front door. That awkward dilemma had come up again.  “Well, here we are,” Claire smiled nervously, fidgeting with her rucksack.

“I had a great time with you today,” Cliff said a little too quickly, looking down at the ground and shuffling his feet.

She remembered their conversation from the other day. “You _do_ have things you’re good at, Cliff,” the farmer murmured.

“Huh?” He looked at her curiously and cocked an eyebrow.

The young woman smiled at him. “Remember when we were at the grocery store together with Karen?  You said you didn’t have any special skills.  You lied; you’ve got really good survival skills.”

He gave her a friendly laugh and she was surprised he didn’t stammer or deflect her compliment. “Thank you for thinking so.  I was happy to be able to help you today.” 

Cliff took Claire’s hands in his and gave them a squeeze. His hands, like Gray’s, were a bit rough.  They were warm and comforting, and Claire noticed that this attribute wasn’t confined to his hands.  Claire looked up at her friend.  His cheeks were rosy, but he didn’t look embarrassed or shy.  His eyes were wide and glowing, and his mouth was turned up in a bright smile.

Claire felt her heart throb with joy; she was seeing her friend completely unshackled from his negative emotions and memories for the first time. Strangely enough, she felt a lump form in her throat and her eyes felt misty.  Why couldn’t he always be this way?

“Let’s both keep working our hardest, okay?” His blue eyes were lit up. “You’ll be the best farmer around here before you know it!”

His excitement was exhilarating; the young woman couldn’t keep herself from grinning. “Maybe.  Now that I won’t be starving all the time, I’ll be able to work harder!”  She paused.  She really did owe him a lot for today.  “Thanks again for lunch and thank you for all of your help today.  Please remember you can use my shipping bin any time you need.”  Claire felt the gratitude from the bottom of her heart; so many options were suddenly open to her.

Their eyes locked, and Claire was pleased to see the genuine happiness and gratitude reflected back at her. They both knew there was no way he would forget to ship things.  “And I thank you as well.  I’ll see you again soon.”  He gave her hands one last squeeze and turned back toward town.

She realized that he had finally shown his true personality today. “Okay, have a good night, Cliff.”

“You, too.” He gave her a friendly wave as he left.

The farmer dragged her heavy bag into the room and sorted out what she wanted to eat and what she wanted to sell. Gray was right; they did get a nice haul.  Claire wouldn’t have to worry quite as much about food.  She could sell most of her crops instead of eating them.  Moreover, she could take some excess things she found in the mountains, such as the bamboo shoots, and make a little extra money off of them. 

Satisfied with these new options, the farmer flopped onto her bed and got ready for sleeping. She took a sprig of rosemary and tucked it in her pillowcase.  It smelled wonderful.  As sleep began to take her, she thought of Cliff and was wondering if he, too, was falling asleep to the same smell.  She made a prayer to the gods to bless her friend with a restful sleep, but she ended up falling asleep before she had finished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Chapter name? Pun intended! Don’t worry; there will be plenty more groan-worthy chapter title puns to come!
> 
> I hope y’all enjoyed Gotz. He’s one of my favorite villagers and I’ve been excited to include him in the story.


	16. Of Heroes and Demon Lords

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Karen spend a rainy afternoon together, catching up and watching an anime marathon on television. Claire is reminded once again how much her lifestyle has changed since she moved to Mineral Town.

Claire flipped to the weather station on her television as she looked outside.

“… And it will continue to drizzle all day…”

The farmer let out a happy sigh and pulled up a floor cushion in front of the television and plopped down. She didn’t really have any plans for the day and she didn’t mind that one bit; her crops weren’t quite ripe enough for picking.  Claire flipped through the few stations on her old fashioned television and grinned when she heard a familiar theme.

“… _Is he a friend/ Or enemy?/ Maybe you’re my destiny!/ My Dear Princess_ …”

Claire settled in and got more comfortable. It was her favorite guilty pleasure program, and she was surprised it played all the way out here in Mineral Town.  Koro curled up in a ball beside her and fell asleep, but his master took no notice; she was transfixed on the television screen.

She jumped when she heard a knock at the door. “Yo!  Claire!”

The farmer looked up at the clock and was shocked; she had been watching the television for hours since she first sat down. “Come on in,” She stood up and stretched.

Karen collapsed her umbrella and stepped inside. “I figured it would be a slow day for you…” Her eyes moved to the screen.  “Oh, Goddess…  Is that _My Dear Princess_?  That has got to be one of the corniest anime out there.”

Claire reddened and looked at the floor. Enjoying the sappy show wasn’t something she wanted to eagerly admit to.

Karen roared with laughter. She took off her shoes and stepped through the door.  “Who am I kidding?  It’s one of my favorites, too.  That Demon Lord can kidnap me any day!” Karen confessed with a giggle, winking at her friend.

“The network is running a marathon today,” Claire explained. Her eyes lit up.  She was very pleased to find a common interest with her friend; sometimes she and Karen seemed like complete opposites.

Karen had already grabbed another cushion and sat down in front of the television. She gestured toward the bag she left at the door.  “I brought snacks.”

Neither woman made a motion to them; a new episode had started.

_*Rustle rustle rustle*_

_“Good morning, O Demon Lord. It’s time to wake up.  You’d best wake up soon, or else breakfast is going to get cold…”_

0o0o0o0

Claire stood up because her legs were stiff; they had been quietly watching the television for a few hours, absorbed in the drama and romance of the anime. She let Koro out and hurried outside to use her makeshift outhouse.  As she washed her hands in the river, she noticed that the weather forecast had been right, there was still a constant drizzle.

Karen was waiting inside with a bag of chips. “Still yucky out there?”  She looked out the window with a slight frown; she wasn’t planning on going to the Goddess Spring today, that was for sure.

“I don’t consider it _yucky_ ; I don’t have to water today,” Claire pointed out.  It felt nice to have a day to let her body rest a bit; her muscles had grown sore from all of the work she wasn’t accustomed to yet.

Karen laughed. “I guess any day you don’t have to work yourself as hard can be a good one, huh?”

The farmer’s dog followed her through the doorway and shook himself dry.

“Koro!” Claire frowned as the puppy splattered mud and water all over her overalls.  She took an old towel and crouched down to wipe down her pet, but she quickly learned that the dog had rubbed most of the mud off on her.  The puppy barked at her playfully, but Claire was furious.

The grocer’s daughter looked at her friend curiously. Claire didn’t strike her as the type to be overly tidy about her appearance, although Karen noticed a rather spruced-up blonde out of the corner of her eyes many nights at Doug’s silently creeping upstairs.  “Just change your clothes,” Karen shrugged.

The blonde reddened.

The grocer’s daughter couldn’t believe that the farmer was still so shy; the two had already seen each other completely nude at the hot springs, after all. What was there to be embarrassed of?  “Oh, please.  I’ll just turn around,” the brunette rolled her eyes.

“I-It’s not that…” She stared at the floor.

Karen stared at the barren room, and realized at once that she had only ever seen the farmer in her overalls. _It couldn’t be…_ “Oh, Goddess… don’t tell me that’s the only outfit you own!”

Claire looked like she was about to cry for a moment. Karen rummaged through a cardboard box of her friend’s things.  There were some fresh undergarments, but there was one other outfit in the box; it was folded with care and looked pristine.

“Here, wear this! … Oh, this is really pretty yukata, Claire.  Why don’t you ever wear it?”  The brunette removed a pale pink yukata from the box and noticed a gorgeous red obi and brand new set of geta tucked underneath it.

The farmer immediately got defensive. “Th-that’s for special occasions!”  The young woman retorted, reaching for the pink outfit.

The grocer’s daughter held up the garment and noticed it still had the tags on it. “What kind of special occasion?”

Claire’s eyes welled up with tears and her hands fell at her sides. “I told myself I wouldn’t wear that until I had a special reason to,” she mumbled, staring at the floor.  She realized that she probably sounded irrational, but she wasn’t in the mood for explaining the emotions tied to this piece of clothing.

“Well, that’s silly. It seems like you need a fresh outfit now.”  Karen stared at her friend, confused.

“No.” The farmer stubbornly unbuttoned the straps of her overalls and let the suspenders and bib hang down.  Most of the mud got on her sleeves and chest, anyway.  She took off her flannel, but kept on her white undershirt.  “There.  Good enough.”

“You need some more clothes, girl,” Karen raised her eyebrows.

Her friend gave her a pointed look, and the grocer’s daughter knew to drop the subject. They sat back down in front of the television together and Karen noticed that the farmer seemed to have mellowed out a bit.  “So… would you go for the Demon Lord or Hero?” She crunched on a handful of chips.

“Definitely Demon Lord,” Claire’s eyes were glued to the screen.

Karen nodded in agreement and laughed. It seemed that the awkwardness of the yukata had been pushed out of the farmer’s focus, at least for now.  The brunette encouraged her friend into talking a bit more.  “Ah, so you like the bad boys?”

The farmer shook her blonde head and looked at Karen with a sappy smile. “Nah...  I like his sensitive side.”

It seemed Claire was a romantic type as well. Karen looked back at the screen as a smile crept across her face.  “Sensitive, eh?  I can see that…  I like the idea of a guy who can make me swoon and provide for me and spoil me rotten.”  The brunette giggled and crunched happily on her snack.  “It wouldn’t hurt if he’s hot, too.”

“Of course not,” Claire giggled, grabbing a few chips for her own. As timid as the young woman was, she didn’t mind admitting that she enjoyed a bit of eye candy just as much as the next girl.  “He _is_ studly, after all; even the well-mannered, dainty princess in the show said so.”

The girls giggled together, and Karen was relieved that Claire had stopped dwelling on her poverty for the moment.

“The poor Hero doesn’t stand a chance. Not only does he get his ass kicked by Demon Lord, but he doesn’t even get the girl.”  Karen rolled her eyes.

Claire crunched on some chips thoughtfully. She had watched this particular show several times through since she was a teenager, and now that she was a bit older, she had a better understanding of the character of the Hero.  “I got the impression that he wasn’t all that interested in the princess; he was just doing his job, and if the princess fell for him, he saw that as a bonus.”

“Well, aren’t you cynical?” Karen laughed. She hadn’t expected her friend to analyze characters from a silly anime, but she wasn’t about to complain; she was having a lot of fun.  “But that ruins the whole romantic tragedy of it all!  Of course they’re both fighting for the princess’s heart!”

“I guess it’s a little more poetic if you think of it that way,” Claire admitted with a shrug. “But honestly, if the Demon Lord or Hero existed in real life, I don’t think I’d be interested in either of them.”

“Whaaa-?” Karen’s potato chip fell out of her mouth. “You don’t want a hot guy to pamper you?”

Claire shrugged again. “Not that one, anyway.  He still kidnapped the princess, either way you look at it.  It’s kind of creepy; he’s making her dependent on him.”

“Oh, pooh! You’re sucking the romance out of it,” Karen chided, rustling in the noisy potato chip bag.  “If that Demon Lord came knocking on the door, I’d have to say, ‘Sorry, Rick, you waited too long, babe’,” She cackled.

Claire smirked at the brunette and Karen’s face turned violet as she realized what she had just said aloud. “Ugh, Goddess…!  Claire, not a peep out of you!”

The farmer had a smug smile on her face that she found she was quite unable to remove.

“Yeah, I like Rick… S-so what?” Karen’s face burned.  She stared at the floor and wished she had a glass of wine to hide behind; if she had said this while she was drinking, she would have had the confidence to laugh it off a little better.  “Like you’re very discreet!  I see you going upstairs almost every evening I go to the bar for a drink!”

Claire blushed deeply; she was not expecting this rebuttal. “Well… maybe you should stop drinking so much,” She teased.

A smirk spread across Karen’s lips as she saw her opening; she struck quickly. “Why?  So I don’t catch you flirting with the inn’s tenants?”

Claire’s face felt hot. “Like it’s doing me any good, anyway…”  The young woman thought of the ever-changing stack of books by Gray’s bed and knew that they weren’t a magical delivery from the book fairy.

Karen wanted to make a snarky comment on Claire’s statement, but she bit her tongue. She finally settled on something that would make her friend less upset.  “Eh, real guys suck sometimes.  Some days I’d rather watch the fake hot ones on-screen.”  Karen grabbed another handful of chips and munched noisily.

“You do realize you’re mooning over an anime character, right?” Claire raised her eyebrows.

The brunette sighed. “At least Demon Lord wouldn’t be too busy castrating roosters to hang out at the Goddess Spring with me.”  There was a bitter tone to her voice.  Her eyes moved back to the screen and she played with the ends of her brown hair.  “Plus, Demon Lord could probably magically turn all those chunks of copper you gave to Gray into a bangle or something.”

A piece of jewelry made with Gray’s own two hands… The notion still made her swoon a bit.  “Actually, that doesn’t take magic; Saibara _can_ do that,” She reminded her friend with a laugh.

“Well, there you go! You’ve been wooing the wrong blacksmith!” Karen roared with laughter.

The farmer wasn’t sure how to respond to this for a brief moment; she knew Karen was joking, but the notion of Saibara being marriage material for anyone was a bit startling. He seemed so gruff and unapproachable to her, but he had to have been with someone at one point; he had a grandson, after all.  “Uh, I don’t think Saibara’s… my type,” Claire snickered.  There was a sudden knock at the door.  Claire pulled herself off of her floor cushion.  “Not to mention the age gap.”

Karen chomped on more chips. “It would be a May-December romance!  Go get the door; I bet it’s Demon Lord!  Tell him to take us both!”  She giggled.

Claire rolled her eyes at her friend as she opened the door.

A thoroughly drenched Cliff stood in the doorway. Stacks of empty leather satchels were hanging from his body, clinging onto him and bogging him down in the rain.  He had a makeshift spear resting across one shoulder.  The young man pushed his dripping wet hair out of his eyes.  Despite the dreary sky, he looked elated.

“Hey, Claire!” He was glowing.

“Oh, hey, Cliff.” She took in his soaked, disheveled appearance, and realized she didn’t look so hot herself.  “Wanna come in and dry off?”

“You fall in the lake or what?” Karen heckled him from her seat.

The young man shook his head excitedly. “No…  I’m just stopping by real quick…  Normally, I’d just slide this under your door, but today…  Well, today…  Let’s just say your shipping bin is at capacity!” He beamed, reaching into his tunic and proudly handing her a slip of paper that was miraculously dry.

Claire unfolded the list and studied her friend’s scratchy handwriting.

_Bamboo Shoot x 12_

_Mountain Trout x 6_

_Bitterling x 3_

_Whitefish x 8_

_Bluegill x 5_

_Rainbow Trout x 4_

The farmer’s jaw dropped as she read the list. To say she was impressed was an understatement; Cliff must have been fishing since the sun rose.  “Wow…  You’ve been busy today.”

“I love rainy days; the fish are more active!” He nodded eagerly.  The young man’s excitement over his catches seemed to be providing him with more than enough energy.

“Wait, what did you get?” Karen stood up and walked over to the two friends.

“A ton of fish!” Cliff answered, twirling the sharpened stick in his fingers with a flourish before stabbing it into the wet earth with an emphatic nod.

“Yeah, a _ton_ of fish!” Claire echoed him; his enthusiasm was contagious.

Koro let out a happy bark.

“No, we’re not going to the mountain today, Koro,” Claire rolled her eyes with a laugh. She looked back over at her male friend with a concerned expression.  The woodcutter had told her that the mountain wasn’t always safe, especially in this kind of weather.  “You stayed away from the peak, right?  Gotz says it can get dangerous up there when it rains.”

“Of course. I’m _from_ the mountains; I know how it works,” the young man replied with a nod.  His face flushed.  “Th-thanks, though…  For being concerned about me.”

Karen was studying the list. “Well, it’s official; you will be filthy stinkin’ rich tomorrow morning,” She gave him a slap on the shoulder and laughed when his hide tunic splattered water; it had absorbed the rainwater like a sponge.  “Now go get changed before you catch cold!”

“You can’t catch a cold from being out in the rain,” Cliff insisted.

Karen let out a snort of laughter. “I’m not about to take medical advice from someone who makes up blood types,” the grocer’s daughter retorted, handing the slip of paper back to Claire.

“Well, I am going to go back to the inn to freshen up. I’ll see y’all around,” he grinned, pulling his stick out of the ground.

“See ya!” Karen waved to him.

“Hey, Cliff…”

He stopped walking and turned around at the sound of his friend’s voice. “H-huh?”

“Good job. You should be really proud of yourself,” Claire smiled at him warmly.  “Have a good night and rest well; you deserve it.”

“Th-thanks…” He turned pink.  “You, too.”  He nodded and headed back toward town.

Claire shut the door.

“ _Y’all_ …”  Karen had a huge smirk across her face.

The farmer rolled her eyes. “Be nice!”  She was not about to say that the young woman’s Mineral Town accent sounded just as folksy to Claire.

Karen plopped back down on her floor cushion, shaking her head. “That boy…  He’s a little crazy, huh?  Spending the entire day in that miserable weather…”

“I don’t think he saw it as miserable,” Claire replied. She learned that since she started farming, rainy weather wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Quite the contrary, she didn’t have to run across her fields with that watering can.

“So, Cliff’s been stopping by regularly, eh?” Karen asked casually, returning to her bag of chips. She observed her friend for some sort of reaction out of the corner of her eye.

“I told him that he could use my shipping bin,” The farmer explained with an excited nod. “He gives me a list of the things he puts in there so I can give him the money for them.”  She studied the list again for a moment and a smile spread across her face.  Cliff was really trying as hard as he could, and Claire was grateful that her simple gesture of sharing the bin with him was going to help him so much.

“You taking a percentage for yourself?” Karen winked at her.

“O-Of course not!” Claire’s eyes widened. “I’m trying to help him!”  What kind of person would attempt to profit off of their friend who was obviously struggling financially?

The young woman crunched on some more chips. “I’m just kidding, yeesh!”  She finished chewing.  “I’ve gotta say, I’ve never seen Cliff excited before.  It was kinda cute.”  Her gaze moved back to the farmer.

“He has a right to get excited,” Claire smiled at the list of items and set it on her table. She was proud of him; the farmer hoped that she had conveyed that to him this evening.  The young man needed encouragement…

“I think he was eager to impress,” Karen said carefully, raising her eyebrows as she noticed the farmer’s rosy cheeks.

The young man was probably going to tell all of his friends about his good fortune today, Claire reasoned. “I’m sure Ann will be impressed to hear about it, too,” the blonde nodded with a grin, taking a seat back at the television.

Karen once again bit her tongue and turned her eyes to the emerald-haired hottie on the screen. She seriously doubted the redheaded waitress would hear much about Cliff’s haul today; the mountain boy had already bragged to his intended target this evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you so much for reading along! It means a lot to me!
> 
> I loved watching the silly shows on the television in MFoMT. My Dear Princess was by far my favorite, and what better way to have some female bonding than gushing over a sappy anime together?


	17. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire heads into town, eager to get some advice from Gray about horse care books. She enters the library and gets more than she bargained for.

It had been a sunny morning, but there was a thick cloud cover that afternoon as Claire dug her hands in her pockets and stepped lively toward the north end of town.

 _Maybe some more rain?_ The forecast didn’t say so; she had already watered her crops.  She looked up at the sky as she walked.  It didn’t look too foreboding; it was actually kind of a pretty color, a soft shade of gray…

She saw a flash of brown in front of her and stopped suddenly. Cliff was walking toward her, dreamily staring up at the sky as well, unaware that he was about to collide into her.  The young woman remained silent as she bit back a laugh and playfully extended her arms in a halting gesture.  She wanted to see if he would actually notice her or if he would keep walking.  Apparently, he had something on his mind; the young man jumped when he softly bumped into her outstretched hands.  Claire let out a giggle.

“Oh, w-wow… I-I’m sorry!  I d-didn’t mean to do that, Claire!”  Her friend apologized profusely, bowing and blushing.  He shifted his bags on his shoulder and his eyes moved back to the sky.  “I promise I-I’m not usually so clumsy.  Sorry again.”

The farmer let out a good-natured laugh. “It’s okay; I almost ran into you myself,” she admitted sheepishly.  They had been bumping into each other a lot lately, Claire noticed, but now it was getting literal.  A grin spread across her face as she saw where his gaze was focused and she found herself mirroring him, glancing back up at the clouds.

“Ann said it wasn’t supposed to rain according to the weather forecast,” His eyes were glued to the heavens, and Claire had the feeling he was hoping for some precipitation.

“Fishing?” She gave him a knowing smile. She remembered the glee and confidence in his expression the other night and felt a warm glow inside of her.

He responded with an emphatic nod. “I’m going to see if I can do a repeat performance.  You know… y-you’re more than welcome t-to j-join me if you’d like…”  He absentmindedly adjusted the homemade spear strapped to his back.

Claire’s heart pounded as she remembered her original intention for coming into town today. “Maybe some other time?  I’m headed to the library right now.  I’m going to get a book on caring for horses.”

“Ah… I see…”  The brunette nodded politely and his eyes fell to the cobblestones.  Claire looked back up at the clouds as Cliff rubbed the back of his neck with a hopeful expression that his friend didn’t see.  “W-Well… the offer’s still open if you have time afterwards…”

“I’m not sure what this afternoon will be like,” Claire admitted with a blush. If all went well, she could be spending quite a bit of time at the library, or, if she played her cards right, the inn.  Perhaps Gray would be willing to review the book with her.  “I might see you in the early evening, though,” she added quickly.  She had a lot of fun with Cliff the other day and she wouldn’t mind spending some more time with him up in the mountains.  The farmer studied the brunette and his deep blue gaze had moved back up to the sky.  She noticed she was playing with her hair and swiftly stopped herself.

“So… See you later, perhaps?”  She gave him a friendly nod.

“A-Alright. I hope so.  See you,” He returned the gesture and headed to the south.  Cliff nearly dropped a few of his bags as he sped up his walking pace; Claire noticed that he seemed a bit distracted.  The young man must have fish on the brain.  The farmer caught herself grinning.

0o0o0o0

Claire could hardly believe her luck as she opened the door to the library. To her surprise, Gray was sitting alone at his usual desk, buried in a book, and the librarian was nowhere to be seen.  She couldn’t have wished for a better setup; the blonde slowed down her breathing as she dragged her feet over to the young man.

“H-Hi…” She inwardly scolded herself for her voice coming out as a soft squeak.

The young man let out a soft grunt in acknowledgment of her existence and she saw his eyes fly across the words on the page. He swiftly closed the book and cleared his throat, looking up at her.  “Sorry about that… just trying to finish a paragraph.  Hello.”

“Got to a good p-part, huh?” Claire let out a small giggle, but she was aware of how strained it sounded. She was not going to mess this up…

“Yeah… Mary always recommends the best books to read!” Gray’s face lit up as he added the book in his hands to a small pile in front of him.  “You should ask her to find a book that matches your tastes; I swear the woman’s a genius,” a satisfied grin spread across his lips as he admired the stack of books he was planning on bringing home that evening.  “She can match anyone with a book; even someone boring like me…”

“Y-You’re not boring at all!” Claire said a little too quickly. “A-And I was wondering if _you_ could help _me_ find a book today…”  She made her move, biting her lip as she struggled to keep her hands casually down at her sides as opposed to wringing them nervously as she was wont to do.

The young man’s pale blue eyes focused on the staircase. “I suppose I could be a stand-in librarian for the moment.  Mary’s busy finishing up a project upstairs…  She told me to get her if anyone came, but let’s not bother her, okay?” He gave the farmer a playful wink.

“Uh, s-sure!” Claire almost yelled and her face immediately reddened.

“Besides, I’ve done the entire checkout process myself on days when she’s up there working on a story; she doesn’t care once she goes into writing mode. She can get a little spacey sometimes,” There was a grin on his face as he continued to gaze at the staircase with kind eyes; the expression almost reminded the farmer of Gray’s demeanor around her horse, Tucker.

“Really?” Claire was surprised at hearing that the librarian wasn’t perfect. Maybe she should come to the library more often in hopes that the apprentice would assist her instead.

Gray nodded, and the farmer noticed that his cheeks had a little bit of color to them. “Mary’s so… _passionate_ about her writing…  I’d give anything to have that kind of dedication…”  He let out a sigh as he pushed the stack of books across the desk and stood up in a businesslike manner.  Claire realized he almost appeared to be a little bit jealous, and she found that she was as well, but for a different reason.  “So, what kind of book are you looking for?”

“Something on caring for horses,” Was the farmer’s eager reply. She ran a few fingers through her blonde locks and stared at the wall of books.  “I-I’m not really sure where to begin,” She admitted.

“Ah, so you don’t think that I’m going to be enough help?” Gray’s expression was stoic as he looked down at her.

Claire felt the blood drain from her face, and she quickly went into damage control mode. “N-no!  I-I mean-!”

The apprentice rolled his eyes and snorted. “I was just kidding.  The more resources you have, the better.”  He muttered to himself as his calloused fingers expertly ran over the spines of the books and he swiftly tugged out a few for her.  “Here, I read all of these when I first moved here.  They’re all good.”  He deposited them in Claire’s arms.

“Uh… Th-thanks!”  She chirped.  The young woman was excited, yet slightly disappointed at his assistance; she had been hoping that the process would have taken longer.

The young man led the way to the librarian desk and pulled a pen out of the drawer. “Alright, you know the drill – sign your life away,” He smiled as he pulled the sign out cards in the backs of the books.

Claire took the offered pen and neatly printed her name on the line. Her eyes were drawn to the name above it, _Gray Iwata_ , written in sloppy all caps.  So _that_ was his last name… 

_Claire Iwata… It had a nice ring to it…_

The young woman halted her hand; she had almost begun writing the desired last name as opposed to her given one. She handed him the cards, struggling to hide the embarrassment on her face at her near-fatal error.

The apprentice grabbed a rubber stamp and pressed it on the inside of the back cover. “Alright, Miss… _Dumont_ ,” He looked down at the card with an overly serious face.  “Four weeks or you’re worm chow.”

She couldn’t have asked for today to go any better; he was actually joking around with her! Claire laughed a little more loudly than she meant to.  Now was her chance…

The blonde twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “M-Maybe you can-”

She was interrupted by a loud cry that caught her by surprise.

“Hip, hip-!” The voice rang down the stairs.

“HUZZAH!” Gray responded, roaring with laughter.

_What was he doing, yelling in a library?_

Her face fell as she saw the instigator of his odd behavior.

The librarian bounced down the stairway with a notebook in both hands, carrying it above her head as if it were a holy relic. “Hip, hip-!”

“HUZZAH!” The young man repeated with a wide grin.

“Hip…” Mary’s voice trailed off as her eyes landed on Claire.  The young woman clutched her notebook to her chest and turned a violent shade of crimson.  “H-Hello, Claire…  Welcome to the l-library…”  She fussed with her glasses.  “S-Sorry about that…”  She shook her head and her gaze fell to the floor in humiliation.

“That victory cry can mean only one thing… It’s ready, huh?” Gray did a poor job of hiding his excitement.

“Yes!” Mary said a little too quickly as she immediately forgot her embarrassment. She eagerly tucked her pen behind her ear.  “Claire, you’re just in time.  I-I think I finally have the first chapter ready for reviewing.  How lucky for me that you’re here!”

Claire forced a polite smile on her face. _Lucky wasn’t the word she would choose herself…_

“Lucky for us, too! It’s about time,” Gray teased.

The young woman pouted. “The first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book!  You have to pull the reader in, but you have to lay down the groundwork and add enough foreshadowing to give the readers a taste of what the story is about.  It’s the hardest chapter of the entire book to write!”

“Alright, alright. But you know you can always show me your rough ideas, too,” the young man reminded her.

Claire watched the apprentice in amazement; she knew he liked to read, but she had never seen him get this excited over something, not even when he saw Tucker for the first time… Gray’s eyes were glowing and were filled with eagerness for new reading material; Claire wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

“N-no!” Mary held her notebook protectively to her chest. “It has to get m-my stamp of approval first before _anyone_ can see the rough draft!”

The words that came out of the farmer’s mouth didn’t feel like her own. “I know what you mean.  You want to offer up your best,” Claire nodded, and she was surprised that she was met with a very kind and warm smile from the librarian.

The apprentice didn’t appear to have the same sentiment. “Well, I don’t get it.  Are you afraid of what I might see?  Are you worried that I’d be reading the ramblings of a lunatic?” Gray laughed.

Mary swatted him with her notebook. “I must be a lunatic if I’m friends with _you_ ,” she rolled her eyes, but her face was flushed.  “A-And I guess you’re just a glutton for insanity, because you come here e-every day we’re open.”

“Ah, I suppose you’re right…” Gray admitted, tugging on his cap.

Claire’s heart sunk. The only farm visits she received from the apprentice were strictly for business.  She decided she didn’t like the look in his eyes.

Mary glanced down at the book in her hands and nervously curled up the edges. “S-So…  Would you b-both be willing to give it a read?”  She shyly shuffled her feet.

Claire’s tongue was made of lead; she stood silently. However, neither of the other two had noticed, because Gray let out a gruff laugh.

“Don’t play stupid; that’s the whole reason I came here today, Mary. Of _course_ we’ll read it,” the apprentice didn’t bother looking over at the blonde for approval.

“Well, if you’re both going to review it, I-I don’t want to be in the s-same room when you’re doing it,” the young woman stammered, playing with the cuffs of her sleeves.

Claire was surprised when she heard a chuckle from the apprentice. “Yes, please leave,” Gray grinned.  “I have a hard time reading when you’re standing over me.”  Claire felt a slight jump in her heart; Gray wanted to be alone in a room with her and not Mary…

“I-I know… I’m s-sorry…”  The librarian’s gaze moved to the floor and her face was flushed.  “I don’t really try to be that way…”  She held out her notebook to her male friend with shaking hands.

The young man’s expressions softened as he saw her distraught face. “Mary…”  His voice was gentle as he reached out his hands to the take the journal.  He placed his hands over hers and looked up at her.  “I was teasing; I would hope you know that by now.  You know that you can let me read _anything_ you write without fear of judgment, no matter how much or how little polishing you’ve done on it…  After all, what kind of friend would that make me?  You gave me an honest critique of that bracelet I made last week.”  He gave her a friendly smile.

“Y-Yes… Th-that’s all I want – honesty.” The librarian’s voice quavered.

The apprentice looked down at their clasped hands and they both immediately turned red.

Claire found herself rather unable to do anything but stare. She had never heard Gray speak so much, and in such a kind manner.  She stared at the covers of her horse care books in vain; Gray’s line about Mary critiquing a piece of jewelry made by his own hands had cut her deeply.  The apprentice had told the farmer that all he could make was ingots…

“So, what’s the synopsis?” Gray asked, leafing through the notebook.

“W-Well… It’s almost more of a character study at the moment.  The story is going to revolve around a woman who is teaching a group of students how to distill herbal essences…  I-It’s more interesting than it sounds – I promise!”  She added defensively.

“Herbs, huh?” Gray gave her a knowing smile as he flipped through the pages absentmindedly.

“Well, it’s best to write about what you know,” the young woman responded with a nervous laugh. She turned toward Claire.  “My father is a botanist, so naturally, I know a lot more about plants than I’ll ever need to,” Mary explained with a giggle.

The blonde immediately thought of her outing in the mountains the other day with her friend. “Cliff showed me that there’s a lot of wild rosemary growing out on Mother’s Hill.”  She wanted to participate in the conversation; she was tired of being a spectator.

The librarian’s face lit up as she nodded. “Rosemary’s a good one.  My dad takes a little bit of extract regularly.  It’s good for calming the nerves, and it smells delicious.”

“Yeah, I put a fresh sprig in my pillowcase again last night.” She had tucked some in her clothing as well last night in order to freshen it up in lieu of washing it, but decided this fact was best left unshared.

“So that’s why you smell so nice,” Mary gave her a shy smile.

“Oh, you can smell it?” The farmer giggled, and she felt herself relax a bit.

“Rosemary and lavender,” Mary nodded. “They go well together.”

Claire blushed as she remembered that she had reapplied her lavender oil in her anticipation of talking to Gray. She wore it regularly to ease her anxiety, but she added a bit more as a perfume when she went calling on the young man; she was very fond of the smell.

“Mary’s got a nose like a bloodhound when it comes to herbs,” Gray teased, but Claire noticed he looked a bit proud of the librarian.

The farmer caught herself nodding in approval, but quickly stiffened. Why was she letting herself get impressed with her rival?

“You and Cliff should just take your sickle and go up to the mountain; the rosemary’s growing pretty rampant up by the peak,” Mary giggled, adjusting her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

Claire considered this and found herself wondering how much she would need to gather before considering making extracts. Surely she needed equipment of some sort as well…  How did the process work, anyway?

She was startled from her thoughts by Gray.

“S-Sickle…?! Dammit!”  The apprentice’s eyes were wide with dread.

The librarian looked at her friend in concern. “What’s wrong, Gray?”

He shoved the notebook into a startled Mary’s arms. “I was supposed to deliver Pete’s sickle after work today!  Shit, I completely forgot!”  The young man gathered up his large stack of books, muttering and cursing under his breath.  “Gramps threatened to throw my hat in the furnace if I forgot again!”

“Would you care to hide your hat here while you make your delivery?” Mary offered politely, but Claire noticed a playful smile creeping across the librarian’s lips.

“And walk all the way to the Valley _naked_?  I don’t think so!”  He glared at his friend but his expression quickly softened.  “Hey…  I’m sorry to bail like this, Mary…”

“Oh, it’s fine,” the young woman laughed; she was used to Gray’s outbursts. Color crept into her cheeks.  “Just come over to my place tonight to read it.  My red pen and I will be waiting,” She laughed innocently, giving his shoulder a pat.

“A-Alright!” The apprentice turned bright pink as he gave the women a polite nod in farewell and hurried out the door.

Claire forgot to say goodbye. She bit her lip.  Why was she constantly messing up when it came to Gray?

The two women stood in silence for a few moments when the farmer was startled by a soft chuckle.

“That man really is something else… He could have just taken the books with him later tonight.  Now he has to drop them off at the inn before going to the Valley…”

Claire briefly wondered if Mary was gloating over the fact that she’d be the one with Gray tonight. Her eyes moved toward her rival, but Mary was playing with the wire binding on her notebook.

“Herbs really do have some amazing qualities,” The librarian continued as if the young man had never been there. “Even plants that most people refer to as weeds can do some pretty amazing things.”

“I ate a bunch of dandelions yesterday,” Claire smiled. They weren’t what she considered tasty, but it definitely was better than eating her primary source of income.

“Mom sometimes sprinkles them in her salads…”

“I chowed down on an entire bouquet,” Claire giggled and caught the boastful tone in her own voice. She felt her face get warm as she realized how loud she was being in a library.

“Oh, have you ever tried chicory? Dad’s especially fond of it,” the librarian’s voice was warm and encouraging.

Claire shook her head. “I don’t know; it doesn’t sound familiar.  What is it like?”  She tried her best to recall the wild plants she had foraged in the mountain, but she didn’t think she had ever heard the word _chicory_ uttered while she was out there.

“Well, it’s bitter, but some people really like it. It’s good for cuts and bruises, colds and digestion.  They grow all over the mountain.  They’ve got a woody stem and pale blue flowers…”

Claire immediately recognized the plant from the physical description. “Ah, Cliff calls those cornflowers.  Yeah, I tasted those.  Bitter!”  She giggled.

Mary beamed. “Gray’s always going on about the odd bundles of foraged goods his roommate brings back to the inn.  He refuses to try most of it,” the young woman giggled, playing with the frayed edges of the notebook.  “But I’d like to go there sometime to see what Cliff brings back with him; it kind of reminds me of my outings with Dad.”  She had a nostalgic smile on her face.

So Mary didn’t go to the inn regularly the way Claire did… The farmer relished in this tiny victory.

“W-Well, anyway… Cl-Claire?”

“Huh?” The young woman was startled from her reverie.

She held out the notebook to the blonde. “I still have my story here…  W-Would you be willing to l-look over it for me?”

“Alright.” She shifted in her chair to get more comfortable.  Her eyes widened in surprise.  At what point had they sat down beside each other at the desk?

Mary placed a red pen on the notebook and slid it to her with a conspiratorial grin. “Don’t go easy on me.  I want to see the pages red with the ink of my critics!”  Her eyes lit up; she was much more comfortable now that Claire had given verbal agreement to read the story.  “I’ll be over there, cleaning up some books.  Just let me know when you’re done, okay?”

“Okay.” Claire removed the cap of her pen and opened the notebook.  She looked up when she heard Mary’s sharp intake of breath.

“R-Right. I’ll… let you do it,” she let out a nervous giggle and hurried to the other side of the room, wringing her hands.

Claire opened the book and studied the librarian’s hurried scrawl. Who was this woman, and why did she seem so keen on hearing what Claire had to say about her story?  The farmer pushed these thought out of her head and began to read.

The blonde ignored the ticking of the clock as she sat, spellbound, learning of the quirky yet polite teacher known as Viola Remmington. Claire closed the notebook with a sigh; she almost felt as if she knew the fictional character, and the chapter left her with wanting more.  It was very enjoyable.  Perfect. _One more read…_

Her eyes scanned the page. No, it wasn’t perfect.  The farmer jotted down a missing word in a sentence…  Maybe that phrase should be reworded, and Mary had a fondness for the word ‘polite’ and used it far too often; she needed to consult a thesaurus…  When Claire finished her second reading, she stared down at the book in horror.  The pages were littered with her critical remarks – arrows, slashes, suggestions…  Surely Mary would take offense to this…  Claire’s face turned as red as the ink she had used to blemish Mary’s story.  She swiftly closed the cover and the librarian took notice.

“Ah… Y-You are finished?” She asked a little too eagerly.

Claire was terrified to show the writer the remarks she had written in the margins. “Um…  Pl-please d-don’t take it personally…”

Mary played with her braid and her eyes fell to the floor. “Ah…  Y-You didn’t c-care for it m-much, huh?  I…  I was afraid i-it was t-too boring…” Her voice quavered.

“N-No! Not at all!”  Claire nearly yelled.  “I…  I just got a little… too happy with the red pen…”  She bowed her head and offered her companion the notebook abashedly.

She felt the book leave her hands and heard the pages turn. Claire felt paralyzed with anxiousness.

She heard a slight gasp from the librarian. “Cl-Claire…”

The blonde was too afraid to look up at Mary. Surely she took the critical remarks on her story as a declaration of war over the apprentice blacksmith.  “Y-Yes…?”

“I can tell you really took your time with this. Thank you.”  She sounded sincere enough.

The farmer stole a glance at Mary’s face. She had a grin plastered across her face, but her eyes looked misty.  The blonde felt a pang of guilt in her heart.  “I-I’m sorry if any of my comments in there hurt your feelings,” Claire sputtered.

The librarian shook her ebony hair. “I’ll take a closer look later, but really…  These kinds of notes really help.  If I’m going to get any better, I need to know how to improve.”  She gave Claire a kind smile.  “Thanks again for taking the time to look over my story.  Your honesty really means a lot to me.”

_Honesty… She had used that word with Gray as well…_

Claire stood up and stretched.

“Pl-Please come by any time. I’d be really happy to see you again.”

The farmer found herself nodding. “Okay.”  She gathered up her books.  “Oh…  Gray helped me check out these books; he said that you wouldn’t mind.”  She bit back a smirk and inwardly scolded herself for her confusing behavior; Claire herself wasn’t sure what she meant by it.

To Claire’s surprise, Mary didn’t seem fazed by this, and the farmer realized that she had secretly been hoping to catch a hint of envy on the librarian’s face. “Ah…  I must’ve been up there writing.  Well, enjoy the books, Claire, and I’ll see you before too long.”

“Thanks.”

Claire pulled the library door closed behind her as she stepped outside and found that her body was trembling. What was she?  Angry?  Jealous?  Victorious?  The young woman furrowed her brow; her heart was a mess of emotions that made no sense to her.  This whole rivalry thing was new to the young woman, and she didn’t know what to think.

 The farmer’s throat tightened as her feet carried her to the supermarket.  Karen seemed like an experienced woman; maybe she could help make sense of what was going on in Claire’s head.  She pushed open the oaken door and a bell signaled her entrance to the shop.

“Hey, Claire. How are you?” Jeff gave her a polite nod as he idly pushed his broom across the shop’s floor.  He looked particularly bored today; he normally wasn’t one for making conversation.

The young woman didn’t answer his question. Now that she was in the presence of others, the confusion in her heart made her want to cry.  “Is Karen in?”  She wanted nothing more than a laugh or hug from her friend.

Jeff shook his head. “She had the day off and went over to Rick’s.”  He swept the non-existent dust into an invisible pile.

“Oh…” Claire tried to hide the disappointment on her face.  The young woman didn’t feel right going into the shop without making a purchase, and chocolate was the next best thing to a hug or sympathetic ear.  She paid for the sweets and walked out of the store feeling hollow inside.

She wandered up the mountain trail, unwrapping the candy bar as she went. She didn’t bother with breaking off pieces of the chocolate – she bit right in.  The candy helped a little; she didn’t feel like crying anymore, anyway.  Why wasn’t Mary angry that Claire and Gray had spent some time alone together in the library while she was off in dreamland upstairs?  If she had garnered some jealousy from the librarian, she would at least be feeling a sense of accomplishment…  Or would she?  Suddenly, that felt kind of mean…

She walked over to the lake. Seeing a cheerful Cliff may raise her spirits a bit; now that she had seen a glimpse of his genuine smile, she wanted to see more.  Claire looked all around the lake and saw no trace of the young man.  She followed the river and didn’t see any sign of her friend.  The young woman felt her throat tighten unexpectedly as she realized how lonely she felt.  She sat cross-legged in the grass and stared up at the clouds; the sky was such as sad, moody color; a drab shade of gray…

“The fish weren’t very active today; you didn’t miss much,” Cliff’s sudden voice startled her. He plopped down with a sigh.  “I just… couldn’t focus… on something like that today…”  He removed a single heavy leather gauntlet from his hand and tucked it into his bag. 

Claire noticed that this particular satchel jingled when he shuffled through it, but she wasn’t in the mood for questions right now; her mind was still trying to sort through her feelings about Mary. She took a bite from her bar and realized with embarrassment how rude she was being.  She swiftly broke off the part she bit from and placed in a handkerchief in her lap, breaking off a fresh piece for her friend.  “Ah, I’m sorry, Cliff.  You want some?”

His eyes widened at the treat but he shook his head, looking down at his hands sheepishly. “Ah, n-no… thanks…  I shouldn’t be handling food right now,” he tried to hide his hands, but Claire caught the slightly dried blood in the crevices of his knuckles and between the fingers of the hand that had not been gloved.  He quickly jumped up and scrubbed off his hands in the lake with a nervous laugh.  “S-sorry about that…”

“Oh, Goddess! Did you hurt yourself?” She nearly dropped the candy as she stared up at him in horror.

He shook his head and turned very red, showing her his clean hands. “Not hurt, just hunting…” He took a seat back beside her, but Claire couldn’t help but notice that he sat quite a ways further from her than he originally did. 

The farmer scooted closer to him while he was focused on his hands and she snatched them, depositing a piece of chocolate in them. “Here...  Nothing to be sorry for.”  She didn’t understand why he was being so awkward about it.  “So what did you catch?”

“A r-rabbit…” His soft voice, coupled with his body language, almost seemed to suggest that he had been doing something shameful.

“Huh… I don’t think I’ve ever eaten rabbit before,” Claire stared out at the lake pensively.

The young man relaxed as he realized he wasn’t going to be scolded for ending the life of a cute, fluffy animal. “I sometimes cook them over a spit on the campfire, but they’re really good in stew, too.”  He popped the piece of chocolate in his mouth and closed his eyes as he enjoyed the flavor.  “Thank you for the chocolate.  Between you and Ann, I am completely spoiled,” he let out a soft chuckle.

“I’d hardly call receiving a single square of chocolate grounds for making you spoiled,” Claire responded, eagerly shoving another piece of candy in his hands.

He happily accepted. “I hadn’t eaten anything other than what I found on the trail for so long.  So for me, this is a luxury.”  He smiled at his friend and looked down at the second piece of candy with wide eyes.

The farmer had never given much thought to the waitress that lived at the inn. She seemed to share a close bond with Cliff, but Claire had never spent much time with the redhead herself.  “S-So… What does Ann do for you?”  She cocked an eyebrow.

Cliff popped the second piece of chocolate in mouth and looked over the lake. “I’ve become her guinea pig with her cooking experiments, so I get a free meal every so often.”  A warm smile tugged at his lips.  “Ann is a very caring person, and so is her dad; they’ve always tried to make me feel welcome here.”

Claire set another square of chocolate on her friend’s knee. He looked down at it and grinned.  “I’m not finished with the one I’ve got, silly…” Color crept into his cheeks.

She liked it when he smiled. The farmer responded by setting a second piece of chocolate on his knee, her cheeks feeling unnaturally warm.  Today was a strange, confusing day…  “E-Eat it faster, then,” She gave him a playful giggle.

“I’d rather savor it,” His eyes met hers and quickly moved to the ground. “Y-You d-don’t get sw-sweet treats every d-day, after all…”  His face was nearly burgundy.

Claire’s stress diffused. It was nice to spend time with someone who had a simple appreciation for simple things on a day that had revolved around confusion and complex emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I hope I struck a chord with some fellow writers out there with Mary and her creative process. I get pretty protective of my rough drafts, and I used to have to leave the room when my husband is editing. I hope no one takes this chapter as a passive-aggressive attempt at more reviews, but if you’d like to leave one, I definitely won’t complain! :)


	18. Dinner at Carter's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After accepting an invitation from Cliff to join him at Carter's, she is eager to spend time with them. Showing up early, she catches Cliff in a state he doesn't show to the outside world. Will their relationship change after she learns one of his secrets?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you all for your feedback so far! Please know that your reviews are super helpful, and they brighten my day! Enjoy the last bit of Spring, Year One! Things are about to get HOT!

“So he meets you here almost every morning?” Claire took a seat on the wooden bench next to her friend and swung her feet.

“Yeah… But I mean…  We’ve been meeting like this since we were teenagers,” Karen played with a long lock of brown hair.  “It’s not as if this is a new development; for all I know he just does this out of habit…”

Claire cocked an eyebrow as she set her rucksack down at her feet. “Yeah, Rick just walks all the way to the other side of town to sit on a bench that happens to also be occupied by you out of _habit_.” 

Karen had no idea how lucky she was to have someone care about her like that, but the grocer’s daughter was either too proud or too blind to see it for herself. The farmer bit back her jealousy; she would love for a young man to make excuses just to see her, but alas, she was not the type of woman who was desired by men.  Rather, she saw herself as the type that clumsily attempted to do the pursuing herself and rarely succeeded; Claire was still bitter about the incident at the library the day before and she wanted to ask Karen’s advice on it but wasn’t sure how to start. 

“Well, Rick buys a few things at the shop for his mom,” She responded with a slight shrug. “He does most of the cooking at home, so he’s always stopping in for ingredients.”  Karen looked down the cobblestone path and giggled when she saw the chicken farmer headed their way.  “Speak of the devil, and he will appear!”

“It’s too early for Kai to be in town, no?” Rick was laughing, but his eyes were blazing with a fierce intensity Claire had only seen once before when he thought Cliff was attempting to make a pass at Popuri.

“Don’t get your apron in a twist,” Karen rolled her eyes. “We were only gossiping about _you_.”  She stuck out her tongue and winked at the young man as he took a seat beside her.

Rick was used to his friend’s teasing. He turned toward the farmer.  “Hey, Claire, is Karen telling you about all of the stupid things we used to do as kids?”

“Oh?” Claire looked between the two friends with interest.

The brunette’s face lit up. “We were pretty dumb, huh?  We were always getting into trouble with Popuri and Ann.  Remember that time we all went skinny dipping in the Goddess Spring and Gotz caught us?  We all had to go to the church and write lines. _I must not disrespect the Harvest Goddess and her spring…_ ”  She recited with a giggle.

“Carter made you guys write _lines_?!”  The grin on the blonde’s face grew.  She had no idea her friend had such a rebellious streak.

Rick shook his head. “No, Carter actually thought the whole thing was hilarious; it was Doug.  He was so mad when he found out the whole idea was Ann’s.  Her dad made her write extra lines, too! _I must conduct myself as a lady…_ ”

“Yeah, that one still hasn’t sunk in yet,” Karen roared with laughter, “But I wouldn’t have my Ann any other way!”

“And you and me used to play out by Gotz’s all the time,” Rick had a nostalgic smile on his face as shuffled his feet beneath him.

Karen looked at him and laughed. “Yeah…  We used to play games like tag, kick the can, hide and seek… _everything_ …”  As she counted off the games on her fingers, the brunette had a dreamy look in her eyes; she looked like she wanted to say something else, but she stopped herself.

Rick let out a soft chuckle as he smoothed out his apron and relaxed a bit. “We also wrestled…  although… I could never beat you.”

The grocer’s daughter immediately stiffened on the other side of Claire. She shot the young man a dirty look.  “What do you mean?!  I don’t remember _any_ of that!”

Rick laughed as he gave his friend a playful punch on the arm. “Don’t you remember how I used to cry when you threw me to the ground?”  His face was flushed.

Karen’s eyebrows furrowed and she stood up from the bench, her cheeks burning. “I told you I don’t remember, s-so I don’t remember!”  She shouted defensively.  “I-I’m… going home now!”  She whirled on her heel and stormed into the grocery store, shutting the door behind her.

Claire and Rick both jumped as the door slammed loudly.

“What was she so mad about?” Rick sighed as he wiped his glasses off on his apron.  “How on earth was that story more embarrassing than the skinny dipping one she told?  Ugh…  I guess I better go and apologize…  I’ve got to buy some ingredients for dinner anyway…  See you, Claire.”

“Bye, Rick.” The blonde bit back a smile; Karen and Rick had definitely been quite entertaining to listen to.  She watched him smooth out his strawberry blond hair and straighten his posture before opening the door to the grocery store; she never realized how tall Rick was…

“Hey, Claire!” Cliff was rummaging through his satchel as he walked toward the bench. “Doing some more shopping?”

The young woman shook her head. “I wouldn’t recommend going in there at the moment; Karen and Rick are having a little tiff,” She whispered with a slight giggle.

Cliff looked at her curiously. “Oh, I don’t have anything to buy.  I-I…  I was just headed back to the mountain to get some bamboo shoots and maybe hunt for a few hours,” He nervously shuffled his bag and Claire’s ears perked up at the curious jingling noise; it almost sounded like he had a set of bells in there.  “I’m going to stop at Carter’s later this evening…  If you g-get the chance…  W-Want to hang out with us?”

“Sure. When will you be over there?”  Claire looked up at him from the bench.  He was fidgeting, and she was reminded of the time he asked her to the inn for lunch.

“Five or so. N-No big deal,” He added quickly, his face turning pink.  “I understand if you’re too busy…  H-How’s the farm coming along?”  He let out a nervous chuckle as he shifted his bag on his shoulder.

Claire stood up and stretched, throwing on her rucksack. She wanted the young man to know that he didn’t need feel like he was inconveniencing her by asking if she wanted to spend time with him.  She had noticed that since their outing in the mountains together, she had been speaking to him just as much as the apprentice blacksmith when she made her evening visits to the inn.  Cliff’s conversation gave her a lot more to work with than Gray’s; the brunette asked a lot of open-ended questions, and occasionally he’d share silly stories about assisting the priest in looking after Stu and May, the two young children who resided in Mineral Town.  The children sounded like quite a handful, and occasionally Cliff would pretend to look frustrated when he spoke of them, but Claire could always hear the smile in his voice when he used their names.

“I _like_ hanging out with you, Cliff.  I’ll come over tonight at five.”  She smiled as she watched her friend visibly relax a bit.  “The farm’s a little slow at the moment.  The season is ending for spring vegetables, but Karen’s father isn’t selling the seeds for summer produce just yet.”  The two followed the cobblestone sidewalk to the south.  “Want to see my fields and my master plan?”

The brunette grinned and nodded so emphatically that his bag jingled. Claire’s heart swelled; something about the way he looked when he was genuinely excited and happy made her feel like every day was a precious gift.  She picked up her pace and led the way to Mystic Acres.

0o0o0o0

“So, I’ve been following the guide in that book I got from the library. This is the most effective layout plan for my fields come summer.”  Claire eagerly set her bag in the grass and jogged out into the middle of her plowed field.  In truth, she had been dying to show someone her plans for the upcoming season.  “This whooooole area will be filled with tomatoes…”

She waved her arms around in a wild gesture and grinned when she was met with a chuckle in response. The young woman hurried to the other side of her farm and was surprised to find that Cliff had followed her into the fields, looking around him with interest. 

“And there will be corn here! The sooner I plant it, the better, because I can yield a higher profit!  I’m going to plant some pumpkins and onions as well, but I’m going to really focus on tomatoes and corn!”  She paused, noticing that the young man hadn’t said anything in response to her plans.  “Ah, I-I’m boring you.  I’m sorry,” Her face felt warm, and it wasn’t from her little jog; the layout of her fields for the upcoming season had become her new obsession, and she was afraid she was alienating Cliff.  Surely, he was just being polite with his curious stares.

The young man shook his head. “I’m not bored at all…  It just looks like you’re going to have your hands quite full.”  He admired the tilled soil in amazement.  “This must’ve taken you forever to plow…”

There were still large sections that may or may not need to be tilled, but Claire decided not to share this; she reveled in the fact that she had impressed her friend with this much. “Yep!  And as soon as Jeff will sell them to me, I will buy as many seeds as I can carry!  I’ll plant as much as I can and then I’ll really be in business!  This farm is going to be the best; you’ll see!” Her face lit up as she turned back toward the young man.  His eyes were still glued on the dirt.  Claire’s smile faded a bit; she thought Cliff would be more excited for her.

“I _know_ it will be the best,” He replied gently, “But don’t get too carried away.”  He took her hands in his and gave them a friendly squeeze.  “Take care of yourself, Claire.”

“I will!” She insisted.  The young woman bit her lip and their eyes met.  “Cliff?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“This farm… I…  I want to prove that I was meant to come to Mineral Town,” She had a determined gleam in her eye.

“I understand. I… want to, too…”  His eyes traveled to the ground and Claire felt his posture slouch as he let out a silent sigh.

“I guess these things don’t happen overnight,” Claire admitted with a sheepish chuckle.

His face relaxed a bit. “You’re right…  I’m… glad that we’re friends.”  He gave her a kind smile and squeezed her hands one last time.  “See you around?”

“See you tonight,” Claire corrected him with a grin as she returned her bag to her shoulders.

“R-Right! Five o’clock!  I’ve got a lot to do before then!”  He hurried off toward the mountain path before his friend could properly bid him goodbye.

0o0o0o0

It was starting to rain outside and Claire was growing impatient. She came to the church at four.

The priest and her friend were both there, sitting at a collapsible table strewn with books. Carter was murmuring something to Cliff, and the young man’s eyes were focused on the table’s surface, his face void of emotion.  The pastor looked up and saw the young woman in the doorway.

“Hi, Claire! Is it raining hard out there?”  He asked a little too loudly.  The brunette snapped out of his trance and looked up at his friend with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“It’s starting to come down quite a bit,” She responded, frowning as she saw her friend’s expression. Perhaps there was a reason why Cliff asked her to visit a little later; she felt like she was intruding on some sort of private lesson.  Was he taking special courses from Carter?  “Cliff invited me to come here and spend some time with the both of you,” She gave the priest a weak smile and hoped that she sounded more confident than she felt.

“I’m so glad you could stop by,” Carter replied kindly, closing his book. “We were just finishing up a bit of reading…”  He lowered his voice and turned toward the young man.  “Let’s work on this more tomorrow, okay?  Read until chapter eight and meditate on the focus points at the end of the chapters.  It’s time to have fun now.” 

Cliff responded with a weak nod and silently shoved the book in his bag.

Carter stood up from the table and smiled at the farmer. “You came at the perfect time.”

“Oh?” She really felt like she hadn’t…

“I ordered us all some dinner from the inn,” the priest gave the young man an encouraging look.

“Pl-Please join us if you have the time,” Cliff gave her a small smile and his cheeks were rosy as he stood up and shuffled his feet.

Part of her wondered if the young man really wanted her to be there. “I told you before; I enjoy spending time with you.  I came here early because I wanted to hang out.”  Her face felt warm, and she hoped that he understood that she was sorry for interrupting.

The young man’s demeanor seemed to mellowed out quite bit. He closed a couple of books on the table and looked up at his friend with a warm smile.   _She wanted to spend time with him…_ He tried to focus on the priest’s words _– it was time for fun_.  “It will be our first dinner together.  Cool!” Cliff’s eyes sparkled; he found he was unable to hide his excitement. 

The farmer quickly walked down the aisle and made her way to the table. The brunette didn’t strike Claire as the type to use such an exclamation, but she found a grin spreading across her face.  The young woman learned that her guilt had faded at the sight of her friend’s smile.  She was eager to spend time with her friend again.  He had finally revealed his true self to her that day in the mountains; she was aware that there was so much more to him than his persona as a quiet stutterer who was too timid for his own good.

Carter smiled at the friends. He was relieved and grateful that both of them seemed to be making some great progress toward overcoming their shyness.  The priest’s eyes traveled to the lit candles lining the walls; perhaps his hunches were right after all…  Now was as good a time as any to test his theory…  A little tough love was in order.  He looked down at the table, which was covered with books.  “I’ll leave you two to clean up the place before Ann comes to deliver the food, okay?  I’ll… just be in the confessional,” Carter grinned.  He walked away from the pair before either of them could respond, and Claire thought she saw a smirk on his face.

The young man snapped back to reality as he watched the pastor hurry away. “But no one else is-” Cliff stammered.

The confessional door closed with a thud.

“Carter!” The young man looked frustrated at the priest, but his voice was polite.  He looked over at his friend apologetically.  “D-Don’t worry about it, Claire.  I c-can clean this up myself.”  His face turned pink as he glared at the closed confessional door.

The farmer shook her head with a giggle. “I don’t mind helping at all.”  She didn’t see what the big deal was; it wasn’t as if they hadn’t worked together as a team before.

“R-really, I’ve got it. Don’t w-worry about it,” he repeated firmly, swiftly gathering up the books on the table, hugging them to his chest protectively; she was reminded of the bashful librarian holding her notebook to her body to prevent anyone from reading it before it was ready.

She didn’t take his body language as a hint, however. “I’m not worried at all,” Claire returned, joining him at the table.  “I want to help.”

He looked up at her with an apprehensive expression; he appeared to be having some sort of internal debate. Cliff’s eyes traveled back to the confessional door; Carter had planned this all along…  He fought back his instincts to rebel.  “B-but…  A-alright…” He blushed fiercely.

The young woman worked on stacking up the books. “You guys must have been reading for a while,” She smiled as she tried to help him relax; she was unsure why he seemed so uncomfortable around her.

“Yeah...” He wasn’t really sure what to say.

Claire’s eyes were attracted to the covers of the books and she quickly saw why Cliff had been so adamant about clearing off the table himself. He wasn’t just trying to be chivalrous; most of the books were written on overcoming grief and loss.  Cliff had been seeing the priest regularly for grief counseling…  Her face fell; she wasn’t sure what to say.  She looked up and his eyes met hers from across the table; he had caught her reading the covers of the books.  Claire could see the pain in his eyes and she felt her heart drop.  The two were silent for several moments.

“I-I’m really sorry… I didn’t mean to pry,” she managed to say.

“… It’s alright,” He stacked up some books and gave her a sad smile. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’ve been going through a… rough patch…  I’m… not really sure what I’m looking for,” he quietly admitted as Claire helped him put the books away.  “Guidance, perhaps...?”

She added her stack of books to the shelf and Cliff wiped down the table with a damp cloth. “Carter seems like a very kind man.”

“Yes. I can tell him anything.  He’s been helping me a lot…  I’m trying to find some sort of direction in my life,” He explained, switching to a dry cloth, “It can be very difficult sometimes.”  He admitted with a nervous chuckle.

The farmer saw how he was struggling to keep a happy face. So it wasn’t just social anxiety that was plaguing him…  Deep down she had known this for a while; the way he spoke of his sister in the past tense, the way he clammed up whenever hometowns became the topic of conversation… _Something_ had happened…  She finished setting up the chairs and they sat across from each other.  She hadn’t known the young man for a very long time, but she found that her heart was aching for him in his grief.  Karen was right; he did have very expressive eyes, and right now, the look in them made Claire want to cry.  “Cliff…” She reached across the table and took his hand.  “Remember we agreed to help each other…?  I’ll try my best to help…  Things… will get better.”

“Thank you,” he looked up and smiled at her, but his eyes spoke more than his words. “For the first time, I really think that they will someday…”

“Hello, hello!” Ann collapsed her umbrella as she came in with the food and saw the pair sitting at the table holding hands.  “Oh, Cliff, are you on a date with Claire?”

Cliff’s jaw dropped as he reddened deeply. He was too embarrassed to say anything.

“Carter and Cliff invited me to have dinner with them,” Claire smiled up at the waitress, but could feel her own face getting warm. She didn’t want Ann spreading rumors that Gray might hear.  Cliff had immediately let go of her hand at the sight of Ann, and Claire returned her hands to her lap.

“How sweet of them,” Ann looked a little too pleased with herself as she swung the paper bag in her arms.

The priest emerged from the confessional at the sound of the waitress’s bubbly voice. “Good evening, Ann,” He greeted her.

“Hi, Carter. I’ve got your order right here!”  She handed him a bag and looked at the trio with great interest, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

“You can go ahead and put the bill on my tab,” The pastor gave her a kind smile. “Stay dry out there; you don’t want to catch cold!”

Cliff opened his mouth but promptly closed it. Claire bit back a grin; she was sure the young man was going to question the validity of Carter’s statement, but he decided to keep quiet.  Claire winked at him and was met with a grin.

“I won’t! Have a good evening!” She waved goodbye and left.

Carter took a seat at the table between them and opened the bag. Claire noticed that there were three boxed meals and three jugs of milk inside.  Claire realized when Cliff casually asked her earlier that day if she could stop by the church, Carter must have planned on having her over for dinner.

Claire opened the box Carter handed her after he said the blessing. Inside was a piece of grilled fish, some grilled vegetables, and some rice.  “This looks fabulous; thank you, Carter,” she never ceased to be impressed by the generosity of Mineral Town’s residents.

“You’re very welcome. Doug is a great cook; I’ve never ordered anything from him and been disappointed.”  The priest replied, eagerly digging into his food.

“Yes, thank you, Carter. Doug’s omelet rice is good, too,” Cliff’s eyes met Claire’s and he smiled at his mentor.

The pastor took a long swig of milk. “That’s right.  You were starting to tell me about your outing with Claire earlier,” Carter encouraged the young man as he dug back into his fish.

Color rushed into Cliff’s cheeks as he nervously unfolded his napkin. “Well, we had lunch at the inn and spent the day in the mountains…  Claire is very generous.  She’s going to let me use her shipping bin, so I will have a bit of an income now,” He replied and took a drink of his milk, signaling the end of his explanation.

Claire wasn’t sure why her friend had suddenly become so shy; he left out quite a few details. “I’m happy to help, but Cliff was the generous one,” The young woman chimed in excitedly.  She absentmindedly stirred her rice with her chopsticks, enjoying the savory smells of the food.  “He taught me how to forage and showed me all kinds of ways of preparing wild plants.  He’s pretty amazing,” The words rolled off of her tongue easily.  She felt very comfortable in the casual setting with the priest and her friend.  She took a bite of fish and looked up across the table.  Cliff was blushing fiercely as if he had never received a compliment in his entire life.

Carter looked at the two friends and laughed softly. “I’ve noticed you’ve been spending less time here around the church, Cliff,” the priest commented, combining a bite of rice and fish on his chopsticks.

The young man was so flustered he nearly spilled his milk. “I-I’m sorry,” He stammered.

“Quite the contrary; I’m very happy about it. I’m glad you’re getting out and making new friends and talking to people besides me.”  Carter’s face lit up.  It seemed the young man was foraging a bit for profit now; perhaps all of Carter’s not-so-subtle declarations that Cliff was meant to come to Mineral Town hadn’t fallen on deaf ears.

“I had a great time with you the other day,” Claire smiled and took a bite of her rice. “I learned so much,” She swung her feet; her heart felt light.

“I enjoyed it, too,” Cliff grinned and his cheeks were still pink. Claire noticed that they seemed a lot closer after spending some time alone together.  They had gone from acquaintances to good friends in a very short time.

“What all did you gather?” Carter asked her, taking a sip of milk and playing with the bottle cap in his hands.

“Burdock, berries, dandelions, rosemary, bamboo shoots…” Claire counted them off with her fingers. “I’m sure I’m probably forgetting something.  I was pretty clueless before about what I could and couldn’t eat out in the mountains.  I feel pretty empowered right now.”  Her face was glowing as she gave her friend a grateful smile; Cliff had hardly touched his food, but he looked happy.

“He’s educated me a bit on foraging as well,” Carter smiled, swallowing a bite of grilled zucchini. “The courtyard behind the church has pretty good conditions for growing mushrooms, and he said that we might get some matsutake this year.  We’ll see if the Harvest Goddess blesses us with some in the fall.”  A rumble of thunder shook the church.  The priest laughed.  “And moisture is essential for mushroom growth, right, Cliff?”

The rain pelted the roof of the church loudly.

“Y-You can stay with us for a while, Claire… There’s no sense walking outside in that,” The young man gave her a shy smile.

“Oh, I’m not going anywhere for a while,” The farmer replied with a grin. She swung her feet and took another bite of rice.  She looked across the table and saw Cliff dig into his fish with a pleased smile across his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I stuck a couple of heart events in here. One is pretty verbatim but with a different setting, the other I took a few creative liberties with, but stuck rigidly to the setting. But yes, I was a total nerd about the timing of Cliff’s purple heart event. It has to be four o’clock exactly and raining to trigger the event… Yeesh, the oddly specific things I look up for this story… Did anyone else cock an eyebrow when Cliff says “cool” in-game in the purple heart event? I almost laughed aloud; he really doesn’t strike me as the type to use slang.
> 
> Side Note: Anyone here play Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker? I like to think young Karen, Rick, Popuri, and Ann were like the Killer Bees, the group of little kids that fancied themselves as thugs. :)


	19. Beach Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beach Day proves to be a great opportunity to take a break from farm life. While Claire is excited to play in the waves of the ocean, Karen and Gray take some time to discuss their new friends.

“It’s summertime, and you know what that means-!” Karen sang with a flourish as she walked with Claire to the grocery store.

“Noooo! Stop it!”  The blonde groaned as she gave her friend a rough shove and got a giggle in reply; the grocer’s daughter had been singing that annoying song all morning as the farmer showed off her field plans and it was more than stuck in both of their heads.  “Technically, it’s the last day of spring; it’s not summer _yet_ ,” Claire corrected her.  She eagerly shuffled her rucksack on her shoulders.  She had emptied it so that she could stuff it with seeds for the upcoming season.

“Yeah, but I saw Kai earlier today, so it is officially summer!” The brunette explained, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She shot her friend a grin.

“Who is Kai?” Claire recalled Rick mentioning that name the day before and wasn’t about to forget the frightening look on his face when he did.

“He comes here every summer to open his snack shack on the beach. He stays at the inn.  He’s…”  Karen looked around the two of them suspiciously before continuing.  “He’s actually pretty cute and friendly; he’s a really good guy.  Popuri’s kinda got a thing for him, but don’t say anything to Rick about it – Kai unleashes his papa bear alter ego…”

“Ah…” _So Rick was a rather protective older brother…_ Claire understood a little better now, or at least she thought…

“There… is something _sweet_ about it, though,” Karen smiled as she looked ahead, and the farmer noticed that the brunette’s cheeks were slightly pink.

“What, Popuri’s and Kai’s relationship?” Claire teased, and gave her friend a playful punched her arm. They opened the door to the shop.

“Hey, Dad! I brought us a customer!”  Jeff’s daughter announced loudly as the door swung open.

The proprietor was straightening a shelf of dry goods when he turned around and greeted them. “Hi, Claire!  What are you looking to buy?”

“A ton of seeds!” Claire answered excitedly. She looked around for the colorful sacks but her grin faded when she didn’t see any new ones yet.

The shopkeeper shook his head. “I usually don’t put out the next season’s seeds until it has started.  They’re still in the back room.  We’ll be closed tomorrow for the holiday, and I’ll be taking a couple days off after that for my health.”

The farmer frowned. _Closed? On the first day of the season?!_   She panicked; she was going to lose precious time with her intricate plans…  The young woman did a terrible job of hiding her uneasiness at this turn of events.

“But we can make an exception, huh, Dad? You can sell them to her today, right?” Karen grinned, casually leaning on the countertop, looking at her father with pleading eyes.  “She’s going all in with her savings, after all...”

“S-so you’ll be paying… cash?” Jeff’s face lit up as his eyes moved to the blonde.

Claire nodded proudly and her face lit up; she had been saving carefully so that she could invest a lot.

The grocer stared at the floor pensively for a moment. “Alright, then, pick out what you want from the stockroom,” he finally said with a sigh. “I usually only sell seeds early for big order customers like Pete…”

Karen grinned. “Thanks, Dad!”

Claire bought so many seeds she couldn’t fit anything else into her rucksack. That was probably for the best; she didn’t have much money left for anything but her house payment.  It was going to be a very lean early summer, but if she stayed disciplined, it would prove to be a very profitable season.  Claire figured she should get accustomed to the flavor of dandelions once again…

The shopkeeper looked at his full cash register and did not regret his decision to give in to his daughter’s demands. “Pleasure doing business with you!” Jeff grinned.

The grocer’s daughter caught a hold of her friend’s arm before she left the shop. “So, you’re coming with me to Beach Day tomorrow, right?” Karen asked.

“Beach Day?” Claire cocked her head and wondered if that was the holiday Jeff had mentioned.

“Yeah! I keep telling you to keep an eye on the bulletin board in town!  There’s a festival tomorrow!  Dog frisbee competitions, swimming, and free junk food.  You can plant your seeds the next day.  Come on!” Karen grabbed her friend’s wrist and pulled her to the back room of the shop, locking the door behind them.

“I guess I could go.” Claire felt she had little choice with her friend’s enthusiasm about the event, but some time near the water did sound refreshing.

“You’re going,” Karen said firmly as Claire set down her heavy bag and stretched her back. “And I can guarantee you will die out there in denim and flannel on the beach.  You don’t own a swimsuit, do you?”

Claire’s heart fell. Everyone was going to be able to cool off and have fun except for her.  She bit her lip, silently cursing herself for being so self-pitying, but it didn’t seem to help much.  “Well, no.”  It had been getting hotter, and now that Karen mentioned the beach, she wanted nothing more than to play in the waves.

“Well, then you’re lucky I have spares,” Karen pulled open her dresser. She pulled out a bright purple bikini and hugged it to her chest.  “Except this one.  It’s mine.” 

Claire played off her elation with a casual shrug, but again, she must have done a terrible job of hiding her emotions, because she was met with a grin from Karen. “Okay, I’ll take whatever you’re willing to lend out.”  The thought of jumping into cool water sounded like a wonderful treat. 

The brunette laid out a few choices for her friend. Claire’s face felt hot; she had never worn something so revealing.  The farmer was tempted to ask Karen if she had a one-piece suit, or at the very least something more modest, but didn’t want to sound ungrateful or rude.

“Well, go on! Try one on and see if it’s comfortable,” Karen dug through her closet for some sandals, laughing.  “They’re all cute ones!”

That was the problem; they were all eye-catching. The blonde wasn’t too keen on the idea of people seeing her in a swimsuit.  Claire felt more awkward than she did at the hot spring.  She stared at her choices and opted for a more cutesy design than a sexy one.  The teal bathing suit covered only slightly more skin than the others and the demure ruffles on the garment made her feel a little more covered up.  She changed as quickly as she could while her friend’s back was turned.  “Alright, this one fits!” She announced as she adjusted the straps to fit more properly.  Claire was relieved that she would be able to go swimming and that she hadn’t been stuck with the most revealing of the choices.

“I see you picked the one my mom bought me,” Karen laughed; she knew Claire would select that suit the moment she set it on her bed. “The most modest one, naturally.  You look good in teal.”

“Thanks,” Claire had never worn a bikini in her life and felt like she might as well wear her underwear to the beach. She felt her face grow warm; she would just jump into the water when she got there.  That was what Beach Day was all about, anyway.

Karen let out a low whistle at her friend. “Maybe I should take up farming.  Do you think I could get abs like that?”  She tossed some cutoff shorts and an oversized t shirt on the bed for her friend to wear over the bikini.

Claire could feel her friend’s eyes on her and reddened, realizing she was very likely roped into _Sexual Tension: The Festival_.  And here she thought it would revolve around the Frisbee competition…  “Well, I guess lugging baskets of turnips around has its advantages,” She laughed weakly, pulling on the shorts.  Claire frowned; even the shorts were a bit higher cut than she was used to.  They were a bit loose, but they’d work just fine; she had a length of rope in her stable that she could use as a belt.

“You know, you really could get away with something more like this,” Karen held up a more daring suit with a smirk.

“This one’s good. Thank you for lending me a swimsuit.” Claire replied politely, buttoning up the shorts.  She knew Karen was trying to embarrass her on purpose at this point.

Karen laughed and slapped her shoulder. “You are adorable.”

0o0o0o0

“I know Koro won’t be able to compete; he’s still a puppy, but I thought he would have fun at the beach with us,” Claire explained to Karen as they made their way to the festival the next morning. Koro’s paws tapped against the cobblestones as he trotted to keep up with the two friends.

“Well, maybe he can learn from the pros this year,” Karen replied, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. “It’s crazy what some people’s dogs can do.  Some people from outside of town and the Valley stop by to compete.”

While Claire was eager to see the dog stunts, she was most excited to go swimming in the ocean. She had grown up in a fairly urban area, and her family didn’t have much money to use on vacations, so she spent a lot of her summers on hot concrete.  And now that it was finally warm enough, the young woman was very excited to relax in some cold water.  She had been tempted to skinny dip in the river that ran along her house after working a couple of times, but her nerves always got the better of her; she became increasingly aware of how many people used the path through her property to go to Mother’s Hill.

They arrived at the beach and Claire stared at the glittering ocean. It took all the willpower she could muster not to run across the beach and jump at the incoming waves.  The beach was already in use – it looked like the Frisbee Competition had already started.  The two young women watched as the dogs leapt into the air to catch the flying disks.

A young man wearing a backwards blue cap seemed to be the star of the show. He tossed the frisbee across the beach and his dog did a flip to catch it.  The crowd cheered.

“Wow, that’s pretty cool, huh?” Karen whistled as the young man threw his second disc.

“Yeah… I wish my dog could obey orders I give him…”  Claire looked over at Koro, who was alternating between barking at the surf and chasing his own tail.  “He’s pretty hopeless, isn’t he?” The farmer laughed.

“Yeah, but he’s the cutest dog here,” Karen called the puppy over and scratched his chin. Claire was grateful that Koro was a pretty well-behaved pet; she had been paranoid her dog would bite people after the number he did on Mayor Thomas.

The young man claimed his prize and the people on the beach began to chant. “Pete…  Pete…  Pete…”

Karen’s eyes widened. “Oh, Goddess, _that’s_ Pete?!”  She stood up to get a better view.  “He’s just a kid!”

“Huh?” Claire squinted and shaded her eyes with her hand.

“The farmer from Forget-Me-Not-Valley! He’s in the next town over!  He orders stuff from our shop all the time, but I’ve never met him in person before.  Either that, or I never caught on that it was him,” Karen let out a delighted laugh.  “We gotta say hi to him!”

The crowd from the frisbee competition broke up, and the winner of the contest made his way toward the exit of the beach, his dog proudly prancing behind him.

“Pete!” Karen waved her arms at him.

The young man appeared startled. He looked at the young woman and pointed at himself quizzically.

Karen beckoned him to come over with a finger, laughing. “Pete, it’s me, Karen!  Congrats on your win!”

“Thanks!” He grinned and jogged over to them.  “Karen, hi!  Wow…  How are you?”  His large brown eyes immediately traveled over her in a curious manner.

“It’s nice to put a face to a voice, huh?” Karen giggled; she was accustomed to stares.

“Wow… I didn’t realize I was talking to such a beautiful lady all this time,” Pete gave her a playful grin.

Karen cocked an eyebrow; she was used to men’s reactions to her physical appearance. “Nice try, but flattery won’t give you a discount.  You’ll have to pay full price for your seeds and groceries just like everyone else.”

The young man roared with laughter. “No good, huh?  I thought I was being smooth…”  He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, but the blonde got the distinct feeling that this shyness was feigned.

“Claire, Pete’s been a farmer in Forget-Me-Not Valley for... How long have you been there now?”  She looked over at him, biting her lip.  “I know I’ve been taking your phone orders since I was a teenager…”

“Oh, man…” The young man took off his hat and tossed it back and forth between his hands before placing it back on his head thoughtfully. “Since I was eighteen…  How many years now…?”

“Oh, please! You’re so old that you can’t remember your age!  Or are you really that bad at math?” Karen giggled.

“Seven! Seven years!”  He yelled over her, and the two of them laughed harder.

“You’ve been a farmer for seven years?” Claire looked up at him in awe. He was only a few years older than her and had already been so established...

“Yep. I inherited the place from my grandfather, so I took it over as soon as I was legally able to.  Claire, was it?”  His eyes moved to the young woman sitting down on the beach blanket.  She had been so quiet he didn’t even notice her until Karen had mentioned Claire’s name.

“Yes,” The young woman stood up, smoothing out her wrinkled t shirt. “Pleased to meet you,” she bowed politely.  “I just started running the farm here back in spring.  It’s called Mystic Acres.”

He bit back a smirk at the strong city accent; she was definitely a greenhorn. “Ah, a newbie, eh?”  He gave her a kind smile and she was surprised when he reached out to shake her hand.  “Well, you got a great piece of property; great location.  Work hard and you’ll do great!  We farmers gotta support each other.”

“Th-thanks!” Claire hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. Her heart leapt with joy.  Pete saw her as one of his kind; it felt good to be included.  His hands were calloused but warm - they were farmer’s hands.  Claire wondered if her own hands would feel like this someday…

“I stop by Mineral Town from time to time… Mostly to party at festivals,” he admitted with a mischievous grin.  “See you guys around.  And Claire, I want a report on your farm next time!” He winked at her as he left the beach with his dog.

They waved goodbye to him.

“He seemed really friendly,” Claire commented, realizing that she was more fired up than ever to get to work in her fields.

“He’s a hoot,” Karen laughed.

Claire noticed more people entering the beach and congregating near the front of the white beach hut that had been vacant up to now.

“Looks like Kai’s opening. Free food!  …  Aaaand here come the vultures,” Karen laughed, taking a seat under an umbrella.  “Let’s wait for everyone to calm down for a while before we go over.”

Claire was reminded that they were right by the ocean. Her eyes were focused on the blue waves.  “Do you want to go swimming?”

“Eh, maybe in a little bit,” Karen removed her cover-up and put on some sunglasses. “I think I’ll just chill here for a while.  Go on ahead.”

The farmer practically jumped out of her borrowed shorts and baggy t-shirt and forgot that she was embarrassed to wear a swimsuit in public. She hopped across the hot beach to the edge of the water and Koro barked, following her.  The young woman buried her toes in the wet sand and her puppy sniffed around her feet.  She looked out at the ocean and wondered why she had never come here before to relax.  Koro began playing in the shallows of the water, and his master joined him.  Claire laughed as the waves shoved at the both of them.  She had never seen her dog so happy.

Karen was putting on some sunscreen when she saw Gray and Cliff entering the beach together. She waved to them, and they came over.

“Took you guys long enough,” Karen laughed.

Both young men had very strained smiles on their faces.

“Hey,” Gray nodded and tugged on his hat by way of greeting.

“Hi, Karen,” Cliff greeted her politely enough, but his eyes were already drawn to the farmer, who was attempting to do battle against the incoming waves, laughing like a child.

“She’s cute, huh? Just like a little kid on vacation.” Karen giggled, but wasn’t blind to the way both men were looking at her friend out in the water.

“Why aren’t you out there with her?” Gray asked the young woman.

“I don’t feel like getting wet,” Karen shrugged. “And I’m waiting for the crowd to die down so I can get some free food.”

“Well, if you want this afternoon to be a peaceful one, you’ll finish your business with Kai before you speak to Rick,” Gray stared at the line of people around the beach hut.

Karen rolled her eyes. She looked over at Cliff, who was still watching Claire; his whole face was lit up and flushed.  “Well, go on!” She teased.  To her surprise, he didn’t get flustered at all; he threw off his sandals, ran to the edge of water and called for his friend.

Gray let out a loud sigh.

“So was he a handful this morning, or was it you?” Karen asked. “I’m sensing a ‘first fight’ vibe from the two of you.”

Gray snorted. “This is _not_ our first fight.”  He groaned and took a seat beside her.  “I told him about this festival last week and asked him if he had something to wear for it.  He said that he did, so I thought nothing of it.  But this morning when we were getting ready to leave, guess what he was wearing?”

Karen stared at the young man out in the water. “Don’t tell me; a fundoshi.”  She laughed heartily, looking at the well-worn geta Cliff had left behind in the sand beside her.  “He looks the type, no?  Very old school and traditional.”

Gray buried his face in his hands and reddened. “Identical to my Grandpa’s,” He shuddered at the image of Saibara.  “I didn’t know anyone still wore them.  I told Cliff if he wanted to be allowed to leave the room, he would change.  I even offered him a spare pair of trunks, but he didn’t see what was wrong with what he was wearing.  He actually put up a bit of a fight about it and said I was making a big deal out of nothing.”

“Whoa… I would have paid money to see that whole argument,” Karen roared.  She couldn’t picture the quiet brunette standing up to the temperamental apprentice about anything, let alone an argument about him showing too much skin.

Gray frowned. She was not helping.  “He’d never been to a social event that required swimwear since he left home.  Where on earth would people still walk around in those things?” he folded his arms across his chest.

“Well, he’s probably going through a bit of culture shock,” Karen offered. “Don’t get mad at him.”

“I finally told him that Claire might make fun of him. He changed immediately.”  Gray sighed again, staring at his roommate as Cliff bent over to pick up something in the sand, becoming even more grateful he had won the argument.  “Yeesh…”

Karen giggled and shoved his shoulder; she had seen the same thing. “Oh, you’re so mean, Gray.”

The apprentice’s scowl faded. “…  Do you think that I was too rough?  Maybe I shouldn’t have laid into him so hard…” He frowned as he pulled off his t shirt, reaching for Karen’s sunscreen.  “Hey, share...  I burn easily.”

The brunette rolled her eyes. Typical Gray; he probably didn’t even own a bottle of sunscreen.  “Mineral Town has a high percentage of redheads with fair skin, huh?” The young woman laughed, handing him the bottle.

Gray shrugged. “I never really thought about it.”

“Well, what exactly did you say to Cliff that even someone like you is concerned about how it sounded?” Karen looked at the apprentice curiously.  “And while you’re at it, get my back; I can’t reach.”

Gray blushed as he rubbed some sunscreen on his arms. “Get Claire to do it.”

Karen abandoned her friendly tone and replaced it with a brusque one. “Claire’s busy.  Give me back my sunscreen if you refuse to help.  Don’t be a baby; Mary’s not here today, and even if she were, we both know she’s mature enough that she wouldn’t give a shit.  She’s tolerant about _other_ _things_ , if you catch my drift,” She raised her eyebrows at him suspiciously before draping her long hair over one shoulder, shifting her sitting positions so that she was in front of him.

“… Fine,” The young man grumbled, applying the lotion to her back, mouthing a few choice words at the back of her head. He was eager to change the topic of conversation away from women.  “I swear Cliff doesn’t try hard enough to try to fit in with people here.”

She jumped at how cold the lotion was and wished she had left the bottle in the sun. “What do you mean?  He’s got a few friends; you, me, Claire, and Ann,” Karen replied, her eyes focused on the subject of their conversation.  Cliff was petting a damp Koro and laughed when the dog shook himself dry and splattered him.  He responded by splashing the puppy back and was met with an eager bark.

“Well, yeah, but… He makes no attempts to relate to people,” Gray closed the cap on the bottle and handed it back to the brunette. 

Karen shook her head. The farmer had been unknowingly rambling about their mutual friend lately, whether it was regarding their church visits, foraging trips, or bragging about his survival skills.  Claire always spoke of her male friend with great admiration.  “That’s not true.  Hey…  If I end up with burn streaks on my back, your ass is grass.  Alright; you turn around and I’ll do you now.”

The apprentice obeyed, but jumped when her hands landed on his skin. He cursed loudly.  “Goddess, that’s cold!”  He turned around and gave her an icy glare.

Karen pulled her sunglasses over her eyes. “Deal with it.  I wanna hear what you said to make Cliff mad.”  She stuck her tongue out at him.  The brunette was aching to hear the conversation that started all of the drama.  She motioned for him to turn back around and he complied with a sigh.  Karen was much more businesslike in her application of the sunscreen.  Her eyes were half-glued to the blonde out in the water; after all, the last thing she needed was a jealous Claire.  “Well?”

The apprentice made no threats for her slapdash job of covering his back. The color drained from Gray’s face.  “I told him that he was acting like an obstinate fool, just like Grandpa, and that if he didn’t want Claire to tease him for being old fashioned and stubborn, he’d better change.”  It sounded much worse when he said it aloud.

“That is… a little harsh,” Karen felt a wave of guilt as stared out at the deep blue water; perhaps she had made Claire uncomfortable as well. She had only given her friend choices of swimwear that she thought would grant the farmer the most attention.  She absentmindedly closed the bottle of sunscreen and watched Claire and Cliff jump in the waves; neither of them seemed focused on what they were wearing at the moment.  Ann had joined them and brought a beach ball, and they were attempting some sort of variation on volleyball.

“Well, what was I supposed to do? Could you imagine someone showing up on this beach wearing a fundoshi?” Gray rolled his eyes.  “He would have been teased by someone, and then he’d clam himself up like he always does and go hide in the mountains or the church.”

“Hmmm… Not necessarily.  I mean, did he look good in it?” Karen wriggled her eyebrows.  “ _Some_ people here might be into it…”  She cocked her head in the direction of the demure nurse.  Doctor Trent put a thick layer of zinc oxide on his nose, and Elli was giggling at her little brother, Stu, who was streaking it on his own face like war paint.

Gray snorted. “Are you having fun creating non-existent drama?”

“Tons.” She smirked at him shamelessly as she flipped her hair over her shoulder, smacking him in the face with it.  She was met with a loud curse in reply, and her smirk grew.

“Really, though… He would have been teased for sure; what choices did I have?”

“I dunno,” Karen admitted. Gray was right; it was likely someone would have made fun of Cliff if he had shown up in his intended attire.  Karen realized with a twinge of guilt that she it was likely she would have been the culprit.  The grocer’s daughter would have been playful about it, of course, but surely the young man would have made himself scarce after her teasing remarks.  “Well…  I had a struggle with Claire about swimwear, too.  She worries too much about what everyone else thinks.”

“Well, that’s dumb.” His eyes were focused on their friends playing in the water.

Karen stared at him incredulously; she had half a mind to slap him for being so insensitive. “Well, not everyone is as confident as we are.”

“I just meant… She looks quite… _different…_ right now than she does in her bulky work clothes,” he pulled down on his hat as he watched Claire in the waves.  The volleyball game had inevitably turned into a violent game where the ball was thrown at the opponents’ faces.

“You mean you think she’s got nothing to be ashamed of?” A mischievous grin spread across Karen’s face. “… There’s nothing wrong with thinking a girl is attractive, so long as you don’t pursue each one you see unless you’re _actually_ interested in them,” She chose her words carefully as she nudged him a little harder than he was comfortable with.

He scowled at the young woman. “I know that!  Do you honestly think I see _you_ as ugly?” He cocked an eyebrow, folding his arms across this chest in a huff.

A grin spread across the brunette’s face. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Karen laughed, “But I’m not interested.”

“And neither am I,” Gray rolled his eyes.

Karen looked out at the water. Her friends were still engaged in violent sport.  Ann threw the ball at Cliff’s face so aggressively it bounced back and hit her own and they both flew backward.  Claire was laughing so hard she was nearly in tears.  “Well, it looks like they’re both having fun, despite us making things hard for them,” Karen’s voice softened.

“Yeah…” The pair watched their friends stumble out of the water and back onto the beach.

“Please tell me you saw that!” Ann pleaded to Karen and Gray as her friends followed. The three of them were giggling so much they were out of breath and having a hard time walking through the sand, staggering like a trio of drunks.  Koro was following the three, barking happily.  Claire was carrying the beach ball and playfully bopped Karen on the head with it.

“Oh, I saw,” Karen beamed.

“Last one to Kai’s gets a beach ball to the face!” Ann yelled, dashing to the hut; as always, she was eager for free food.

Claire set down the ball and Karen seized her wrist. “Come on; let’s go,” Karen smiled warmly at her friend and took her hand, seizing the opportunity to keep Claire’s mind focused on the lighthearted fun of the festival rather than any tension that would surely arise if she noticed a half-naked Gray.

Cliff turned to follow them.

“Hey…”

He stopped in his tracks and turned toward his roommate.

Gray’s features softened. “Cliff…  I’m sorry about earlier.  I … I didn’t mean to be so harsh with you,” He stammered.

There wasn’t a trace of stress left in Cliff’s face. “Don’t worry about it.”  The apprentice was surprised that his roommate wasn’t upset anymore; his time with Claire and Ann seemed to have released all of his pent up frustration at his roommate.  He looked down at his borrowed red swim trunks with a rueful smile.  “I guess I was kind of stubborn, too.  I didn’t want to listen to advice from a city kid.”

Gray almost commented how much Cliff sounded like Saibara right then, but held his tongue. He stood up and tugged on the bill of his cap.  “So are you coming with us to get some roasted corn or what?  Kai’s an awesome cook.”

“Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: For those of you who recognize the song Karen is singing at the beginning of the chapter, I’m sorry that I’m not sorry; it’s still playing in my own head! Summertime summertime loooooovin’/ Lovin’ in the summertime! :)
> 
> P.S. I wanted to do a shoutout to the N64 game, but sorry, fanboys and fangirls, Cliff's not in his fundoshi this time, haha! For those unfamiliar with the Japanese garment, it's a long strip of cotton tied into an undergarment/swimwear and it, well... leaves very little to the imagination. It's often associated with strongman type competitions, but a lot of younger people see it as pretty old-fashioned.


	20. Too Hot to Handle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the promise of snow cones with her friends at the beach, Claire is eager to get a start on her summer crop planting. Can she get her seeds in the ground and make it in time before Kai's shop closes for the afternoon?

Claire sprung out of bed early the next morning in anticipation of the full day head. Her rucksack was overstuffed with seeds, and as she shuffled the heavy pack on her shoulders and looked out at her field, she was a little startled when she felt a different kind of weight hit her.

This was it. She had spent everything on seeds.  The farmer had no back-up plan; this season things would change, for better or for worse.  She had passed the point of no return; her only spare money had been set aside for her mortgage payments.  The farmer had no choice but to succeed…  Claire bit her lip as she shook her head.  That wasn’t the way to think of it.

 _You’ll be the best farmer around here before you know it!_ Her friend’s voice echoed in her head and she grinned as she remembered his earnest blue eyes.

Claire could see Karen’s confident smirk in her mind. _She’s going all in with her savings…_

The farmer found a smug smile spreading across her own face. She was risking it all, and she was going to surprise everyone.  This season, she was going to have a successful farm and start fixing things around the house.  Claire’s introduction to Pete had been motivating to her as well; she was eager to show everyone what she could do.  She wasn’t a helpless city girl; she was a farmer.  Or at least she would be by the end of this season. 

It was just after five in the morning. The dew on the grass was already starting to evaporate into fog. It was just as the weather forecast had predicted; Claire could tell it was going to be a hot one today. In anticipation of this, Karen had invited her and Cliff to Kai’s place for some snow cones before he closed for the afternoon.

The farmer had insisted on staying on the farm to work all day – she was eager to get everything into the ground. However, Karen had been very adamant that Claire take a break.  After a mild argument, the farmer had begrudgingly agreed.  After all, the grocer’s daughter offered to pay for both friends’ treats.  She would go right back to work after her snow cone, Claire had demanded, and to her surprise, Karen had stepped down, allowing her to continue her work as long as she spent some time with them this afternoon out of the heat.

The morning temperatures were pleasant. The young woman worked swiftly, not taking any breaks, planting seeds where the ground was already tilled.  She had studied her blueprints the night before so that she could focus on getting the seeds planted and watered.  Claire finished burying some corn seeds and took her kerchief out of her pocket to wipe the sweat from her forehead.  Her eyes moved back to her bulging rucksack; she quickly realized that she had purchased more seeds than she had tilled land to accommodate them.  Claire let out a tired sigh and leaned on her hoe, weakly fanning herself with her hand.  There was no sense getting frustrated about it; she grabbed her tool in her shaking hands and set to work, making more room for her unplanted seeds. 

The sun was high in the sky as Claire panted, striking the dry dirt with her hoe. Sweat dripped into her eyes and burned; the frustrated farmer rolled up her sleeves and tied her kerchief into a makeshift sweatband and set back to work, trying her best to ignore the discomfort of moving around in sweat-drenched clothes.  She was getting tired already, but she knew the earlier she planted the seeds, the sooner she would have her crops.  She used this as motivation.

It was well after noon by the time she finished plowing. Karen was just going to have to wait, Claire reasoned as she caught her second wind.  After all, the grocer’s daughter knew that Claire had purchased all of those seeds.  Both friends had warned her about going overboard, but Claire was eager to impress them.  She had forgotten hours ago how thirsty she was.  She kept her focus on the snow cones and worked like a machine.  Now that her clothes had dried, it should be easier to move around, Claire reasoned.  So why was it getting harder?

She carried her full watering can carefully despite her trembling. If she was going to do this as fast as possible, she was not going to waste any water.  She looked jealously at the wet ground and quickly shoved the thought out of her head _. If you take a break, you won’t want to start up again.  You’re not even sweating anymore and you’re already halfway done_ , she cheered herself on weakly, _don’t even look at the clock._ Her whole body felt light as she wobbled back to her fields from the watering hole.  Before she knew it, she would be sitting on the beach munching on a snow cone with Karen on one side and Cliff on the other.

 _It will be worth it,_ she reminded herself.  _They’ll be so proud… Everyone will be…  Maybe even Gray, too..._  The watering can got heavier each time she had to refill it.  Her whole world began to rock back and forth. _Just a bit longer…_

0o0o0o0

Karen shaded her eyes as she peeked up at the sun blazing in the middle of the afternoon sky. She looked around her, blinking.  It was getting really hot, and she wished they had worn swimsuits.

Karen and Cliff had met at the beach early afternoon. They had sat under an umbrella waiting for their friend for quite some time.  It wasn’t long before Karen had shed her purple vest, griping about the heat.  Her incessant complaining of her discomfort caused Cliff to cast aside his warm tunic and he now stood at the surf in a simple cotton undershirt, mindlessly skipping rocks into the water.

“I don’t mind waiting out here for Claire if you want to go in to cool off,” The young man volunteered, tossing a stone into the waves and giving a satisfied nod when he got four skips out of it.

“If she’s out working in the heat, I hardly feel right going inside where there’s air conditioning,” Karen retorted, wiping the sweat from her brow. She kicked at the sand with her boot, cursing the blistering heat of the sun.

Cliff whirled around and stared at her, his thick brows furrowed in worry. “Y-You don’t think she’s _still_ out there, d-do you?  She’s been a while, don’t you think…?”

Karen felt her stomach drop; she had been so preoccupied with staying cool herself that she hadn’t given much thought to how their mutual friend was handling the heat.

“I told her to take it easy… Sh-She’s gotta be in her house, cooling off…  Maybe freshening up before coming to meet us…”  His voice trailed off as he dropped the stone in his hand.  “…  R-Right?”

Karen said nothing in reply, but dashed to the beach shack.

“Kai!”

“What’s wrong?” The proprietor looked up from wiping down a tabletop. “I was just about to lock up.  You want something?”

“What time is it?” She demanded, swinging the door open so violently the cowbell on the knob made a single clank.

Kai stared at his watch. “Uh… it’s half past one,” he replied, looking up at her.  “I’m locking up; I thought you guys were going to come in to buy something.”  His smile faded when he saw the expression on the young woman’s face.  “… Karen?”

She broke into a run as she grabbed their garments, tucking them under her arm. “Cliff, it’s 1:30!”  Karen yelled out at the waves.  She didn’t wait for a response from her friend, she stumbled across the sand, her stomach churning and her heart racing; something wasn’t right.  Claire was never late, and she had bought an awful lot of seeds…

To her surprise, Cliff passed her up the stairs and silently extended a hand to her. She took it and they ran along the cobblestone streets together toward the farm.  His legs weren’t much longer than hers, but Karen found that she was still struggling to catch her breath; she had no idea the young man could run so quickly.  And she used to tease Rick for not being able to catch her…  Karen was grateful that Cliff was pulling her along because the buildings were becoming a blur to her, but she just wished he would slow down a bit.  She couldn’t get the words out of her mouth and her heart was hammering in her chest; her body wasn’t used to this.  It was quite apparent she wasn’t the only one concerned about the farmer.

Karen’s breath escaped her as they reached Mystic Acres Property. She had to stop for a moment to inhale; her entire body was pulsating as blood pumped loudly in her ears and her lungs were burning.  “Wh-Where…?”

The young woman’s bleary eyes locked onto something blue. She dropped the bundle of clothing at her feet and sunk to her knees, struggling for air.

Claire’s overalls.

Claire.

The brunette sprung to life and wildly threw herself in the direction of the farmer, stumbling across the freshly tilled earth. The young woman was sitting silently in a slouched position in front of a pile of dirt, leaning over her watering can, her blonde hair splayed about.  The young man was already at her side with an arm around her shoulders, gently nudging her, attempting to speak to her calmly. 

“Claire! Claire!” Karen slid in the dirt as she threw herself down on her knees and slapped her friend’s cheeks, blinking away tears.  She shook the blonde only to realize the farmer had turned into a rag doll.

The farmer made no response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I told you things would get hot. Haha, do you all feel tricked? Fear not, dear readers, a WHOLE lot of drama is brewing.


	21. Crisis Mode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon seeing an unconscious Claire, her friends react to the crisis in very different ways. Claire learns that her recklessness didn't only cause herself trouble, but worried her new friends as well.

“Oh, Goddess, _why_ did I let her buy all of those seeds?  I knew she was going to be stupid about planting them!” Karen sobbed.  She was on the verge of hysterics as she shook the young woman, unaware that Cliff had left their side.  “Wake up!”  Tears spilled out of Karen’s eyes as she squeezed her friend and pressed her lips to her forehead; she was terrified that Claire wasn’t reacting at all.  “Oh, Goddess!”  She cried out several times to the sky, half in prayer and half in anger at the deity for letting this happen.

This was all her fault, the grocer’s daughter scolded herself; she was the one who had told the farmer to hold off planting her seeds until after Beach Day. She should have known Claire would be stubborn and try to make up for lost time; the blonde had picked up a worker bee mentality as of late…

Cliff had returned as silently as he had left. The young man’s hands swiftly passed over the farmer’s flushed face, assessing the situation.  His fingers deftly worked at the top couple of buttons on Claire’s shirt as he touched her neck with a slight frown.

“She’s not sweating. Heat exhaustion.”  His voice was calm, but his friend thought she saw a brief flash of worry pass through his features.

Karen’s mind began to race. The worst medical emergency she had witnessed was a bee sting on Popuri’s finger when they were children and Lillia looking a little dizzy sometimes, but she had never seen someone unconscious before.  What if they couldn’t wake Claire up?  What kind of damage had been done to her body already, and was it going to get worse if they couldn’t get her to respond?  She didn’t know what else to do; Karen sobbed uncontrollably, squeezing the farmer.

She was startled from her lamenting as she got splattered by a few drops of water. She looked up through tear-blurred vision as her friend sprinkled the watering can over the farmer’s blonde head; it seemed he had filled it up at the watering hole while Karen remained at Claire’s side.  The young woman stirred slightly at the cold wetness.

Karen let out a jagged cry and bawled harder in relief; she had been terrified that nothing would make her friend move, and in her panic she had allowed herself to fear the worst.

“There we go,” Cliff murmured soothingly to both females. He patted Karen on the shoulder as she continued to cry, gently nudging his way between them to carefully pry the brunette off of her friend.  “L-Let’s get you cooled down, Claire…”  He scooped up the unconscious woman, ignoring Karen’s possessive reaches for the blonde; the grocer’s daughter was in no condition to help, and she seemed confused that he was separating them.  He shuffled Claire in his arms as he expertly choked down his own emotion, blocking out Karen’s sobs.  “Come on, Claire,” He muttered more to himself than to his unconscious friend, holding her to his chest as he stepped into the stream.  It wasn’t a very deep river, but once he got to the middle of the water, it reached chest level.  He sunk down into the stream until it reached Claire’s shoulders and she snapped back into awareness.

Blurred colors and shapes swam before her eyes; the world was spinning. She could hear the muffled sound of sobbing somewhere.  The sudden churning of her stomach and the throbbing of her head were too much to bear; she could feel herself vomiting.  Where was she?  Had she fallen asleep?  Was she still dreaming?  She felt herself moving through the water.  Was she doing this of her own accord, or was she being pulled?

“It’s okay… She’ll be fine…” Claire recognized Cliff’s voice.  She heard a soft whisper in her ear.  “You’re going to be alright.  You’ve got us here now.  Let’s cool down.”  Why was his voice so calm if she could hear Karen crying in the background?

Everything was blurry; she tiredly blinked, failing to focus her vision as she reached in Cliff’s direction and groped for his shoulders, clinging to him. “It’s alright,” He repeated quietly, shifting his hold on her.  “Lean back; I’ve got you.”  Claire allowed herself go limp and was tugged a bit more back into consciousness when she felt the chill of the stream on her scalp.  Cliff untied the handkerchief that Claire had around her forehead and used it to wipe down her face.  The young woman’s eyes began to focus properly as she looked around her, but her mind was still a step behind; she wasn’t sure what was going on.

She heard a splash accompanied by Karen’s voice, calling the farmer’s name, sobbing, praising the Goddess and cursing the blonde all in great succession.

“Try sipping at the water slowly,” The young man suggested, gently dabbing her face with the wet cloth.

Her mouth was dry and acidic; she was eager to get the taste of vomit out of it. The farmer weakly leaned forward and attempted to drink, but she ended up choking on the liquid instead of swallowing it properly.  She was given a soft pat on the back in response.  Claire felt another arm around her.

“Don’t you _ever_ do something that stupid again!” Karen’s words were piercing and Claire found herself shrinking back.  “Well, don’t stop!” The young woman pouted.  “Keep drinking!”

The farmer didn’t need to be told twice; she fought the instinct to chug the water and found it very difficult. She was slowly coming back to life.  Her eyes came back into clear focus.  Karen fussed over her and covered her face in kisses, squeezing both of her friends and choking on her sobs.  The friends stood like that in the water for several moments.

“I-I wanna go un-under…” Claire murmured. She held her breath as her friends gently lowered her into the water for a few seconds.  She regained her sense of reality and the hazy film over her consciousness lifted significantly.  The three of them were in the stream to the south of her fields.  Karen, who was visibly shaken, was finally starting to calm down, but she kept a protective hold on Claire.  The farmer moved her eyes to Cliff as he silently watched over both of his friends, an arm around each.

“I think I’m okay,” Claire said weakly, realizing they must both must have been worried sick.

The brunette woman shook her head. “We are still taking you to the clinic, though,” Karen replied with authority, kissing Claire’s forehead.

The young woman gave a silent nod as she continued sipping water. She didn’t want to leave the coolness of the stream just yet.

Karen turned toward Cliff and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for staying so calm.  I’m glad she’s okay.”

“Me, too…” He never took his eyes off of the farmer.  He swallowed the emotion that was starting to build up in him again; _not now, and not here_ …

The young man was distracted from his friend’s exclamation. “I love you both so much!” Karen hugged them both so hard all of their foreheads knocked together.  She laughed.

Claire closed her eyes, relishing the moment. With those words, Karen had made her feel better than the cool water ever could have.

0o0o0o0

For a brief moment, Claire thought that going to the clinic was unnecessary; the water had revived her. However, after feeling the strong pull of gravity as she returned to land, she realized how weak she still was.  The blonde slumped to the ground, and her friends each grabbed one end of her and started carrying her to the clinic without a word on the matter.  The farmer bit back protests and apologies; she knew that neither of these things was helpful to her friends at the moment.

They quietly walked through town; Cliff had silently volunteered to walk backward and scooped Claire up under the arms. Karen was carrying the farmer’s feet and walking forward.  They were about halfway there when the reality of the situation finally hit Claire and she started to cry.  She had caused everyone so much trouble and worry, not to mention she had ruined their afternoon outing.  The young woman was too dehydrated to produce many tears, but her chest wracked with dry sobs.  Karen avoided looking down at the blonde.

“Don’t you start crying, or you’ll get me crying again, too.” The brunette smiled, blinking away tears that started to form.

The farmer didn’t realize how scared she was until she saw the wetness in her friend’s eyes. “I’m so… glad you g-guys came to check on me,” Claire managed to say as she choked on a sob, and she felt a hug around her chest from Cliff in response.  She weakly rested her hands on his and felt them quiver a bit.

The grocer’s daughter had tears running down her face and she sniffed. “Dammit, Claire, I said _stop_ it,” Karen laughed it off.

Elli jumped up from her desk and opened the door for them as they made their way inside the clinic.

“What happened?” Trent was already at their side, ushering them into his office.

“We found her passed out on her farm.” The young man’s voice was steady.  Karen observed him curiously for a moment; it was almost as if Cliff had forgotten his last experience in this building and he had no apprehension around the physician.

“She’s very dehydrated. Heat exhaustion.”  Doctor Trent repeated the young man’s diagnosis as he quickly took Claire’s temperature an ordered the nurse to prepare her a cool bath.  The blonde let out a sigh in relief as she heard Elli turn on the tap; she was already starting to feel too warm again.  The physician pulled Claire behind a privacy screen and her friends followed her.  Elli fought with the laces on Claire’s boots and Karen began unbuttoning Claire’s overalls, and Cliff realized it was time for him to leave. 

“I’ll… be waiting on the other side…” He looked frustrated that it wasn’t socially acceptable for him to help any further.  He gave the young woman a sad smile and headed to the lobby, unable to hide his eyebrows furrowed with worry.

Claire felt a rush of guilt for making her friend feel this way, but she was distracted as the women tugged at her garments. The farmer let the nurse and Karen struggle with peeling off her clammy clothes; she was too tired to be embarrassed at her nudity.  Trent brought her some juice and Elli helped him lower her into the tub.

“You need to take better care of your body,” He started right away, wiping her face with a wet cloth. His words were harsh, but there was loving care in his hands.  She had briefly imagined she would be flustered at a man seeing her in this condition, but he was so businesslike that she realized she didn’t care.

His comment was still cutting, though. Claire stared at the water, avoiding his sharp gaze.  She was embarrassed that she had caused everyone so much trouble, not to mention the fact that she had angered the physician.  She felt like crying again.

“Summer heat can be hard on everyone, especially those who work outside,” Elli offered kindly, giving the doctor a severe glance. She often felt like she had to apologize on his behalf.  “We just want you to be healthy.”

“Drink.” Trent handed her a bottle, and Claire obediently took a sip of the juice, eager to be an agreeable patient.  It tasted terrible; it must have been a special formula for dehydration the doc created himself.  The farmer gagged slightly, but she was relieved that it had mostly washed her mouth of the flavor of stomach acid; it seemed she _could_ name something that tasted worse than the concoction.

Karen crouched down by her friend, placing a protective hand on the edge of the tub. “I-Is she going to be okay?”  There was a tremor in her voice despite her brave face.

“She’ll be fine,” the doctor replied, standing back up, “But I want her to rest here for the remainder of the day. And stay out of the sun for the next few days unless you want to be visiting me again soon.”  He cocked an eyebrow at her as he spun on his heel and left the room to retrieve his paperwork from his office.

The nurse noticed the distraught look on the patient’s face. The doctor was often doing that, Elli realized with a sigh.  He was so caught up in healing his patients that he had a tendency to come off as cold and unfeeling, although deep down he was the complete opposite.  “Trent just means that your body needs a chance to recover from what it has been through.  He’s not mad at you, Claire.”  Elli gave her a kind smile and gently poured cool water over Claire’s head.

“If she’s staying here overnight, then I am, too,” Karen stated, daring Elli to defy her. She was determined to camp out on the floor if she had to; after all, she couldn’t help but shake her guilt over how the whole situation turned out.  She just wanted her friend to buy a lot of seeds and get a good start on the season…

Elli sprinkled more water over the farmer’s blonde hair. The young woman let out a tired sigh and leaned back in the water.  “I don’t think that’s really necessary, as she will mostly be sleeping.”

“I don’t care!” Karen snapped. She looked up at the startled nurse.  There she was, losing her temper again…  She furrowed her brows and gave the young woman an apologetic look.  “I’m sorry, Elli….  I just feel like I’m partly to blame.  I saw all those seeds she bought and I didn’t stop her…”

Claire’s eyes snapped open and she turned to face the pair. She hated that they were talking like she wasn’t in the room.  She was an adult and she had made the decision to overwork herself in the heat.  “ _I-I_ was the one that was stupid,” She admitted with a tremulous voice.  “I j-just wanted to get everything in the ground right away... _I_ was the one that pushed myself too far.”  She locked eyes with the grocer’s daughter as she said this final line.

Elli was familiar with this situation; the patient and her friend needed a bit of time alone to talk things out. The nurse quietly excused herself from the room to fetch Claire a nightgown and towel.

She had hardly left when the grocer’s daughter started right into her friend. “Why didn’t you stagger the crops?  Why did you have to do it all at once?  Dammit, Claire!” Tears ran down Karen’s face as she clenched her fists in frustration.

The farmer didn’t meet her friend’s gaze. “I’m really sorry.  I was just trying to….” She didn’t finish her sentence; she didn’t want to make Karen feel worse.

They both knew what she was going to say anyway. The brunette wasn’t flattered, but rather, hurt.  The fact that her friend had put herself in harm’s way in order to impress her had made Karen feel guilty instead of proud.  “Don’t you _ever_ do that again!” Karen scolded, impatiently wiping her burning cheeks.  “Don’t stop drinking that juice,” She added, folding her arms across her chest.

Claire sighed and took another sip. They sat in silence for a long time.

The blonde sunk down in the water. Karen hated her, and now she was indebted to her.  Surely her best friend now saw her as incapable.  All Claire had wanted to do was improve her farm and show the young woman what she was capable of.  The grocer’s daughter was so sure of who she was: she was strong and independent; she didn’t need to rely on others, and if anyone pushed her, she always pushed back.  Claire wished she could be more like her friend, but surely she wanted nothing to do with her anymore.  And here Claire sat, pathetic and naked in front of Karen; she was too embarrassed to look up at her.

The brunette couldn’t handle the tension any longer. She took a seat on the edge of the tub and playfully splashed her friend in the face.  “Hey, I’m sorry for yelling.  If anything ever happened to you, I would never forgive myself…”

Claire’s heart did a somersault. “K-Karen…”  It was a new feeling; she never had friends like this in the city…

“I’ve always wanted to have a sister,” Karen admitted with a sniff. She dipped her fingers in the tub and watched the ripples that formed on the surface of the water.  The young woman’s lips turned up into a shy smile.  “I’ve lived in this town my whole life longing for a close girl-friend...  Don’t get me wrong, I get along well with most of the people here, and I’m pretty close with Popuri, b-but when I met you…”

Claire smiled, and she felt a warm sensation in her chest. The fact that Karen genuinely cared about her was almost too much for her to take; she felt like crying once again.  They sat quietly for a couple of minutes, and the nurse returned to the room.

Elli drained the tub and helped Claire stand up, gently drying her off with the towel. “We can set up a cot by her bed tonight for you, Karen,” Elli gave her a kind smile.  She turned toward her patient and helped her into her nightgown.  “I hope you understand that you are very lucky to have friends like Karen and Cliff.”

Claire nodded, blinking her dry eyes.

Elli led her to the bed and helped her in. “I can put them down as your two main emergency contacts if that’s okay with you.”

The young woman nodded silently; she trusted the two of them more than ever after today.

“Trent ordered me to set you up with an IV to help hydrate you,” Elli explained as she set up the medical equipment. “Keep sipping at the juice, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

The grocer’s daughter was suddenly aware of how uncomfortable wet denim felt against her skin. “I’m going to go home to change,” Karen announced.  “I’ll be right back with my overnight things.”

The young woman headed back to the waiting room, and noticed a silent Cliff staring down at the floor. During all of the commotion in the patient’s room, Karen had forgotten that their friend was still waiting for them.  They must have been at least an hour back there.  She felt a wave of guilt; he looked like a nervous wreck, and he was doing a horrible job of hiding it at this point.  It seemed his calm demeanor had been worn away.  He heard her footsteps and looked up at her with wide eyes.

“They said she will be fine; she just needs rest. They want her to stay the night, and I’ll be here with her.”  She explained quickly.  “I’m going home to change.”  She realized he had been sitting in damp clothing as well, but he didn’t seem uncomfortable at all; perhaps his worry had distracted him, too.

“Okay. D-do you think I can go b-back there now?”  He bit his lip and ran his fingers through his now dry hair in a feeble attempt to look a little less disheveled.  He stood up and smoothed out his cotton shirt, wringing his hands nervously.

“Hey, Elli! Is Claire decent?”  Karen yelled over the cloth privacy screen.  “Cliff wants to visit!”

“He can come on back,” Elli answered.

At this moment, Karen realized how apparent it was that he had probably heard everything that had been said in the last hour or so. She played off her embarrassment.  “She’s lucky she has us, huh?” she winked at her friend, gave him a slap on the shoulder, and left.

Cliff wasted no time hurrying into the patient’s room; Elli was brushing Claire’s wet hair when he arrived.

His deep blue eyes traveled over her meticulously; the wait in the lobby had felt like an eternity, and he craved nothing more than to see his friend conscious and well. He gathered the last shreds of his composure together before he approached her.  “H-How are you feeling?” He asked, hurrying to her bedside.

“A lot better,” she admitted.

Cliff continued to study his friend. Her skin was a lot less flushed, but she still looked pretty weak.

She saw the concern on her friend’s face and gave him a weak apologetic smile. “I think I threw up on you earlier.  I’m sorry,” she tried to lighten the mood.

“That’s the least of my concerns right now,” he replied, and Claire fell silent. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze.  “I’m just… _really_ glad that you’re feeling better.”  His eyes remained focused on their hands and were hidden beneath his bangs.  The blonde noticed his eyelashes moving a lot and saw him gulp before he looked up at her with upturned lips, but the expression in his eyes was anything but playful.

The farmer understood that he was probably just as concerned about her as Karen was. Elli excused herself as she left the room to get the IV.

“I’m sorry about today. I didn’t mean to make everyone fuss over me and cause so much hassle.”  She could feel her eyes yearning to well up with tears even though they weren’t capable of doing so, and she silently cursed herself for being so emotional.

Cliff swallowed the lump in his throat and willed his facial expressions to relax. “Don’t apologize,” he returned, kneeling down by her bed, “You just got carried away.  No one is upset with you; we just all care about you and want you to feel better.”  He saw that her eyelids were getting heavy; surely, she was beyond exhausted.  He wanted to spend more time with her, but he felt it was selfish to keep her awake for any longer than she needed to be.  “Rest well, and I will see you tomorrow.”  He gave her shoulder a friendly pat and hesitated before he took her hand and brushed his lips against it.

Warmth came to her face; it was a different heat than what the sun had given her and it made her mind feel muddled. “Alright…  Tomorrow.” Claire turned toward her juice.  “Thank you for all your help.”  She gave him a small smile; he really was sweet and had a kind heart...

“Any time.”

He turned around to leave, and a rather pink Elli stood in the doorway. “Thank you for helping bring her to us, Cliff,” She managed to squeak out as she wheeled some medical equipment into the room.

“Of course. I know you will take good care of her.”  He stood up and bowed politely to the nurse before leaving.

“Such a gentleman…” The nurse watched him go, not without a bit of jealousy.  She wished her coworker showed warmth like that more often.  Her brown eyes moved to the patient, who was busy sipping her juice.  “Alright, Claire.  I’m going to hook you up to this IV.  You just rest and I’ll bring you some more juice in a bit.”

Claire was an obedient patient, and Elli was a swift nurse, making the process as painless as possible.

By the time Karen returned to check on her friend, Claire was sleeping soundly. Karen scooted a chair by her friend’s bed and watched her.

Claire was sensitive, polite, hardworking and kind. Karen sighed and wished she could be more like her friend.  Claire had an air about her that attracted people, yet she was painfully unaware of it herself.  Karen sighed.  She wished she could be gentler like Claire.  She shouldn’t have scolded her friend like that.  That’s what Karen always did when she got upset; she would lash out.  She had trouble controlling her emotions.  That was why she and Rick bickered, why she would get in shouting matches with Gray, and why Cliff remained so timid around her.  She looked at her friend’s sleeping figure and wished she hadn’t sounded so cross with her.

Elli came into the room with another jug of juice and set it by Claire’s bedside. Karen snapped out of her reverie.

The nurse curiously looked at her patient. “P-Pardon my asking, but are Claire and Cliff…?”

“Oh, no,” Karen laughed, adjusting Claire’s blankets. “They’re just both really sweet.  Cute, aren’t they?”

Elli blushed. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to be rude.”

Karen shrugged. “I didn’t take it as rude.”

Elli smiled and pulled up a chair beside the brunette. “I hope you didn’t feel like I was trying to keep you from staying here tonight...  I just wanted you to know we were going to take good care of her, and honestly, she looks mostly better already.”  She wanted the young woman to know that her friend was in good hands.

Karen nodded. “I know.  I just feel responsible for her.”  Her throat tightened as she watched her friend sleep.

She was startled by the nurse’s soft voice. “You’re a really good friend to her, Karen.”

It was Karen’s turn to blush. “I try, anyway.  Do you have any idea how hard it is going to be to get her to take it easy for a few days?” She laughed.

“Her crops are going to have to wait,” Elli replied soberly. “She can’t keep up at that pace.”

Pete probably could, but the farmer of Forget-Me-Not Valley seemed to possess superhuman qualities. Karen shook her head.  “Tell me about it.  I’ll probably need to keep my eye on her tomorrow to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.  She’s polite enough, but she sure can be stubborn sometimes.”

Elli laughed, and Karen knew why; the grocer’s daughter wasn’t exactly known for backing down easily either. She moved her gaze to the ceiling, masking her embarrassment.

“I know it’s a little early, but I think I’m going to turn in, too.” Karen announced. She wasn’t in the mood for dwelling on her own faults any more tonight; it was an emotionally exhausting day.

“I’ll bring you a cot,” Elli replied with a kind smile. “I hope you feel comfortable here, and please know that you can knock on my door if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Elli.”

As the nurse took her leave, Karen’s eyes drifted back to the sleeping farmer. She stood up and walked over to the bed, brushing the young woman’s bangs out of her eyes.  She couldn’t help but realize that in the short time she had known the farmer she had already grown smitten with her, despite the fact that they had so many differences.  Perhaps that was one of the reasons she liked her so much, Karen reasoned.  “Sweet dreams, Claire…  You silly, stubborn, wonderful girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Quintessential first summer in Mineral Town for new players: buy too many seeds, don’t eat enough power berries, and send yourself on a trip to the clinic. No reset button here, though, folks. 
> 
> I’ve been doing this for the whole story so far, but I feel like I need to make a note of this somewhere. Although the game has seasons that last one month, my story has three-month long seasons to make it a little more like real life. Hopefully I’ve written it naturally enough that it wasn’t glaringly obvious, but nonetheless, I felt the need to jot it down.
> 
> I tried to channel my own memories with my brush of heat exhaustion in this, but I’m shivering and bundled up; it’s a very chilly day today… Anyway, thanks for reading, as always! :)


	22. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being discharged from the hospital, Claire learns that although she is new to Mineral Town, there are plenty of people in her new home who care about her.

Claire woke up late the next morning still feeling rather sleepy. The nurse was helping folding up a cot, and Karen was holding out a breezy sundress and sandals.

“Oh, that’s a sweet dress,” Elli was commenting with a grin. “She will look so cute in that.”

“I figured something light would feel best,” Karen admired the powder blue garment with a satisfied nod.

The blonde stirred; there was no way she could fall back asleep now. The other two in the room were being far too loud…

“Welcome to the world of the living!” Karen had way too much energy as she hovered over her friend. The tips of the brunette’s hair dangled in Claire’s face and the farmer scrunched up her nose in protest.  “Doctor Trent already checked on you and said you can go home now to rest.”

The farmer sat up and rubbed her eyes and looked around the room vaguely, remembering with a nervous pang that she was in the hospital. She noticed a vase of wildflowers and rosemary on her nightstand and found herself relaxing a bit; whether it was the fragrance or the mere idea that someone had thought of her while she was ill, she could not say.  Perhaps it was both.

“Carter and Cliff already stopped by, but you were still asleep. Cliff volunteered to water your plants today and look after Koro and Tucker,” The nurse explained with a kind smile.

That easily explained the flowers; Claire had already begun associating the herb with her friend. She wondered how many people in town knew what had happened to her.  The farmer prayed that it wasn’t common knowledge by now; she didn’t want to be labeled as weak by the other villagers.  Cliff had probably mentioned yesterday’s events to his roommates and the priest, maybe Doug and Ann…  And Karen had probably told her parents, which meant her mother would inevitably tell Manna…

This meant the entirety of Mineral Town knew, or at least they would by this afternoon when the famed trio of gossipers met in the town square.

Claire frowned. It was the beginning of her second season, and surely people hadn’t gained much faith in her yet.  Were they even willing to at this point?  More likely, they would think she was nothing but reckless and irresponsible…

“I’ve got your clothes here,” Karen held up a bag, shaking the blonde from her reverie. “Elli was really sweet and did your laundry, but I brought you something lighter to wear.”  She held out the offered dress with a flourish.

Claire blinked. It felt like everyone was talking at once; she was still trying to get her bearings.  The two brunettes left the room so she could change in privacy.

The young woman looked down at her arm. There was a bandage where the IV was, but she only vaguely remembered it being there.  Yesterday was filled with hazy blurs.  The farmer recalled working in her fields with dreams of snow cones in the morning hours.  She remembered having a heart-to-heart with Karen soaking in a cool tub of water with great detail, along with some kind words and a sweet farewell from Cliff.  After her friends left her side, she must have fallen into a deep sleep.  Claire snapped back to the present and looked at her clothing choices.  The young woman opted for the dress; she still felt warm.  She grabbed the vase and the bag with her clothes and stumbled out into the lobby, her legs fighting her as she attempted to walk.

Karen immediately relieved the young woman of her belongings, and the farmer asked the doctor how much she owed.

“Nothing. Just take care of yourself, Claire.”  He gave her a very sincere smile.

“Th-Thank you.” The blonde was shocked by this act of kindness; she had actually been a little concerned as to how she was going to manage the medical bill for her visit.

Elli handed the grocer’s daughter a few more bottles of juice for her friend and they left the clinic.

It felt good to be standing on her own two feet again, but she still felt unsteady. All she really wanted to do was go back to sleep.  She expressed this to Karen.

“Good. Because I’m taking you home and you are not allowed to do a lick of work today.”  She took her friend’s hand and walked her home.  “You are going to go home and sleep.”

That sounded just fine to Claire.

They reached the farm and she was greeted by an excited yipping Koro. Claire reached down to pet the dog, rubbing his ears and smiling when the puppy closed his eyes with pleasure.  She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye as her friend was watering her fields.  Cliff saw her and gave her a friendly wave with a gloved hand.  She stood up more abruptly than she meant to as she prepared to approach him and was punished by a wave of dizziness; she stumbled a bit. 

Karen caught her by the arm. “What on earth are you doing, Claire?  Be careful!”  The young woman scolded and protectively put a hand on her back.

“I’m going to thank Cliff,” Claire thought that it was obvious as she turned toward the young man.

“Hold your horses, girl; _he_ will come to _you_!  What part of _rest_ do you not understand?”

The farmer didn’t realize how large her field looked to everyone else. Karen rolled her eyes and brought her friend’s things inside.

“Cl-Claire…” Cliff’s eyes were lit up as they focused on his friend and he fought back a blush.  The young woman looked very pretty in the blue cotton dress, but that was hardly important right now; she appeared to be much healthier than she was yesterday.  “I-It’s really good to see you standing again,” He set the watering can down on the ground and greeted her with an embrace.

His skin was warm and smelled of rosemary, leather, and sweat. Claire found the combination of scents quite agreeable – he smelled like hard work.  “Thank you for all of your help...  Yesterday and today…”  She buried her face into his shoulder, still ashamed at what had happened and the burden she had placed on everyone.  “I hope Koro and Tucker weren’t too much trouble.”

“Not at all,” He patted her back and picked up the watering can. “Get some rest and we can talk later.  Let us pamper you today,” he smiled, briefly placing a kind hand on her shoulder before returning to the crops.

Cliff had brought his own gloves; he came with the full intention of toiling in the fields today. She was relieved he had a good handle on things, but the farmer didn’t feel right leaving him to do all of the work.  She bit her lip.  “Okay...”

She gave him a nod and bit back a laugh as Koro let out a happy bark and trailed after the young man. Cliff chuckled and held a conversation with the puppy as he began watering again, splashing a little bit on Koro’s head to tease him.  The dog yapped in response and wagged his tail, eager to play.  Cliff apologized to the canine for riling him up as he continued to work, but Koro followed him at his heels, circling his legs and playfully barking.  Claire noticed that the brunette would make a statement or ask the puppy a question, and the canine would often bark or yip in response as if he understood; the farmer found herself giggling.

“He sure is cute, isn’t he?” Karen’s sudden voice beside her caused Claire to jump.

The farmer’s stomach gave a strange jolt. “H-Huh?”

The grocer’s daughter roared with laughter when she saw the look on Claire’s face. “Koro.  He sure is a glutton for attention, and all he ever wants to do is play.  How do you get any work done?”

“Well, I manage about as well as Cliff is,” The farmer admitted. She watched the young man alternate between watering the plants and giving the puppy a bit of attention, usually in the form of a pat on the head or a quick splash of water.

“It’s nice to take a break and see someone else do your work for a change, huh?” Karen gave her a grin.

Claire’s smile faded. That heavy pressure returned to her shoulders as she was reminded how guilty she felt.  She knitted her brows and bit her lip.  “Actually…”

The young man looked up from the empty watering can and noticed both of his friends were keenly watching him and were likely talking about him. He gave them a shy wave, and the rosiness in his cheeks was visible from the farmhouse.

A warm sensation spread through Claire’s belly. “It’s not that bad, I suppose.”  The blonde returned the gesture as she headed into the house with Karen.

Claire walked inside and her friend was already pulling back the blanket on her bed for her. The young woman handed her a bottle of juice.

“Drink.”

The blonde was happy to obey. She took a swig of the strange-tasting liquid and her eyelids felt heavy.

“Alright, now get some rest,” Karen ruffled her hair.

Again, Claire was quick to comply.

0o0o0o0

Karen flipped the page from the book that had been sitting on the table for the past few hours. She had been reading it on and off again to help pass the time.  She was on chapter five now; it was actually a pretty interesting story.  The brunette heard stirring from the bed in the corner of the room and tried not to look too excited as the blonde took a deep breath, stretching and finally opening her eyes.

The grocer’s daughter waited just long enough for her friend to exhale and blink a few times. She set down the book and walked over to the bed.  “How are you feeling, sleepyhead?”

Why was it that people always asked that question within seconds of awakening? She didn’t have an answer.  It had been a deep and dreamless sleep, and she still was regaining consciousness.  “Dunno yet,” Claire mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Karen ran a few fingers through her brown hair as she admired the vase of herbs and flowers on the farmer’s bedside table. “Well, you slept all day.  It’s nearly 7:30.”

A pair of blue eyes widened in horror. “What?!” She sat up straight and immediately regretted it; stars swam before her eyes for a moment as she regained her equilibrium.

“Don’t sweat it,” Karen closed the book and set it on the table. “Today was a day for rest.”

The blonde blinked some more and looked around the room curiously; the floor was no longer rocking back and forth like a ship on stormy waters the way it had this morning. “I think I’m starting to feel more like myself.”

“Good. You had quite a few callers today.”  Karen pointed at a few bundles on her table.

Claire stood up and stretched her back, wobbling a bit. Karen smiled at the farmer’s messy hair, but didn’t comment on it.  The young woman shakily took a cross-legged seat at the table, too tired to care how undignified she looked.  Karen passed her the last bottle of juice, which the farmer obediently sipped at.  She had grown accustomed to the strange flavor.  Her eyes widened when she saw the offerings that had been brought while she was asleep.

“Wow, who brought the care package?” Claire saw a basket with fruit and a couple of bottles of juice.

“Those are from Kai. He stopped by with Gray.”

Claire’s face flushed. “Wh-Why didn’t you wake me?!”

Karen laughed. “You were out pretty cold.  Gray dropped you off a book, but I told him you were sleeping,” She handed her friend the novel she had been reading.  “A whodunit.  Pretty good so far.”

Claire’s heart pounded. She was surprised he had thought to bring her something, and she was deeply touched.

“Gray also came over to check up on Cliff, and Kai brought him some lunch,” Karen continued, “I guess he was pretty upset last night when he got back to the inn.”

Claire felt a rush of guilt, but didn’t say anything.

“He was so calm and collected when we saw you and took you to the clinic. Honestly, when the two of us found you, he was the only one who really knew what to do.”

The blonde wracked her brain and had a vague memory of his gentle voice and cool water. “It all feels like a blur,” She admitted with a weak voice.  “W-Was I really that bad off?”

The brunette’s eyelashes fluttered as she struggled to maintain a calm demeanor. “Trent said if we hadn’t found you, you might have developed to heat stroke, and ultimately your organs could have shut down.”  Her green eyes focused on the surface of the table.

Claire frowned. Surely Karen had been dwelling on this a bit, but the farmer was feeling much healthier; she didn’t want the young woman to worry.  “I’m very glad to have a friend like you.”

Color rushed to the brunette’s face, but she didn’t look up from the tabletop. “I didn’t really do anything to help.  I cried and yelled a lot; that was about it,” She confessed sheepishly, clenching her teeth.

The fact that _anyone_ had been concerned for her safety had made Claire feel rather special, although somewhat guilty…

“I leaned on Cliff too hard with all of my crying and screaming,” The grocer’s daughter continued. “Apparently when he got home the whole thing hit him and he took it kind of hard,” Karen explained with a sigh, burying her face in her arms.  She didn’t feel that it was appropriate to repeat the entire story that Gray and Kai had told her; it would just make Claire feel worse to know how anguished her friend had been after the incident. 

Gray had confided in Karen that his roommate had been very withdrawn all evening, too distressed to leave their bedroom to visit the church or even go downstairs for a free dinner offered by Doug. He had quietly yet stubbornly pleaded that everyone leave him alone for the night.  The roommates had returned from dinner to find their friend curled up on his bed, passed out from exhaustion, his cheeks stained with tears. 

“I was so busy freaking out that I didn’t really give him a chance to get upset about it.” Karen struggled to keep her voice level.

Claire sunk deeper into her cushion. What kind of person was she, causing them both so much worry?

“I’m a terrible friend,” They both stated in unison. The women stared at each other.  Karen laughed, and it caught Claire by surprise.

“You don’t need to beat yourself up any more about yesterday. It’s over with.  We’re just happy that you’re feeling better.”  She let out a small sigh and returned to the packages on the table, shifting to a more businesslike mode.  “Rick dropped off a basket of spa boiled eggs for you so you don’t have to worry about breakfast tomorrow.  He stopped by and we talked for a few hours.  I can’t believe you slept through it.”  Karen blushed and pointed to another package, “And this is from Ann.  She brought you a lunch box.”

Claire popped it open and realized how hungry she was. Inside were a few rice balls, a small piece of smoked fish, and some pickled vegetables.  She was drooling.

Karen laughed, “You have quite a few admirers, huh?” She gave her friend a nudge and winked.

She was shocked by all of the gifts. Claire’s throat tightened in gratitude.  “Everyone here is so nice,” She managed to squeak out.  Remembering her hunger, she took a huge bite of rice ball.

“Don’t make yourself sick now,” Karen teased.

Claire offered Karen an onigiri and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

“So Rick was here for a few hours, huh?” Claire cocked an eyebrow as she finished her last bite.

“Yeah, do you want to fight about it?” Karen tried her best to look menacing while stifling a chuckle. “It was a really quiet day.  You were sleeping so soundly, and it got pretty lonely here.”  She shrugged casually.

The farmer wasn’t in the mood for teasing her friend any further today. “Did Cliff stop inside?”  Claire was slightly disappointed that the third member of their trio wasn’t in the room with them.

The brunette shook her head. “No, he left after he finished watering.  Why did you plant so much?  He was out there nearly all day!  I told him to just water half, but he insisted on doing the whole field…”  She gave the farmer an exasperated look; it seemed both of her new friends had proven to be quite stubborn.

“Ugh, and I’m going to have to do the whole field tomorrow,” Claire deflated. She didn’t want to take advantage of her friend’s kindness.  Surely Cliff had foraging and fishing to do, and his help on her farm had cut into that time; she couldn’t possibly ask for his help for another day.  Her only other option was for her to take the work on herself.

“No!” Karen slammed her fist on the table; she was determined to have the final say. “You are doing _half_!  And then you are doing the other half the next day!”  She was not about to have a repeat of yesterday’s events, not when she had the power to help prevent them.

Claire set down her jug of juice and furrowed her brows with worry. The timing of her projects was going to get thrown off…  “But my crops will grow slower…”  She insisted with a whine.

Karen wanted to hear none of it. “Do you want to get sick again?”  She remained firm.  “You’re still going to turn a huge profit this season, trust me.”

The farmer had a hard time realizing just how worried her fainting spell had caused her friends. “But I won’t be doing any more tilling,” The young woman pointed out obstinately.

Karen could see that she wasn’t going to get her own way. After all, as the farmer had mentioned at the hospital, she was an adult and had the right to make her own decisions.  “Fine.”  She folded her arms across her chest and sulked.  She cocked an eyebrow and gave her friend a serious glance.  “But once the onions come up, I am not letting my father sell you any more seeds until fall,” She insisted.

Claire had no doubt that the brunette could and would bully her father into this. She let out a defeated sigh.  “Okay, you win.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I regularly hold conversations with my cats; I’ll talk to them and they meow in response. Claire will be back up and moving next chapter. Hope you are enjoying the story so far.


	23. Back to the Grind... And the Mines!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rehydrated and reenergized, Claire is eager to get back to work. She bumps into a familiar face in the mines and becomes increasingly curious about the far corner of the mind that emits strange noises.

Claire spent the next couple of days mostly confined to the house, resting and rehydrating; her friends wouldn’t let her do much else. In a way, she was kind of grateful for this, as her body was still screaming in protest for overworking herself.  Cliff and Karen stopped by daily to check on her and the two took care of the fields.  Claire would wander outside to watch her friends work, but they refused to let her help much, reminding her to stay out of the sun, per doctor’s orders.  Her friends had different methods of making sure she followed Trent’s instructions.  Karen simply yelled until she got her way, startling Claire out of insisting on helping.  The farmer started to wonder if this was how the harassed grocer felt when Sasha scolded him in front of customers; it seemed their daughter had inherited her mother’s strong will.  Cliff was a little more subtle; he repeated to Claire time and time again that he had nowhere else he needed to be and that he was grateful to be able to help.  When he looked at her with those earnest eyes, she found it rather hard to say no to his offered assistance.  The farmer poured some kibble in Koro’s bowl and let Tucker out to graze, realizing that these two tasks were about the only ones her friends had deemed not too strenuous for Claire to handle.

The blonde noticed that the chores weren’t exactly divided evenly between the two; Cliff watered between two-thirds and three-quarters of the fields, and he only stopped because Karen stormed out of the farmhouse and wrenched the watering can from his hands. Cliff sighed, knowing all too well that Karen would burn herself out within the next half hour and toss the empty watering can at his head while he rested in the shade, talking to Claire, who kept a steady supply of drinking water available for her friends.

It was late afternoon and the farmer came outside and sat under the comfortable shade of the apple tree on her property. Karen was scolding Cliff for watering more than “his half” of the field, but she was distracted by the puppy’s antics and she began playing with Koro.  The young man rolled his eyes and continued to work.  Claire grinned; it seemed the grocer’s daughter was more bark than bite, the blonde giggled aloud at her pun as she watched Karen play with the dog.

“How are ya feeling?” The redheaded waitress was on her on her daily trip to the Goddess Spring and took a quick reprieve, plopping down on the grass beside the farmer.

“Mostly back to normal. I think I’m going to do the chores myself tomorrow,” Claire beamed at her, eager to get back to work.

Ann watched the two friends out in the fields. “Cliff used to spend a lot more time at the inn,” She remarked with a neutral expression, idly playing with the end of her braid.

“Oh, uh…” The blonde’s smile faded and she knitted her brows in nervousness.  “H-He _insisted_ on helping me!  I-I’m not forcing him to come here!”  She didn’t want the young man’s friend to think the farmer was taking advantage of his kindness.

The redhead looked at her curiously. “I was just sayin’.  When he moved here in the middle of winter last year, he didn’t leave his room much.  I’m glad that he’s making some friends; I was kind of concerned about him…”

Claire thought of the first time she met her male friend. He had opened up with her a lot already in the short period of time they knew each other.  The blonde’s eyes traveled to Ann and she noticed her eyes had a very kind warmth to them as she observed the man, but Claire caught a flash of something indistinguishable in her expression that was quickly masked with a cheery smile.

“He’s been going on about your farm so much lately. It looks like you’ve got quite a setup here,” Ann’s blue eyes moved over the tilled earth.  “It’s kind of hard to believe that this is the same land that had been overrun with weeds not too long ago…  It looks good!  I believe if you’re going to do something, you might as well go all out!”  The redhead beamed at her.  “I like your style; maybe next time you come to the inn… we could hang out a bit?”

“S-Sure!” In all honesty, the farmer was growing increasingly curious about Cliff’s friend.  Claire noticed that Karen was rather chatty with the redhead when they passed each other on the street.  She struck Claire as lighthearted, fun, and playful.  Someone like that in the farmer’s life would be rather pleasant.

The waitress stood up and dusted off her overalls, tightening the ribbon in her hair. “Well, I’m off to the Goddess Spring to say a prayer for Mom.  See you around, Claire.”

“Bye. I’ll see you soon,” The farmer gave her a friendly wave as the redhead bounded down the mountain path.

Claire stifled a giggle as Karen gave Cliff a rough, yet playful shove in the direction of the farmer, insisting he take a break. He scowled at the brunette, but she brandished the watering can as if it was a deadly weapon.  The young man let out a sigh and a smile crept across his face as he headed to his friend in the shade, the puppy following at his heels.

The farmer held up a glass of cool water for him in greeting. As eager as she was about getting back to work, a little part of her was already beginning to miss this.

0o0o0o0

It took a bit more effort than usual to get moving the next day, but once she did, Claire started feeling a lot better. She hated to admit how much she had enjoyed having her friends run the farm in her stead and being thoroughly spoiled by them, but she was aware that it was time to buckle down if she wanted to have a successful season.  She waited for a few more days before doing anything too strenuous outside of watering crops; the young woman had been eager to head to the mines to get her copper for Gray.

The blonde loved the coolness of the mines in the hot summer afternoons, but as everything in life, the setting wasn’t completely perfect. She heard what she thought was the fluttering of wings in the dark cave and her skin crawled.

“Just focus on the sound of your hammer,” Claire muttered to herself as she swung the tool at the crumbling stone.

It was a satisfying noise, and the crunching of the rocks gave her a profound sense of accomplishment, but she found herself choking on the dust. She blinked her watering eyes and jumped when she heard a deep voice in the shadows.

“Are you trying to give yourself emphysema or what?” The apprentice blacksmith set down his lantern on the stony floor of the mine and gave her a smirk. He pulled a red handkerchief out of his back pocket and tied it protectively around his nose and mouth.

The farmer sheepishly fished through her own pockets and felt herself redden with embarrassment as she remembered exactly where she had left her own kerchief; it was folded in a tidy square on her table at home.

Gray sighed. “Here…”  He rolled his eyes and untied his ascot.  “I’d offer you my handkerchief, but I kind of sneezed in it earlier.  Trust me, it’ll be better for your lungs to breathe through this rather than completely exposing yourself to the particles of dust down here,” he offered her the piece of aqua-colored fabric.

Claire swiftly covered her nose and mouth with the cloth, grateful that it covered her burning cheeks. Even in the dim light of the cavern, she was sure her blush was visible.  The fabric smelled of smoldering metal and a hint of the young man’s sweat.  It was the sweetest perfume to Claire; her knees felt a little weak.

“Make sure you keep your mouth and nose protected in here if you’re going to be raising dust,” Gray’s voice was gruff. “We’re both too young to be giving ourselves health problems that can easily be avoided.”  There was an awkward pause as the apprentice focused his eyes on the floor.  “Cliff says you’re doing much better…  I’m glad.”  He turned his face away and focused on the rock formations in the mine.

“Th-Thank you,” she stammered, shifting her hammer on her shoulder. “S-So… What brings you to the m-mines?”  Claire tried to ignore the fact that the fabric touching her face had been against Gray’s skin moments ago; it was still warm from his body heat.  She focused on steadying her breathing.

“Gramps needs silver.”

 _So he had volunteered to help his elderly relative with the grunt work_ …  Claire grinned beneath her mask; the young man put up a tough front, but every so often she saw a crack in his gruff exterior.  “I-It’s nice of you to do that for your grandfather,” She ventured, shifting her tool in her sweaty hands.

Gray swung his hammer a few times and grunted. “Dunno about all that.  Gramps can find twice as much ore as me in half the time.  He’s just trying to keep me from getting underfoot at the forge.”  He rolled his eyes, continuing with his work.

The farmer mimicked his movements; the young man swung in a very fluid motion. This was obviously something he had done for years, and there was a certain kind of beauty to the way he moved.  As hard as Claire tried to keep up, she knew her body couldn’t handle it, and she took a quick reprieve, allowing her eyes to drift to the handsome young man beside her.  He eventually stopped to take a break and she paused again as well, catching her breath.  Gray never spoke much, and she wasn’t expecting him to start a conversation, but it felt like a wasted opportunity to not say anything…

Claire was distracted by the flapping noise again and her eyes widened. “Did you hear that?”  She gasped, looking up at the ceiling fearfully.

Her companion shrugged. “I didn’t hear anything.”  There was no emotion on his face or in his voice as he took his cap off and fanned himself with it for a few moments.

She heard an echoing flutter once more, and her heart raced.

“There it is again!” She clutched his arm and her breath hitched.  “Do you think there might be bats in this mine?”

Gray stared at her as if she had asked the most absurd question in the world. “No…  There are no bats here… _anymore_ …”  He paused, looking around them dramatically.  “You know…  It _could_ be the troglodytes…”  He raised his eyebrows.

The blonde blinked at him curiously as he returned his hat to his head, concealing the tousled red locks underneath.

“Y-You know… Cave dwellers.  Oni.”  The young man pulled his cap over his eyes.

A grin slowly formed across her face as she realized he was attempting to joke around with her, but she was sidetracked when she heard the sound another time. “There it is again!”  She repeated, turning toward the back corner of the cave.  She had never ventured that far into the mine before, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to start.  “It’s coming from over there.  Do you feel that draft?”

“I guess…?” He didn’t look convinced.  The young man fished a few slivers of ore out of the rocks with gloved hands and went back to work.

The farmer bit her lip. Why was he suddenly treating her like a child?  “I’m g-going to see what that sound is…”

The young man swiftly caught her by the rucksack. “Don’t go over there unless you want to lose a finger.”

The farmer froze in her tracks and the blood drained from her face. “Wh-What?!”  Her eyes grew to the size of saucers and her jaw dropped behind her cloth.  “B-But you said that there were no-”

“I said there were no _bats_.  You stay out that area and you’ll be fine.”  His voice was gruff and commanding, but he didn’t let go of her bag.

Claire’s blood ran cold; she nearly fumbled her hammer. She turned toward him and he finally let her go, realizing she wasn’t going to rush out into the darkness by herself.  “S-So… What _is_ it?”  Maybe he wasn’t trying to joke about the oni…

The apprentice knitted his brows and looked around them nervously. The playfulness had gone from his eyes a while ago; he tugged on the bill of his cap.  “It’s none of your concern.”  He finally said with a tone of finality that echoed his grandfather’s, returning to swinging his hammer.

She felt like she had been slapped across the face. And just as they were starting to get along well, too…  They worked in silence for several moments, both aware of the tension Gray’s last line had caused the both of them.

The young man cleared his throat and let out a weak chuckle. “Mary says oni have teeth strong enough to crush rocks…”  There was a twinkle in Gray’s eye as he looked back at her.

She would have normally swooned at his expression, but Claire was past the point of kidding around. _Why was it always about the librarian with him?_   The blonde gritted her teeth and stubbornly took another step in the direction of the sound.

“Why don’t we take a break at the inn? Let’s get Ann to cook us something, eh?”  Gray caught her bag again, this time pulling the kerchief off of his face and giving her a grin. 

The apprentice succeeded; the farmer’s attention was immediately drawn away from the mysterious corner of the mine. Claire’s heart throbbed in her ears.  Gray was actually asking to take her out?  His not-too-subtle tone of voice had suggested that this was a command rather than a request, but Claire didn’t mind in the least; he wanted to spend time with her, and that was all that mattered.  She didn’t feel like sorting through the pile of conflicting emotions bouncing through her head at the moment. “Wha…?  O-Okay!”  She managed to squeak out with an emphatic nod and eagerly followed him out of the mine, nearly forgetting her lantern in the process.

0o0o0o0

They weren’t the only ones at the eatery that afternoon. Claire saw a familiar brown ponytail on the man sitting at the bar as Ann sang a silly rhyming song about cooking behind the bar.

“Yay! It’s ready!”  The redhead flourished a spoon to the young man across the counter with a cheery grin.  He reached for the offered utensil, but she slapped his hands away with her free one as she noticed the pair enter the room.  “Open up, silly.”  Her jolly facial expressions did not change despite her use of violence.

Her companion opened his mouth and accepted the offering. He sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments, contemplating the flavor.  “More miso.”

“Huh, you think? I don’t want it to get _too_ salty…”  She refilled the spoon in the pot behind her and took a slurp.  “I dunno…”  Her eyes moved to the two new customers.  “Hey, you two!  Come and sit!”  She pointed at the bar with her metal spoon.

The brunette whirled around on the stool. “Oh, hey, y’all…”  He gave them a courteous nod, and his eyes curiously traveled to the familiar piece of teal fabric loosely tied around the young woman’s neck.

“Good to see you, Claire! … _Gray_.”  She said the second name like it was bitter in her mouth; the apprentice had left his dirty laundry on the floor of the shared bathroom again this morning and had gotten an earful from Ann about it.  When Gray insisted that his roommate didn’t seem to care, he was met with a broom handle to the back of the head.  “We’re trying to save this pot of soup.  It tastes like nori and water,” Ann explained with a sheepish giggle.  She reloaded the spoon and tasted it.  “Yep…  It’s definitely missing something…”  She dipped it back into the pot and nearly rammed the spoon into Gray’s mouth.

“I can feed myself, dammit.” He grumbled. “And use a fresh spoon!  I hope you’re more hygienic when you’re on the clock!”

Ann rolled her eyes. “Are you afraid of cooties?  Don’t talk to me about hygienic, you slob!  Taste it, and quit being a baby.”  She continued to hold out the spoon stubbornly.

The young man mimicked her facial expressions and Claire nearly laughed out loud; if she didn’t know any better, the two could easily be mistaken for siblings.

“Sooo… What’s it missing?” The waitress eagerly bounced on the balls of her feet.

“Flavor.”

Ann rapped the apprentice’s knuckles with the spoon without warning and Cliff bit back a snicker as Gray swore under his breath. The young woman ignored their behavior and added more soup to the spoon, turning toward the farmer.  “Your turn, Claire.  What’s it missing?”

The young woman obediently opened her mouth and blushed as the other three watched her curiously. Apparently, cooking practice at Doug’s Inn was very serious business.  She closed her eyes and concentrated on the flavor, trying her best to ignore the fact that the last one to have the spoon in their mouth was Gray.  “Miso…  Soy sauce, too…  It needs a punch.”

Cliff gave Ann a triumphant grin. “Told you.”

He got a smack on the knuckles as well, and Claire giggled aloud. “You only suggested miso,” Ann retorted, tasting another spoonful of soup.

“It’s all going to be gone if you keep ‘testing’ it,” Gray snickered, quickly removing his hands from the bar counter.

He was met with a sour look as the waitress turned around and began adding seasonings to the pot, continuing with humming her repetitive song.

“S-So… What brings you to the inn, Claire?” The brunette rubbed his red knuckles and gave her a kind smile.

The farmer’s eyes widened. She thought that Gray had just been melodramatic with his cursing; it seemed that Ann didn’t pull any punches when it came to doling out punishment.  She felt a little bad for laughing when his hand got struck.

“Gray and I bumped into each other in the mine,” Claire excitedly explained. She turned to face toward Cliff and felt the unfamiliar weight of Gray’s scarf tied around her neck; her face felt hot, but it wasn’t due to the warmth of the extra strip of fabric.

“Find anything good?” He asked politely, looking up from his hands.

“Not much,” Gray replied from the other side of her, folding his arms across his chest. “I got some silver for Gramps, but I know he’ll ask why I didn’t get more.”

“Sp-Speaking of…” Claire’s heart pounded as she reached for her pack.

The apprentice turned burgundy as he cut her off. “I-It wasn’t a very fruitful trip…  Y-You should ship everything you found today.”  He nervously pulled on the bill of his cap to hide his face.

Claire’s eyes moved to the floor; her heart broke. She thought it would mean more to him to be the recipient of the single piece of copper she found today for that very reason.  She didn’t notice the keen look Ann shot at the apprentice, nor did she hear the faint shuffling of the stool beside her.

The waitress held out another spoon to Claire. “Check it out; I added a few different things.  Open up!”

The redhead’s cheery demeanor shook Claire from her depressive state; she truly did enjoy cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, after all. Ann had a way of making her forget about her problems.  The blonde smiled and eagerly opened her mouth and gave the soup a taste.  It was quite an improvement, but it still needed something.  “Hmmm…  What did you put in it?”

“Come back here and I’ll show ya!” Ann winked at the farmer, beckoning her over with a finger and a grin. “You can help me perfect it!”

Claire remembered their conversation at her farm about a week ago; she was eager to spend a little one-on-one time with the bubbly young woman. The farmer stood up and brushed past the brunette before coming behind the bar, unaware of how closely the two barstools had drifted together in the past few minutes.

“Oh! S-Sorry, Cliff!” She let out an embarrassed giggle.

“I-It’s fine…” He gave her a shy smile as a hint of pink flashed across his cheeks.  His eyes followed the farmer to the bar and he jumped when he looked back at the bar stool and saw his roommate sitting there instead.

“Hey… She’s getting a little too curious about your corner of the mine,” Gray kept his voice low.

Cliff’s eyes widened and his eyebrows immediately furrowed with worry, but he didn’t say anything.

“She was going to walk over there herself for a moment. I had to stop her, and she wasn’t satisfied with my oni story.”

“Oni?” The apprentice was met with a puzzled look.

Gray rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I told her there were some oni living in the mine.”  He kept his voice low.

Cliff let out a soft chuckle. “Well, _this_ mine is a bit too close to civilization…”

The apprentice gave his roommate a sideways glance and snorted; he looked up at the bar and the two women were too busy chattering away to notice. “You believe those fairy tale creatures exist?”  He cocked an eyebrow.

The brunette stared at him incredulously. “Th-They’re _not_ fairy tales!  After all, there are tengu up in the mountains and there’s a kappa in the lake!”  He nodded more to himself than his roommate.

Gray scoffed; Cliff was rather superstitious to believe that a kappa actually lived just outside of Mineral Town. “Well, that’s beside the point,” He dismissed this with the wave of a hand.  The apprentice carefully watched Claire and Ann for their reactions, and the two of them were too busy giggling over the boiling pot.  He let out a sigh of relief.  “If she keeps nosing around, she’s going to get hurt in the mine, and it’s going to be on you.  Does Gotz know about your… _arrangement_?”  He whispered with a frown.

The young man nodded and his face was scrunched up in concern. “Yeah, but Harris doesn’t…  I kind of want to keep it that way if possible…  Rick hasn’t said anything to him or asked me any more questions about it, thank goodness…  Alright…  I’ll have to _tell_ her, at least.  I’ll… do it soon,” He did a poor job of hiding his apprehension on the subject as he absentmindedly played with his fingers and glanced behind the bar at the two young women.

The waitress watched curiously as the blonde rifled through the bottles of seasonings.

“… And a little bit of this,” Claire added a few drops of sesame oil to the pot.

Ann’s bright blue eyes lit up as she took a taste from the ladle. “That was it!  Smells good!”

“Not quite… Just a touch more miso,” The blonde stirred the pot and gave it one more test.  “That’ll do it.”  She nodded proudly and handed the utensil to Ann.

The redhead slurped the liquid and gave an emphatic nod of approval; the city girl didn’t strike her as the type to know her way around a kitchen. “So, did your parents teach you how to cook, too?” The waitress lowered the heat on the pot and idly twirled the spoon in her fingers.

The young woman returned the cap to the bottle of oil. “Yes.  I cooked dinner a lot for my family as a teen before I moved out.  I used to work at a restaurant, too.”

“Cooking’s a good skill to have,” Ann commented, drinking a ladle of soup. “Everyone should learn how to prepare a meal.”

The farmer nodded in agreement. “Mum always said it was a skill necessary to reel in a man,” She shrugged her shoulders and let out an innocent giggle.  Claire’s mirth was halted when she looked up and saw the livid expression on Ann’s face.

“Your mother sounds like Dad…” The waitress bit her lip.  “I-I don’t need a… _b-boyfriend_ ,” Her voice was bitter as she thrust the ladle back into the pot, sloshing a bit of soup onto the counter, and the farmer noticed that the redhead’s eyes flicked to the young men talking at the bar and she bit her lip.

“N-No, of course not! Not unless you want one!”  Claire gave the young woman an awkward smile, feeling an uncomfortable sensation rise in her stomach.

Ann could see that the farmer was trying to be agreeable, and her facial features relaxed. She let out a sigh.  “Boys can be stupid,” She whispered, giving the pot an idle stir.  Claire was surprised that the waitress was wearing an apologetic smile rather than her usual grin accompanied with a laugh.  “Gray is sometimes as dumb as the rocks he digs up, huh?  He means well…  Hey…  Don’t worry about him, okay?”  She spoke with a gentle voice as she ladled the soup into four bowls and deposited a spoon in each of them.  Claire helped her set them on the bar counter.  “Alright, idiots, time to eat!”  Ann rapped her metal spoon on the bar counter.

Both young men jumped in surprise, and Claire laughed out loud at their reactions. Gray looked up at the waitress with a scowl, and Cliff gave her a rueful smile.

“Sit beside me, okay?” Ann shot the farmer a playful grin and a wink as she got out the napkins. “We girls gotta stick together!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you all for your feedback! As you can probably tell, friendships in this story are about to get a little more complicated.
> 
> Do you know what or who is dwelling in the cave? I’ve been dropping hints since Chapter Two. Haha, I hope I didn’t make it too painfully obvious! Thanks for reading, and feel free to let me know what you think!


	24. Twenty-Four Birthday Spanks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Karen learn that it is Cliff's birthday. A celebration is in order!

Claire eagerly led the way up the mountain trail as Karen struggled to keep up with her.

“Slow down! The blueberries aren’t going anywhere!”  The brunette laughed.

Their trips to Mother’s Hill had become more common. After Claire finished watering in the mornings, she went up to the mountains to forage.  She often met Karen at the Goddess Spring along the way and they’d spend hours gathering berries, wild fruits, and other edibles.  The brunette had to admit that she was quite impressed at how her friend was able to find wild growing things and sell them for a profit.  She was a bit surprised at how brave the city girl was about eating them, though; Karen lacked the courage to eat some of the sketchy-looking weeds Claire eagerly popped into her mouth without a second thought.

The friends made their way up the mountain and picked a bunch of summer blueberries. Karen ate more than she put in the farmer’s bag.  Her friend was much more businesslike about the gathering of wild things, but she was happy for the help either way.  Claire looked up in the sky and saw a large bird with dark wings, a white chest, and speckled belly.  She pointed it out to Karen. 

“What kind of bird is that? Hawk or falcon?” Claire watched it slowly soar toward the lake.

Karen squinted as she shielded her eyes from the sun. “Ah, that’s definitely a falcon.  Hawks have larger bodies, and falcons have that wingspan.  Rick and Popuri taught me that one.”  Her eyes followed the raptor as it headed west.

Claire stared up at the bird, absentmindedly popping a blueberry into her mouth. “Oh, I’d imagine they’d need to keep an eye out for them with the chickens.”  She realized she would need to do the same thing if she decided to have some hens of her own.

Karen nodded; Rick was often griping about potential threats to his flock. “Well, they put netting over their enclosures, but you can’t be too careful…  I’ve seen this guy before.  He’s been hanging out in the mountains since the middle of last winter.  He sure is pretty…”  She couldn’t help but admire the creature.

“Yeah, I wonder if there’s a nest nearby.” The thought of chirping baby falcons made Claire’s heart melt.

They followed the bird up the mountain trail and were greeted with the scent of a campfire. The farmer inhaled the air and exhaled with a smile; the smell of burning wood was one of her favorites.  The two friends made their way down the path to the lake. 

They quickly found the source of the campfire. Cliff was standing in the shallows of the lake like a statue, holding a sharpened piece of bamboo over the water in deep focus.  He wasn’t wearing his usual tunic and his pant legs were rolled up; he hadn’t bothered with unnecessary clothing because of the intense heat.  Claire had never seen such a look of concentration in his face.  The farmer noticed that the falcon had perched in a tree not too far from the young man and the bird’s eyes were locked onto Cliff.

“What’s he doing?” Karen whispered.

For a moment, the farmer wondered if her friend was inquiring about the man or the bird, but she realized the brunette’s eyes were focused on their mutual friend. “…  Fishing…”  Claire thought this much was obvious; the young man regularly walked along the edges of the river and lake carrying a sharpened stick, but she had never actually seen him in action.

He suddenly struck at the water. Both girls jumped.  He pulled the stick out of the water, revealing a wriggling fish.  Claire’s eyes widened with amazement.

Karen whistled at him. “Wow, Cliff!  That was so cool!”

Their friend jumped at her sudden noise. He turned a deep shade of red.  “H-hey, y’all!”

They made their way over to him.

“Pretty impressive!” Karen applauded.  She gave him a congratulatory slap on the back and immediately retracted her hand in disgust.  “Ugh, you’re covered in sweat!”  She wiped her wet hand off on her shorts.

“What do you expect? It’s hot out,” Cliff shrugged and swiftly went to preparing the fish with his hunting knife; he was very hungry, but didn’t want to seem rude.  “F-Feel free to take a seat.”

Claire was familiar with his shaking hands. She had been there several times herself; he was on the verge of keeling over.  As the farmer watched her friend skewer the meat and prop it up skillfully over the fire, she noticed that he had tossed the remains of the fish in the direction of the falcon; it seemed Cliff was aware that the bird had been watching him.  The young man went to wash his hands in the lake and cool off, and she pulled the wild berries out of her bag, eager to share them with her hungry friend.  Karen went into munching mode again, and Cliff took a seat beside them.

It seemed the grocer’s daughter wasn’t aware of their mutual friend’s trembling. “Please help yourself,” Claire offered, wishing Karen would eat more slowly.

“Thank you.” He gave her a grateful smile as he popped a few berries in his mouth and rested his eyes for a moment.

“So, are we interrupting you from your work?” Claire asked, offering him her handkerchief to wipe off his face; he had splashed water over it while he was cooling off in the lake.

“Oh, no, you’re fine,” Cliff stammered, accepting the handkerchief with a kind nod and a hint of blush. “I was just looking for some lunch, and my food stash is running low.”  He explained as he shuffled the skewers over the flames with shaking hands.

Karen almost asked why he didn’t just buy some food at the inn, but she held her tongue; she knew he was unemployed. She watched Claire pull some sort of wild plant out of her bag and share it with him and felt a flash of embarrassment; she never realized how creative her friends had to be to make ends meet.  Karen only really knew that berries, flowers, and bamboo shoots grew up here.  She had no use for them herself, so she never really explored the area thoroughly.  All of the food she ate was available at the grocery store; she never gave much thought to having to find food.  Berries were the only thing she ate up here, and she only really ate them when she hung out with Claire.

Karen silently watched Claire give Cliff a couple of bundles of herbs and berries; the farmer seemed awfully generous with the things she had worked so hard to gather herself. The young woman watched the blonde tuck extra things in her friend’s satchel while his back was turned and smiled.  The farmer really was sweet.  The grocer’s daughter found herself sighing.  She really wished she could be more like Claire.

The fish was ready. The young man offered Karen a skewer, but she felt guilty taking it.  She agreed to taste it, and was surprised at how good it was.  It wasn’t seasoned the way Doug grilled his fish at the inn, but it had a delicate flavor.  She looked over at Claire, who was sharing in a skewer and laughing with Cliff about something.  The farmer had mentioned her foraging trip with their mutual friend nearly a month ago.  The grocer’s daughter realized that they had probably been meeting regularly in the mountains without her.  Karen wondered if Cliff always foraged without a shirt on and caught herself smirking at the two.  Claire laughed again and beamed at the young man, and Karen felt a twinge of jealousy, realizing she didn’t have the farmer completely to herself.

“What’s wrong, Karen?” Cliff noticed the look on his friend’s face.

Karen felt embarrassed and petty. She forced a small smile on her face, “Nothing.”

“I know it’s not Chocolate Curry dip, but I thought the fish was pretty good,” Claire giggled, adding her empty skewer to the pile as she thanked her friend for sharing.

Karen saw a bit of color come into Cliff’s cheeks and she smiled. “I was just lost in thought for a moment,” She admitted.  She suddenly remembered something, and she was slightly annoyed that the young man hadn’t brought it up himself.  “Hey, Cliff!  Wasn’t your birthday yesterday?  I think that’s when Ann said it was.”

“Oh, it’s today,” He corrected her with a soft chuckle as he poked the flames with a long stick. “I’m… twenty-four today.”  He looked like he had to do the math in his head for a moment.

“Well, why didn’t you say anything?” Karen teased him. “Were you planning on spending the day alone?  Do you want us to feel like jerks for not getting you anything?”

Cliff reddened. “I d-didn’t think of that at all.  I didn’t think it was a big deal…  I haven’t celebrated my birthday for several years now,” His expression turned grim as his eyes focused on the campfire.

The blonde scooted a little closer to her friend and stared at the burning embers. “I’ll be twenty-three at the end of fall,” Claire looked at him with a smile and her friend’s face immediately relaxed.

“Well, we should do something special today, then,” Karen stated with authority. Both friends looked at her, waiting for her direction.  “Well, obviously we are going to the bar,” She laughed.  “Come on, I’ll buy you both a big dinner and drinks tonight; it’ll be great.”  She was eager to do something special for the two of them.

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you,” Both of her friends stumbled over their words.

Karen smiled. They were so overly polite and easy to please.

0o0o0o0

Claire tore through her shelf and bag at her home. She was very embarrassed; she hadn’t known when her own friend’s birthday was.  Even worse, she had no idea what to give him.  She had spent all of her money on seeds and was waiting for it to come back to her, so she didn’t have the option of buying him anything.  The farmer was so broke that even a bar of chocolate was a luxury she couldn’t afford.  She didn’t have anything on hand that could qualify as a gift, either.  Her bag was nearly empty as it was; she had snuck extra food into Cliff’s pack when he wasn’t looking.  The farmer noticed how hungry he seemed today and how slim he looked; she was concerned about him.

Not knowing what else to give him and being pressed for time, Claire took the basket that Carter had given her back in spring and filled it with some bamboo shoots she had been keeping for herself. It was simple, but it would have to do.  Deep down, she knew that he wasn’t expecting anything from her and would be flattered at anything, but all the same, she wanted to give him _something_ to let him know she cared about him.  Claire walked to her bedside and brushed her hair until it shined.

It was an awkward walk to the inn. Claire began to remember how oddly shaped the basket was, and she was kind of grateful to be rid of it.  She was thankful that she didn’t need to bring her usual rucksack with her as well; the basket was plenty.

Both of her friends were already there by the time the farmer showed up. Karen had a few empty beer steins around her, but Cliff was sticking to juice.  Claire hoisted the basket onto the table.

“Happy birthday!” She grinned, hoping that her offering would bring a smile to his face.

It was obvious he hadn’t been expecting anything from her. “Thank you very much!” he beamed and gave her a hug, nodding with approval at the sensible, thoughtful gift.

Claire took a seat between her friends and her heart felt light.

Ann stopped by the table to take their order, studying the heaping basket of bamboo shoots. “Wow, did Claire get those for you, Cliff?”

He nodded and his cheeks turned rosy.

“I got you something, too! Happy birthday!” She handed him a small package she had been keeping in the pocket of her apron.

The young man opened the parcel and his face lit up. Claire didn’t get a good look at it.  “A knife sharpener?  Wow, thanks, Ann!  I will get a lot of use out of this!”

Ann ruffled his hair. “No prob!”

Claire felt a flash of jealousy that she hadn’t given him something practical like that. If only she had known his birthday was coming up, she would have saved up some money to get him a proper gift… 

Karen watched the farmer’s expression with mild amusement. “And now for my gift!” The grocer’s daughter announced with a grin.  “Order whatever you want, guys.”

The waitress took the pencil that she had tucked behind her ear and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. “So what’ll it be?” Ann asked, pulling a small notepad out of her apron pocket.

“Do you serve Chocolate Curry dip?” Karen asked teasingly. Claire’s mention of their strange creation earlier today had caused a slight craving.

“No,” Ann laughed, playfully shoving Karen’s shoulder. She knew how proud the grocer’s daughter was of the dish, but there was no way they would serve it at the inn.

The brunette shrugged with a sigh. “You know me; I’ll have the pizza.  And another beer.  Keep ‘em coming!”

Claire couldn’t remember the last time she had pizza. She looked at the menu and saw that they had the savory pancakes and decided to give them a try.  Cliff ordered curry rice without even looking at the menu first.

“Alright! It will take a few minutes, but I’ll be right back with the drinks!” Ann ruffled Cliff’s hair again and he rolled his eyes. 

“So, Cliff… You and Ann,” Karen teased, taking a swig of beer.

Cliff shot her an unamused look and the grocer’s daughter laughed heartily at his expression. Her friend was too uptight; she’d make sure that was taken care of before the evening was over…

Claire was wondering if she had spent too much time in the heat today; her face suddenly felt warm. She shrank down in her chair and sipped at her water, contemplating the strange tightening in her stomach.

“This seat taken?” The blacksmith sat down before anyone could answer.

The farmer’s stomach went to tightening a bit to doing a somersault. “H-Hi Gray,” Claire breathed, her heart pounding loudly in her ears.

“Hey,” He nodded to her and tugged on the bill of his cap. “Happy birthday, Cliff.”

“Thanks.” His roommate gave him a small smile.

“So you’re spending your birthday surrounded by women? Not bad,” He grinned, folding his arms across his chest with a gruff laugh that reminded everyone at the table of the old blacksmith.

Cliff wasn’t used to all of the teasing. He reddened, and Claire could feel herself getting embarrassed as well; Gray was going to get the wrong idea.

“We’re all giving him a rough time tonight,” Karen laughed, giving the harassed brunette a ruffle of the hair.

“Hey, I got you something,” He handed his roommate a small box. “Made ‘em myself.”  The apprentice nervously held out the box, trying not to look too proud of his own creation.

His friend opened the box and his eyes gleamed with gratitude. “Ah, metal spearheads.  This will make fishing much easier.  Thank you,” He smiled at Gray.

“No problem.” The apprentice cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair with a polite nod.

The grocer’s daughter was eager to brag about their friend. She played with a long strand of her brown hair and rested her elbows on the table.  “We saw him take out a fish with a sharpened piece of bamboo earlier today,” Karen finished her mug and slammed it down loudly.  “It was pretty darn impressive.  Tell me, how do you learn to do stuff like that?”  She turned toward Cliff with an inquisitive look.

Claire’s ears perked up as her eyes flew toward the young man. She wanted to know, too.

“My uncle showed me; I’ve done it for years.” He didn’t go into further detail as he took a quiet sip of juice.  He was uncomfortable with all of the attention, even among friends; the young man’s cheeks turned pink.

Ann returned to the table with the drinks. She went to get a glass of wine for Gray.  Claire’s heart pounded uncomfortably in her chest.  Was Gray going to be spending the evening with them as well?  She couldn’t think of anything to say to him and found herself panicking.

“Speaking of impressive,” Karen continued as she started on her next drink, “Did you get a good look at Claire’s fields?” The young woman cocked an eyebrow as she swirled the wine in her glass.

Gray’s face lit up. “Yeah, I saw all the signs in the ground labeled ‘Corn’.”  He shot the farmer a grin and took a sip of his wine.

Claire blushed and noticed Cliff looked relieved to be out of the spotlight for the moment. She nervously twisted her cloth napkin around her fingers.

“You’re going to get so rich this summer,” Karen let out a carefree laugh as she finished off her wine and started on the other Ann had left behind for her.

“I sure hope so.” She had invested all of her money, after all, and was living off of foraged food and her get well gifts until her crops came up.

“Hey, you should be proud of yourself,” Gray said. “Taking care of that much property isn’t easy, I’m sure, and it’s good to see you’re back in the swing of things after getting sick.”

The blonde’s heart stopped for a moment; she hadn’t expected the apprentice’s heartwarming words. “Th-thanks.”

“We’re all glad,” Karen added, and Cliff nodded.

Claire smiled. There were kind friends surrounding her and the young woman’s heart felt full.  “Thank you, everyone.”  Karen squeezed her and kissed the top of her head.  Gray rolled his eyes and snorted.

The redheaded waitress bounced back over to the table, expertly balancing dishes and bowls. “Food’s ready!” Ann had to make a few trips to bring all of the plates.

Karen was a fast eater; she dug right into her pizza. Claire looked down at her plate and cut a bite of savory pancake.

“Oh, you got the okonomiyaki,” Cliff’s face lit up. “That’s one of my favorites.”  He nodded with approval at his friend’s selection.

The young woman grinned. “I’ve never had it before, but I figured I’d try it since you recommended it.”

He was surprised that she had remembered. “I’ll trade you a bite of yours for a bite of mine,” he offered.

“Sure,” Claire cut off a piece and held out the fork to her friend the way Ann had done for him before. Color rushed to his face as he took the offered bite of food, and his face turned redder as he shyly held out a spoon to her.

“That was good, but… H-Here, give this a try.”  He gave the young woman a kind smile.

Claire leaned in to take the bite and was immediately reminded of her childhood. Sweet cooked carrots, soft onions, and tender potato in a sweet, spicy, savory sauce.  A grin spread across her face.  “Doug makes a great curry,” She commented with a giggle, unaware of the stares the two were getting from Karen and Gray.  “I think I could drink the sauce.”

“It reminds me of home,” He admitted with a nostalgic expression. “My mother’s was a bit spicier, though.”  The young man looked down at his plate, staring at the meal as if it were too precious to eat.

Ann came back around to refill the drinks. It wasn’t long until Claire felt like she couldn’t eat any more.

The farmer heard shuffling feet behind her and saw Gray scoff and roll his eyes.

“Good evening, Cliff. Happy birthday,” Saibara put a hand on the young man’s shoulder.

“Thank you,” His eyes widened in surprise; he was shocked that the old man knew.

The blacksmith handed his young friend a jar. “I’ve been pickling the burdock you send me.  Thank you for always thinking of an old man like myself.  I brought some to share.”

Cliff was touched by this gesture; Saibara hardly struck him as the gift-giving type. “Th-thank you,” The young man gave the elderly man a strained smile as his roommate glowered at them.

“Have a good night, but don’t have too much fun,” He let out a loud, gravelly laugh has he slapped the brunette on the back and made his way to the bar.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

Karen could sense that Gray was ready to burst. “It’s been a great evening, huh, Cliff?” She asked a little too loudly and polished off her wine, eagerly starting on another beer.

“Yes. Thank you, everyone,” Cliff stammered, afraid to meet his roommate’s gaze.  He nervously wrung his hands underneath the table.

“But hey, it’s just getting started!” Karen sputtered, giving her friend a piercing gaze, “You’re making it sound like it’s time for us all to go home… Ann!”  The young woman snapped her fingers and laughed heartily.

“Reporting for duty!” The waitress saluted her best customer and giggled.

“A round of wine for the table, please. The usual.”

The waitress grinned; the brunette was in the most fun stage of drunkenness. “Of course, Milady!” Ann mock curtseyed.

“Are you sneaking drinks tonight or what, girl?” Karen cocked an eyebrow.

Ann stuck out her tongue at the brunette and laughed, heading back to the bar. She was obviously having a blast tonight, and she was dying to sit with them.

Karen snuck a look at the blacksmith’s apprentice; he seemed to have calmed down, at least a little, anyway. She let out a sigh.  Claire, too, was aware of the tension at the table.  She tried to think of something to say to Gray.  Asking him how things were going at the smithy didn’t seem like the best idea at the moment.  She could ask him if he’d read any good books lately, but then he’d inevitably talk about Mary…

It turned out she didn’t need to find anything to say, as Ann quickly returned with the drinks, along with something else.

“Happy birthday, Cliff,” Ann smiled sweetly as she pulled a wooden spoon out of her side apron pocket, brandishing it like a katana. “Twenty-four, right?”  She slapped the utensil on her open palm with a loud clap.

The apprentice’s eyes widened; any residual anger at his roommate had dissolved instantly. “Run.”  He gave the young man a rough shove.

Cliff almost fell out of his chair. “What are you talking about?” The brunette laughed, looking curiously between the waitress and Gray.  He chuckled at the apprentice’s overly serious facial expressions.

An impish grin spread across Karen’s lips as she understood. “Is it time for birthday spanks, Ann?”

She gave a single nod. “Eight from each of us girls,” The redhead didn’t remove her narrowed eyes from her friend.  She twirled the wooden spoon in her fingers as menacingly as one could.  “Who do you want first?  Me, Karen, or Claire?”

The young man turned a bright shade of red but didn’t say anything.

“Oh, we might go easy on you if you ask us nicely,” Karen winked at her male friend and then looked back at Ann. Both girls collapsed in fits of giggles that sounded rather sadistic to Cliff.

The young man moved his eyes to the farmer and her face felt hot; she wasn’t sure why _she_ was embarrassed.  She gave her friend a tiny shake of the head and a slight smile, indicating that she had no intentions of harming him.  Cliff must have read her body language incorrectly; he turned from red to burgundy.

“I told you to run, man…” Gray reclined in his seat and rested his hands on the back of his head with a sigh.  There was no saving the poor soul now…  The apprentice had endured the grueling rite of passage for living at Doug’s Inn for three years now; he always had trouble sitting the day after his birthday.

“Well?” Ann smirked; she was waiting for an answer.

Cliff looked up at her; that smug smile looked so much like his sister’s that it almost hurt. He decided to handle her the same way he would his sibling.  “Alright Ann, if that’s what you want to do tonight, I won’t stop you.  Just remember that _your_ birthday isn’t too far off…”  He cocked an eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

The smile faded from Ann’s face; no one had ever even hinted at retaliation before and she wasn’t sure how to react. She did a horrible job of hiding her blush as she tucked the spoon back into her apron pocket.

“What kind of cake do you want?”

Gray started between the waitress and his roommate several times in utter confusion. The apprentice had always accepted his yearly punishment begrudgingly; he never realized that there had always been another choice.

0o0o0o0

Three hours later, a rather cheery Gray was rambling to Cliff and Claire about the last time he got to go to the horse races between sips of scotch. The farmer was surprised at how friendly and open the young man was after having a few drinks.  A tipsy Karen had taken her seat at the bar hours ago, giggling into Rick’s shoulder as Ann poured the pair drinks with a flourish.

“Hey, tonight was fun,” Gray grinned at his roommate, relaxing in his chair.

The brunette looked at him in surprise; he was relieved that the apprentice had forgotten about his gift of pickled burdock and the complicated emotions that revolved around it. “Yeah, it was…”  He finished off his glass of wine.

“Well, I had better head back home,” The blonde yawned, looking at the clock. It was well past midnight, and she had chores to do first thing in the morning.

“Claire,” The apprentice gazed up at her with glowing eyes.

“Y-Yeah?” Her hands immediately got sweaty and her throat closed up.  He had never looked at her that way before.

“I’m gonna show you lunging sometime soon. I’ll come to your farm to teach you.”  His eyes blazed with excitement.

“Lunging? What’s that?”  Her heart pounded in her chest.  She didn’t care what it was; Gray was coming to her farm to do something with her!

“Vocal commands practice,” Gray finished off his scotch and slammed his glass down on the tabletop harder than he meant to. “You need to get used to being around Tucker and vice-versa.  We’ll make a date for it later, okay?”

 _Date?!_ Either it was the two fall breezes she drank or it sounded like Gray wanted to spend some _extra_ time with her.

“O-Okay!” She stammered as she stood up, her chair screeching across the floor.  Now if only he would offer to take her home…

The blushing young woman looked down at him expectantly and was met with a confused look.

“I’d be happy to walk you home, Claire,” The brunette offered, pushing in his own chair.

The farmer noticed that Cliff always saw to it that Claire never had to back to Mystic Acres alone. She was grateful for her friend’s kindness.  He always walked her home when she visited the inn; it had become a ritual at this point.  It had started to hurt a little less that the clueless apprentice never understood what she was getting at.

It was a cool evening. Lilac clouds swam across the pink and orange streaked sky.  The pair stood in silence for a moment, marveling in the colors.

“Thanks for the great evening,” Cliff was beaming as he looked out at the sunset. “I haven’t celebrated my birthday with friends since Akiyama…”

“Akiyama?” Claire repeated the foreign name with a curious tilt to the head.

They started on the path to Mystic Acres, admiring the soft light the sunset cast on the entire village. Trees, buildings, even the unlit lamp posts all looked a little magical under the warm glow of the sun’s farewell.  “My home village…  It’s been a long time…”  The joy slowly faded from his smile as his forehead wrinkled.  His lips remained curled into a grin, but he didn’t look happy.

“H-How did you celebrate back home?” Claire asked, eager to hear a little bit more about his mysterious past.

He said nothing as they walked down the cobblestone street. She wasn’t sure if he was thinking of how to word his answer or if his silence was his chosen response.

The farmer realized that she never talked much about home, either. “Mum would bring home a cake from the bakery and we’d pig out on it,” The young woman giggled.  “I always asked for walnut cake with butter cream frosting.  And the best part was that the birthday child got to lick the frosting off of the candles after they were blown out,” A nostalgic smile spread across her face.  She could almost taste the glorious, thick frosting; it was almost too sweet…  “Of course, it usually wasn’t on our exact birthday.”

“Huh? Why not?”  The brunette stared at her as if he couldn’t wrap his head around the concept.

They turned the corner on the path and headed south; Claire noticed that the first stars of the evening were starting to show through the watercolor sky. “Well, Dad was away on business a lot, and Mum was stuck with us five kids all to herself, plus she worked double time at least.  We’d have what we kids called _pretend birthdays_.  Close enough,” She shrugged and gave him a grin.

Her friend found it strange that anyone would sing “Happy Birthday” when it wasn’t someone’s actual birthday. “Ma was a stickler for dates; she’d make sure Papa remembered,” Cliff laughed, kicking a small stone along the path.  “He forgot about my twelfth birthday while he was off on a hunting trip.  Ma got so mad that she dragged both of us kids out to the woods to find him.  My sister and I thought it was pretty fun, but Ma was not happy…”  A glow returned to his face as his eyes lit back up.  “That was my favorite birthday…”

“The one your father forgot about?” Claire shook her head, laughing as she kicked his stone farther ahead.

“W-Well… I was allowed to actually go out in the deep woods…”  He looked up at the purple clouds with a pensive gaze, forgetting to kick the rock along, leaving it abandoned behind them.  “It was the last birthday I spent with my father, too, so it will always be special to me…”  His eyes widened without warning.  “That was half a lifetime ago…”

The young woman was suddenly aware how deafening the cicadas were this year as they neared the farm property. “Huh…”  Claire thought of her life at eleven.  Half of her lifetime ago she was still a little girl.  Claire remembered a point in her life when a year would pass by and she was embarrassed of the person she was the year before – ashamed at her immature thoughts or behaviors, the embarrassing fads, the shallow people she befriended and yearned to be like…  The young woman realized that she was entering a new chapter of her life; her emotions were stabilizing and her personality traits were less easily swayed by others.  “I wonder if an eleven-year-old me would have been friends with a twelve-year-old you…”  She mused aloud.

“Probably not,” The young man blushed with a soft chuckle. “I was reckless, loud, and obnoxious.”  He looked down at his hands and played with his fingers bashfully.

She stared at him in surprise. Those words hardly described him at all now, and she couldn’t picture him in her mind.  The young woman stared up at the colorful sky and imagined a rowdy young boy with muddy cheeks, scruffy brown hair hastily tied back, and twinkling deep blue eyes.  She wasn’t blind to the way Cliff acted around Ann this evening; he definitely had a playful side to him, and he had a latent confidence that was rarely seen.  Cliff laughed and joked with Claire a bit when they were together, but it was more reserved than the young boy she imagined he was.  “I bet you were really cute and endearing,” A warm smile spread across the farmer’s face.

She was given a hearty laugh in response, but her companion had turned a deep shade of red. “I don’t even know how to respond to that,” He admitted with a snort.

“Y-You don’t have to deflect it, if that’s what you’re thinking,” The young woman responded honestly. “Besides, it’s not like you’re an old man now that you’re… _twenty-four_ years old,” She pretended to gasp at the number.

“I-I know that! I-I’ve just… _changed_ a lot since I was a kid…”  Cliff’s eyes had a faraway look to them as he stared out at his friend’s fields of tomatoes and corn.  The seeds were growing at a rapid rate.  Claire’s farm no longer looked like a large plot of tilled dirt; it was growing and transforming into something new.

The young woman twisted a piece of her long blonde hair in her fingers. “We all change a lot when we grow up, but deep down you are still the same person…”

His gaze didn’t move from the corn; Claire saw him blink a few times and swallow. “Th-Thanks.”

They stood in silence for a few minutes, taking in the beautiful scenery.

“Well, I guess I’d better head back to the inn,” The brunette gave her a playful smile. “S-See you later, Claire.”  He gave her hands a friendly squeeze and headed back to town.

The farmer’s heart and face both felt warm as she watched his ponytail sway in the summer breeze; he had an extra spring in his step that he didn’t have on their way here. Despite what he thought, there still was something very endearing about the gentle young man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: You may notice that this story has a crazy amount of foraging in it; this is because I forage in my own backyard. I live in a woodsy area and it is extremely satisfying to find food just growing out there.
> 
> The end of this scene ended up very different than I originally intended. I chose to give Cliff a good memory of his past instead of dwelling in it again as he is wont to do.


	25. Honesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire once again plays the role of editor for Mary. Her latest chapter is a bit... unusual.

“Are you returning or renewing?”

The young woman gazed down at the worn leather cover of the book pensively. “Hmmm…  I was going to return it, but now that you mention it, I think I’d like to renew instead.”  The farmer had consulted the book several times since she initially borrowed it from the library; it had become a sort of rulebook to her new life.

The librarian gave her a kind smile and stamped the inside of the cover with a fresh stamp as she retrieved the sign out card in one fluid motion. “I just need your name here, please.”

The blonde printed her name in tidy, round letters and pushed the card back across the reception desk. She glanced around the room in surprise as she realized that she was the only visitor this afternoon.

Mary noticed the farmer’s curious stare and bit her lip. She adjusted her glasses as her eyes focused on the slip of paper.  “Y-Your name has a nice ring to it.”  She sputtered.

The farmer was flattered; her attention brought back to the person who was actually present at the library today. “Really?  I always thought my name was pretty boring myself.”  She chuckled softly.

The librarian let out a bitter laugh. “You want to hear a boring name?  Mary Brown.”

While Claire did have to admit that the name wasn’t overly embellished, it sounded perfectly fine to her. She expressed this with a shrug and got a pained gaze in response.

Mary fidgeted with her sleeves, avoiding eye contact. “Th-That’s why I always try to write my characters with interesting-sounding names…  I wish my parents could have at least given me a less common first name to make up for my last one.  Maybe something like Olivia, or Daphne, or Gwendolyn…”  The librarian bit her lip as she fussed with the dark braid that rested across her shoulder.

“Just because your name isn’t rare doesn’t mean that it isn’t a nice one,” The farmer chimed in.

She got a shy smile in response. “Th-That’s really kind of you to say… Sp-Speaking of wr-writing…”  Mary pulled her notebook out of the desk drawer and gingerly placed it on the surface between them.  “W-Well…  I have the next chapter done.  Pl-Please give it a read if you have the time and let me know what you think,” Mary wrung her hands nervously.

They both knew that this meek request was near impossible for Claire to refuse when those dark eyes were filled with such supplication. The farmer gave her a civil smile; she didn’t feel comfortable with the desperate way the librarian was looking at her.  The blonde had arrived at the library already eager to hear more about the exploits of Viola Remmington, the instructor of herbal medicine, and she was pleased to see that a new chapter was ready for reviewing.  “Sure,” She courteously accepted the offered notebook as Mary offered her a red pen with a trembling hand.

“I-I’ll be upstairs. Just come and get me when you are finished.  Thanks again, Claire.”  The timid librarian hurried up the creaky wooden stairs.

The blonde walked over to one of the tables and sat down. She got more comfortable in her chair and flipped the notebook to where she had previously left off.  The young woman read the first paragraph three times before moving her eyes up from the book and looking incredulously around the room.  Claire was a little bit grateful that Mary wasn’t present; she was sure that the both of them would be embarrassed at the farmer’s behavior.

Curious, she turned back to the previous pages. Yes, it was the same hurried scrawl from before; Mary had definitely penned this.  If it weren’t for the distinct handwriting, she would have thought someone else had vandalized the writer’s work.

It was awful.

This wasn’t the polished, carefully chosen, hearty writing the blonde had come to expect from the young woman. It lacked detail.  Blatant mistakes, like missing words and punctuation, were rampant.  It was a chore to read and wasn’t enjoyable at all.  Claire’s red pen hovered over the pages; she began to wonder if the librarian was testing her in some way.  Hadn’t Mary said something about only offering up work that had gotten her own approval first?  Claire found it difficult to believe that the writer was actually okay with submitting these words for anyone’s review after behaving so protectively the last time she asked for feedback.

The young woman bit her lip as she stared at the paper in front of her. Although she knew that she wasn’t using the phrase as it was originally intended, those who stated that the pen was mightier than the sword couldn’t have been more accurate; Claire felt like she was holding a syringe of lethal poison as she hesitated over the scrawled lines.  They were the quiet, sensitive young woman’s words, they were her passion; the blonde wasn’t sure at what point she had become afraid of hurting the librarian’s feelings.

She took a deep breath and injected the notebook with red ink. The editor nervously bit her lip as she made her corrections, looking timidly over her shoulder several times.  Claire tried her best to keep her comments in the margins written in an encouraging tone, but it was hard work; her eyes were starting to swim with red arrows and slashes.

Mary had asked for honesty; she was going to get just that.

The farmer let out a sigh and stared at the bloodbath in front of her; strikethroughs, scribbles, injected words and suggestions all danced before her eyes in a red blur. Claire’s hands quivered as she replaced the sheath on her weapon.  She looked down at the smoldering remains of Mary’s words and frowned, slamming the book shut in shame.  She looked at the stairway and her body felt like lead.  The young woman sat in silence for a few moments, rehearsing in her mind what she would say if the librarian got angry or started to cry.  Surely if she upset Mary, Gray would never speak to her again.  Why had she agreed on proofreading for the writer, anyway? 

After a few minutes, Claire found herself at the top of the stairs. She stared at the floor below her, wondering how she had managed to drag her heavy feet up the entire flight.  The librarian was frantically sorting through a stack of books; the farmer almost felt bad for distracting her.  She cleared her throat; it suddenly felt parched.

“S-So you’re finished, then?” Mary whirled around and hurried over toward Claire.  “D-Do you have any questions?  A-Any overall s-suggestions?”  Her dark eyes searched the young woman and Claire gulped with much difficulty.

“Ah… I-It’s a l-little less polished than I’m used t-to seeing from y-you…” Her mouth felt uncomfortably dry.

Mary glanced down at the red-stained pages and she adjusted her glasses. “I-I kind of knew that as soon as I finished writing it…”  She admitted as she gave her editor a rueful smile.

The farmer’s stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot; the librarian was certainly behaving differently than the last time Claire reviewed her work. “Well, then…  Why did you have me look at it before you fixed it up?”  The young woman’s cheeks felt uncomfortably warm.

Her companion was silent for a moment. She took off her glasses and held them in one hand as she rubbed her forehead.  “I… suppose I just needed to hear someone say that to me…”  The librarian shuffled her feet and stared at the floor with a sad smile as she returned her glasses to her face.

“Well… I’m a little surprised that _I_ was your first choice as editor,” Claire ventured.  She noticed that the pages had been free of red ink when Mary offered her the notebook.  The farmer assumed that she would have allowed her daily visitor to review the work before Claire did, considering they were much closer.

“You don’t hold back with the red pen; that’s a good thing…” The blonde was given an uncharacteristic shrug of the shoulders from the writer.  “I know you put your heart in everything you do…  After all I’ve heard _a lot_ about your farm lately…”  She didn’t say it in an unfriendly tone, but the young woman didn’t exactly sound too pleased about it either.  Mary’s eyes didn’t move up from the floorboards.

Claire contemplated the librarian’s statement. In those few words, she had said a mouthful.  The farmer was bombarded with a rush of emotions – pleasure that Mary’s best friend had probably been bragging about Claire’s hard work and dedication, victory that she had managed to capture the young man’s attention, thrill in that she was being considered a potential rival by the young woman for Gray’s affections… guilt for seeing the pain in those mocha brown eyes...

Claire wasn’t sure what to say in response. She jumped in surprise when she heard Mary’s sudden voice.

“I-I’ll have something better for you next time. Th-Thank you again for editing my story so honestly.  It looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me for this chapter.  I’ll… I’ll take my time with the next one and write something much better…”  The librarian bowed politely and Claire stiffened when she noticed how frequently Mary was blinking her shiny eyes.

The blonde’s throat tightened. “I-I’m sure it will be great,” She stammered as she played at the straps on her rucksack. 

The librarian said nothing in response, but gave a slight nod; they both knew it was time for Claire to leave.

“I-I’ll see you around.” The farmer’s voice cracked.

Mary’s eyes focused on the notebook in her hands. “Yeah…  See you.”  Her voice was pleasant, as was her smile, but her eyes reflected a deep pain.

Trembling, Claire hurried down the creaky stairs, her pounding heart throbbing in her ears. She closed the door to the library a little more loudly than she meant to, and she stumbled back to her farm, more confused than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Strangely enough, I struggled writing a chapter about someone struggling to write. Life’s silly like that, huh?
> 
> Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, favorite, and follow this story. This piece is truly a labor of love for me, and a therapeutic tool. I am grateful for all of the support! :)


	26. Doug's Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oblivious to the fact that she's starting to gain a reputation around town for macking on the boys at the inn, Claire decides to do just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Buckle in for some drama and fluff, dear readers. The next few chapters are gonna be a bumpy ride, drama fans! Enjoy!

“Here, just like this... You’ve got it.  Dump that red wine on my white shirt and you’re dead,” Karen stuck out her tongue at her friend. 

“B-But I-”

“To Mystic Acres and the first tomato flowers of the season! The start of something big!  Cheers!”  The brunette clanked her glass against the blonde’s and took a sip of alcohol in unison with her friend with intertwined their arms.  “See?  Not so hard, huh?”

Claire giggled. “I guess not.”  She touched the beverage to her lips and contemplated the dark, fruity notes of the wine.  This selection was different than Karen’s usual.  It had quite a bit of punch; Claire found that she rather liked it as she smacked her lips in pleasure.

“There, now you have a trick to kick your date up a notch,” Karen winked at her as she took a sip of wine and swirled it in her glass.

The farmer rolled her eyes; the grocer’s daughter enjoyed teasing her over non-existent issues. “H-Hey Karen…”

Her companion took a swig of her wine and looked over at her. “What’s up?”

Claire had been brooding nearly constantly on her interactions with the librarian the day before. “How long have Mary and Gray been friends?”  She moved her gaze to her boots.

Karen took this opportunity to let out a silent sigh as she chugged the rest of her glass and ordered another from the barkeeper via hand signal. “Uh… A few years, I think.  Ever since Gray moved here, anyway…”  She frowned at her friend’s expression; Karen knew that she had provided Claire with the answer she didn’t want.

“S-So they’ve been close for a long time…” The farmer stared glumly into her wine glass and deflated her lungs. _Mary definitely had the upper hand…_

Karen stared as Doug poured another wine; why couldn’t the barkeeper go faster? “I-I guess…”  She replied evasively.  “You stop by the library or something?”

Claire nodded. “Yeah, I went to get my book renewed.”

The brunette waited for her friend to supply further details, but got none. Quite honestly, she wasn’t in the mood for drawing any out of the quiet young woman.  Doug passed Karen her wine and the pair drank in silence for a few minutes.

The blonde let her thoughts drift into nothingness as she stared around the room. She found it hard to brood around her best friend.  The usual crowd was in tonight; Duke and Basil were sitting together, discussing the different varieties of grapes the winery grew.  In short, the naturalist sounded interested in what type of grape produced the largest yield, and Duke was more focused with what made the best-tasting wine; she couldn’t tell if they were arguing or agreeing most of the time.  It may have actually been an interesting conversation if Claire knew anything about winemaking, but she didn’t.  Her eyes traveled across the room.

Saibara sat at his designated stool on the far end of the bar. He stared off into space with his usual glass of hot sake.  The old man’s facial features were never readable; Claire wondered what went through his head on a regular basis.  She was a little startled when he saw the blacksmith signal for Ann and the waitress took a seat in the stool beside him, giggling and swinging her feet.  They seemed like an unlikely pair, but Claire supposed if anyone could make a grumpy old man like Saibara smile, it was Ann.

Her gaze traveled to the staircase on the other side of the bar. The farmer made frequent trips up those stairs around this time of evening to catch a moment with Gray alone.  She heard the heavy wooden door’s customary loud squeak and saw a grin spread across Karen’s face as she took another swig of her drink.  Claire didn’t have to turn around to know that the chicken farmer had arrived; the blonde took this as her cue.

“W-Well, I should probably be getting ready to head back home… B-But first…”  Claire’s eyes drifted longingly toward the well-worn oaken stairs.

Karen snorted and raised her eyebrows. She knew all too well of her friend’s little habit; in truth, the entire town did.  The grocer’s daughter tried her best to stamp out any wayward rumors about Claire that she overheard in the town square, but it was difficult when the farmer visited the infamous _Bachelors’ Pad_ on a near-nightly basis.  Now that the room for long-term guests was full with three tenants, Karen’s mother giggled with her friends about how lucky Ann was that her father was collecting handsome young suitors for her and gathering them all in one room.  Sasha had once tried to drag Karen into this conversation and the young woman rolled her eyes, stating that Ann could probably beat each of them in an arm-wrestling match, spitting contest, or belching competition.  Manna had implied not-so-subtly that if Ann didn’t pick out a boy in that room she wanted, a certain blonde farmer was going to snatch one up first.

Granted, Claire never stayed up there for too long, and she was anything but predatory, but it was enough to give bored housewives something to talk about. Karen had been furious at Manna’s insinuation, but the brunette kept quiet and headed over to Rick’s, more willing to listen to him rant about misbehaving chickens and a particularly poorly-behaved _cock_ than listen to a few ignorant women blab on about someone they never bothered to get to know.  The grocer’s daughter didn’t have the heart to tell Claire that the farmer was often the subject of gossip.  “Alright, alright.  Go mack on that roomful of boys, you little flirt.”  She kept her tone playful but raised an eyebrow as she finished off her glass of wine and shooed her friend away with the wave of a hand.

“I-I’m n-not! I’m just… saying h-hello!”  Her face felt hot as she slung her bag over her shoulder and flounced up the stairs, oblivious to the curious way the old blacksmith was watching her as he sipped on his alcohol.

0o0o0o0

“You know what? Stop by the Beach Shack sometime and I’ll cook you something special.  What do you like?  I can do snow cones, pizza, inari, baked corn, takoyaki, spaghetti…”

“Ah, those all sound good!” Claire giggled shyly as she played with the straps on her rucksack.

He flashed her a bright smile as he folded his arms across his chest. “I know someone in this inn who could probably eat all of that in one sitting…” Kai chuckled.  “I never pay Ann in all-you-can-eat free food anymore unless it’s leftovers.  That girl can pack it away!”  He nodded in approval; Ann was definitely an interesting woman.

“I’d like to be paid in free food,” Claire remembered the delicious treats from Beach Day. The food he served reminded her of the hot childhood summer festivals with her friends the city.  Cotton candy, taiyaki, roasted corn…  The farmer drooled just thinking about it.  Just the memory of the flavors gave her that carefree, summer vacation nostalgia.

Kai caught the look on her face and the two laughed heartily for a few moments before they were interrupted by Gray, who was clearing his throat loudly.

“I-It’s getting late. Shouldn’t you be getting back to the farm now?”  The blacksmith recited. 

Kai shot him a dirty look. His longtime friend never acted this way around him before…

Claire struggled to hide the disappointment on her face; she seriously doubted he was rushing their conversation so that he could finally walk her home. A new thought popped into her head as a hint of a smile played at her lips.  “Uh, yeah…  I guess so…  I hope you can make something out of the copper I brought…  It was nice meeting you again, Kai.”  She gave the friendly new tenant a wave.

“Likewise. Have a good night, Ms. Dumont.”  He bowed to her with a great flourish, flashing her a charming grin.

“And you as well, Mr. Alana,” Claire returned with a giggle. Her eyes drifted to the blacksmith’s apprentice and he was folding his arms across his chest as he stood in his corner.  Her heart gave a tiny leap.  He hadn’t offered to walk her, but he had reacted, at least.  “W-Well…  Bye…”  She shyly left and closed the door behind her.  Her face felt too hot; she was getting far too bold.

The farmer had actually given a gift to Gray while Kai was in the room. She had been carrying the scrap of copper in her pack all day and didn’t care that the apprentice’s roommate was there.  The new resident had said nothing about the behavior; he had politely asked how she was feeling since her illness and she realized she had been talking to Kai the whole time instead of Gray.  Maybe she had made the apprentice jealous; she wasn’t blind to his surly mannerisms as she left…  A tiny smirk spread across her mouth.

She was so preoccupied on this potential mini-victory that she almost stepped on the cat in the hallway. The farmer managed to dodge the feline, but she collided with the third tenant in the process.

“Claire, are you okay?” The young man had dropped several packages of herbs all over the floor, but he made no motion to pick them up.

She rubbed her shoulder where she had bumped into her friend. “I’m okay…  I’m so sorry, Cliff.  That was stupid of me!”  Flustered, she gathered up the parcels near her feet.  “I didn’t hurt _you_ , did I?”

Cliff touched his own shoulder while he crouched down to gather some bundles. “Nah, I’m fine,” He offered her a friendly grin, excited to see her today.

The yellow tabby rubbed against the young man’s legs and let out a loud mew, completely unfazed by the fact that she had nearly been landed on by the farmer. The blonde snickered as she knelt down to pet the cat.  “Well, _you_ don’t seem to have any worries,” She gave the feline a reproachful look.

“Ah, The Tabster doesn’t worry about anything,” Cliff laughed. He crouched down and rubbed the cat under the chin with his free hand.  “Do you, Tabs?  You’re the queen of mellow, huh?”  Claire almost laughed aloud at the deafening volume of the cat’s purr; the feline had a silly smile across her face and her eyes were closed in pleasure.  “You know, Claire, you practically jumped in front of me back there; you kind of startled me.”  He chuckled, continuing to load bundles of herbs in the crook of his arm.

“I-I’m sorry!” She repeated and her face felt warm as she hastily gathered up some herb packets, nearly fumbling them in her frenzy.  She wished she could follow the example of the cat and relax.  Why did Gray have to make her emotions go haywire, and why did they have to become exacerbated now and make her look like a fool around Cliff?

“Do _you_ have any worries?”  He asked carefully as they gathered the rest of the spilled items.  His deep blue eyes reflected concern as they stole a glance at her.  The color reminded her of the wild blueberries she picked in the mountains with Karen.

The young woman blushed, but she didn’t answer his question. The grocer’s daughter was the only one the farmer had revealed her crush to and she intended on keeping it that way.  “Here, I’ll help you carry some of these to your room,” Claire insisted; he had been carrying far too many packages to begin with.  Honestly, she wasn’t sure how he had managed to collect so much in one day all by himself.

He was aware that she had dodged the question, but didn’t call attention to it. The young man forced a small smile on his face.  “Th-thanks…  I got a little carried away today.  Your shipping bins are pretty overloaded including the ones in the barn and chicken coop, and I left you a list under your door, like always.”

Claire’s jaw dropped; Cliff’s feat sounded humanly impossible. “W-Wow!  I-I’m glad; that’s awesome!  So this must be the season to get rich, huh?”

Cliff shook his head; herbs didn’t bring in too much on their own, but he had done some rough calculations and had come to the conclusion that he had earned a couple weeks’ worth of rent today. The young man knew he should be feeling good about this, but he was concerned about the future.  “No, that will be in the fall; that’s when I’ll be making the big money.”  He prayed that this autumn would reveal the wildlife he had so desperately been attempting to track since he moved to Mineral Town.

Claire noticed a stray flower among the bundles. It was an especially pretty pink cat with delicate pale petals.  “Ah, were you going to make an offering at the spring?”  He must have been too busy working to stop for a break and thank the Goddess.  She carefully picked it up and held it out to her friend. 

The young man took it in one hand as he turned a bright shade of red. “Ah… um…  I w-wanted to give you a thank you gift.”  He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and held the flower back out to his friend.

For a brief moment, the blonde wondered if he was fibbing to flatter her. Cliff didn’t strike her as the type to lie, and he looked so genuinely flustered over it.  Claire gave him a sympathetic smile; he seemed so nervous.  “That’s really sweet of you, but I don’t know what you’re thanking me for.”

“F-for being such a good friend…” He stared at the floor shyly.

She knew exactly what he meant; the people she spent her time with while she lived in the city could hardly be considered friends. “I’m glad we’re friends, too, Cliff.  Thank you for the beautiful flower.”  She accepted the bloom with her free hand, twirling the stem in her fingers, admiring the pink petals of the wildflower before she carefully tucked it behind her ear.  A grin crept across her face.  “Let’s go out together sometime soon, just you and me.  No work.  No foraging.” 

“O-okay!” She had never seen his cheeks so red; his entire face lit up and his posture became less slouched.  His blue eyes were dancing as he let out a delighted laugh.

Claire found herself giggling. “It’ll be fun!”

“Yeah!” Cliff shuffled the goods in his arms and pushed the door open with his foot.

“I mean, really; you’re going to complain about _that_?  Most guys-” Kai’s voice trailed off as the friends entered the room.  His eyes snapped to the newcomers.  “Hey, new roomie!  You got any goodies for me?”

“W-Well…” Cliff joined the men at the table and gestured for Claire to follow.  They unloaded their arms of bundles, creating a hefty stack on the table’s surface.  “I found a lot of wild mint…”

Gray snorted. “If you’re giving Kai stuff for his shop, you had better charge him for it.  Don’t just give it away!  Goddess, show a little backbone!”

Kai stared at his friend incredulously; the young man’s short temper was quickly wearing through the cook’s normally thick skin. “What crawled up your ass?  A bit of friendly banter is allowed here, no?  I said _nothing_ about a handout!”

The apprentice didn’t say anything, but reddened and tugged his hat lower on his face to conceal it.

“Welcome back, Lady Claire,” The young man adjusted his purple bandana and gave her a kind grin. “Don’t worry about the Duke of Grumpington over here.  Someone as sweet as you is welcome here any time,” He gave her a playful wink and the farmer felt herself relax a bit.  The encouraging tone he spoke with made her worry dissolve, and she realized that his flirty mannerisms and words were just part of his outgoing personality.  Kai had been very honest with Claire when they met on beach day, complimenting the young woman on her appearance and confessing that he liked beautiful women the same way someone might declare that red is their favorite color.  “Cute flower.  Did your buddy get that for you?”  His eyes traveled between the two friends.

The young woman’s hand flew to the blossom in her hair and she shyly nodded her head, subduing the curious feeling in her stomach as she looked among the three roommates. Gray had leaned back in his chair with an expressionless face, Kai had a smile across his lips as he sat in a very relaxed posture, twiddling his thumbs, and Cliff’s head was down as he sorted through his packages of herbs with trembling hands and she could see that his ears were red.

“Mineral Town is a nice place,” She replied, folding her hands in her lap. “The people here are very kind.”

“I-I agree,” Cliff chimed in, looking up and giving his female friend a bashful grin.

The happiness faded from Kai’s face for a brief moment, but he quickly recovered. “Well, some people are, I suppose.  Everyone at the inn is cool, at least.”  He let out a laugh for good measure.

Claire was familiar with his tone of voice and facial expressions; she had seen them often enough when she had caught her own reflection in the public restroom mirrors at the nightclub and the office back in the city. The lack of enthusiasm, the sad eyes despite the grin and hollow laugh…  Kai had been bullied.  The young woman bit her lip; she couldn’t see why someone wouldn’t get along with the friendly, charismatic young man.

“I always feel like I’ve got an extended family here at Doug’s, and this year I’ve got a new brother!” Kai beamed at his newest roommate.  “Welcome to the family!”

“Ah… F-Family?”  The color drained from Cliff’s face and he wiped his sweaty palms off on his pants.

His roommate let out a hearty laugh. “Sure!  You can be my little brother; I’ll keep you out of trouble!  Me and Gray got your back!  That’s what big brothers do, right?”  He gave Gray a nudge and the two chuckled.

Both roommates were oblivious to the ghost white face of the forager. The young man forced a pained smile on his face, but the look in his eyes was pleading for the conversation to end.  He closed his eyes for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed.  She watched as he slowly relaxed them, the worry lines fading from his forehead.  He swallowed and greeted the world with open eyes that were void of emotion.  Claire stared at him in concern, her heart pounding in her ears; her friend’s behavior was disturbing, to say the least.

“I’d think if anything, Cliff could keep _you_ out of trouble, Kai,” Gray smirked, tugging on the bill of his cap.  “That kid goes to confession every day.”

A set of deep brown eyes widened. “Every _day_?  Damn…  So what are you in for?  Adultery?  Bank heist?  Genocide?”  His laughter faded when he saw his companion shaking his head emotionlessly, growing paler still.  The cook realized he had crossed some sort of line and pulled off his bandana, setting it on the table, revealing dark, disheveled hair underneath.  “Hey, sorry man…  That was unfeeling.”

It took a few moments for Cliff to take down the barrier he had put up. He blinked a couple of times and flashed his roommate an empty smile.  “I-It’s fine…”

Kai shook his head, keen on the consoling look the young woman was giving her friend. His eyes traveled back to the brunette and he was aware of the lack of real emotion in his face.  “No, it’s not.  People are insensitive to me, and I shouldn’t spread the negativity.  Forgive me.”

Cliff’s facial expression mellowed out. “Already done.”

“So…” The apprentice’s eyes traveled to the farmer.

Kai quickly cut him off. “Ann’s birthday is in a few weeks.  There’s still time to order something from Won.  What do you guys wanna do?  Joint gift?  Individual?  I’ll do the cake!”

“You’ll have to fight with Doug on that one, and you know it,” Gray reminded him as he shifted in his chair; grateful for the change in conversation topic.

Kai rolled his eyes, running a few fingers through his messy hair. “Like Ann’s going to get upset about two birthday cakes.  I’m doing it!”

“I-I’m going to make her something,” Cliff’s voice was soft as his eyes traveled to the corner of his room where he kept his belongings. “I’ve got a deer hide left over from last season.  I’m going to make her a holster for her cooking utensils.”

Claire’s eyes widened; she had forgotten that another birthday was coming up. Perhaps she would make something as well; the notion of a handmade gift gave the farmer a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.  Her heart gave a throb of guilt.  If she had known in advance about Cliff’s birthday, she could have made him something.  Her eyes traveled to the basket of bamboo shoots in the young man’s corner of the room; she felt bad about the hasty gift, but she felt a little relieved to see that he had been eating them.

“Don’t do that! You’re essentially providing her an ammunition belt!”  Gray shook his head emphatically as Kai roared with laughter.

“That sounds awesome! I want one for my birthday, too!”  The young man grinned.  “I promise I’ll pretend to be surprised!”

“I’ll need to think of something, too,” Claire mused aloud as she straightened the stacks of mint on the table; the smell was crisp and delicious and made her feel relaxed. “Wh-What are you going to get for her, Gray?”  She played with the ends of her blonde hair.

The young man shrugged. “Probably a bag of candy.  Maybe I’ll buy her a huge jawbreaker so that she has to pace herself,” He smirked, tugging on the bill of his cap.

“Or break her teeth!” Kai chuckled.

“Hey, be nice!” Claire’s grin at the young man hardly made it look like a scolding.

“She’s right,” Gray quipped, “Ann would never do that! She eats efficiently!  If anything, she’ll attempt to swallow the whole thing in one go.”

Cliff turned pale. “Gray…  Don’t give her one.  She… _might_ just try that.”

“Ah, I guess you’re right... I’ll get her something that young children can handle just fine,” The apprentice replied with a smug grin.

The brunette gave him a relieved smile; it seemed he really didn’t trust how far Ann would push her limits. “Good…”

Claire looked around her; all of the smiling faces were making her giddy. She loved this feeling, being surrounded by happy people.  Her heart throbbed as she savored the moment.  Claire listened with eager ears to the young men’s banter and was pleased to hear that the quiet brunette added his own parts to the conversation here and there.  The young woman nodded and laughed where it warranted it, but she found her eyes traveling between the apprentice and the forager.  The two of them were so very different from one another, but they managed to get along just fine under the same roof.  She got the distinct feel that Kai and Gray had been close friends for years, and the combination of personalities in the room was interesting.  Claire cupped her chin on the heel of her hand and stared at the pile of herbs, admiring the delicate veins on the lush green leaves, feeling her eyelids droop.

“Getting tired, Claire? I’ll take you home,” Cliff’s voice was gentle as he gave her a kind smile.

The young woman sat up and blinked her tired eyes a few times, suddenly aware that she had started to drift off.

“Don’t fall asleep on us, now!” Kai grinned.  “We’ll see you later!  Thanks for the encore appearance!”

Gray gave her a friendly nod. “See you.”

Claire waved goodbye to the roommates as Cliff opened the door for her. “Good night!”

Her energy returned to her as she saw the grin on her friend’s face. “It was nice getting to chat with you and the guys together.”

“Yeah. It seems like a lot of fun here,” She admitted, smiling at the yellow tabby in the hallway curling up for the night; it looked like Claire wasn’t the only one off on their way to dreamland.

“It… _is_ fun.”  His face lit up in realization of this as they walked down the hallway.  Cliff flashed his companion a grin as they bounced down the stairs, side by side.  Maybe he really _could_ have a new family and friends here; it was becoming less of a dream and more of a reality.  “Ah, w-wait!”  He halted the blonde at the bottom of the stairs.

“Huh?” His friend stopped suddenly looked at him curiously, her eyes moving back to the top of the stairs.  Did he forget something?

The pink cat was falling out of Claire’s silky locks from her romp downstairs. The young man moved a trembling hand toward her, but retracted it quickly, reddening.  “Ah, you’re losing your flower,” He shyly gestured to his right ear.

The farmer ran her fingers through her hair, sifting out the stem. “Oh, thanks.  I’m going to take it home and put it in my vase.”  She carefully tucked it back behind her ear and when she looked up at her friend, she was aware that his eyes had been glued to her.

Cliff didn’t say anything, but he was staring at the young woman in a very particular way that gave her stomach a curious jolt and a surge of warmth spread through her body. Those eyes were a very nice color, Claire decided.  She gave him a friendly smile, unsure of what to make of the strange sensation.  “Sh-Shall we?”

“Of course.”

The pair walked past the bar together, giving the waitress a kind wave as they did so. The redhead’s eyes were drawn to the new addition of the beautiful flower in the blonde’s hair as Cliff opened the door for her; he was looking at Claire with those wide blue eyes again and, surprisingly enough, the farmer appeared to notice this time.

Ann bit her lip and tightened the white ribbon on her braid as she turned back to the bar, collecting an armload of empty beer steins and hurrying back to the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Is anyone else picturing “Doug’s Boys” as a greaser gang now? I have this whole fantasy playing out in my head with a rival girls’ gang in the Valley… And it’s so FREAKING awesome! …Help!(?) I've actually started writing it out and I'll probably start posting it before too long.


	27. Seeing More Clearly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of a sad anniversary for Cliff, and Claire encourages to open up to her about his problems and his past. We get a little glimpse into what Cliff's sister is like.

Claire opened the door to the church. It was usually a pretty quiet building, but it was absolutely silent today.  Carter looked up at her from the altar and gave her a friendly nod, quickly putting his finger to his lips with a playful grin.  He cocked his head in the direction of the young man sitting in the front pew and looked back at her, beaming.

The young woman could tell that Carter was playing some sort of game, but she was confused. She shrugged at him, quickly aware that rule number one was no talking.  Carter let out a melodramatic yet silent sigh and pointed at her, drew a smile on his face with his forefingers, and then pointed at Cliff.

Claire nodded. Carter wanted her to cheer up their friend.  She crept along the left wall of the church, and Carter grinned at her.  She got to the far end of the pew and stole a glance at Cliff’s face.  His deep blue eyes were wide, but his emotions were unreadable as they bored into the stained glass windows across from him as if they would reveal the mysteries of the universe if he stared long enough.  The young man almost looked like he was searching for something as he sat silently, spellbound; Cliff was brooding again.  Based on previous experiences of finding him this way, it was likely he had spent the whole day here, forgetting that the entire world existed.  Claire frowned and her heart suddenly ached with an indescribable pain; she hadn’t seen her friend like this for quite a while.  She looked up at Carter, who still had that silly smile plastered across his face.  Maybe sneaking up on Cliff wasn’t such a good idea, and perhaps some quiet company was all he needed instead.

The priest pointed at her and made a subtle walking motion with his fingers and motioned for her to duck down.

_He wanted her to crawl between the pews?!_

Claire gestured at herself with a quizzical look on her face and pointed at the floor, as if to ask if the pastor had gone completely mad. Carter gave her an emphatic nod and her sadness melted away a little.  She stifled a small smile; perhaps he was a little insane, but the priest was very good at _Charades_.  Claire was aware that if anyone could cheer up Cliff, it was Carter; she considered following his orders.

The farmer never thought that she would see the day when a pastor would encourage shenanigans in a church, but then again, Carter wasn’t like any priest she had met before. Claire had a feeling that disobeying a man of the cloth would probably put her on the Harvest Goddess’s naughty list, and having that mindset didn’t leave her with much choice.  The young woman shrugged as she ducked down and slowly began crawling between the pews as silently as she could.

The farmer had to bite back a laugh when she paused and reflected on how ridiculous the situation had become. What had started as a simple visit to say hello to a friend was quickly turning into one of Stu and May’s “super-secret expeditions” Cliff had described to her while he visited the room at the inn.  She looked under the pew and stopped when she saw her friend’s soft leather footwear.  Her eyes lingered on them for a moment.  They were simple leather moccasins, but she had never seen a pair of shoes so worn out in her life; she’d be surprised if they would hold together for another season, and Claire doubted they actually provided his feet with much protection.  The young woman wondered what kinds of terrain the shoes had carried her friend across – gravely paths, lush grassy fields, cobblestones, rocky mountain trails…  How far _had_ he come from, anyway?  She would eagerly ask him if it wasn’t for the fact that he seemed deeply wounded to provide so much as miniscule details about his past.  Claire snapped out of her trance as she remembered her task at hand.  To be honest, she was surprised he hadn’t noticed her yet.  The young woman slowly rose up from behind him with a straight face and Carter had to turn around to stifle a laugh, which he poorly disguised as a cough.

Claire froze; but Cliff was still off in his own little world. She leaned forward, suddenly realizing she hadn’t thought of what she was going to do once she actually got there.  She edged closer and stared at the back of her friend’s head.  His ponytail fell just over the edge of the pew; the tips of his chocolate brown locks faded into blonde.  All of his time outside fishing and foraging must have sun-bleached his hair a bit, she realized.  Claire found herself staring in fascination at it. _Beauty_ wasn’t a word she simply threw around, especially for men, but her friend’s tresses gleamed in the sunlight pouring through the window.  She picked up subtle hints of blonde and red in his healthy locks, and _beautiful_ was the first word that came to mind. 

Her eyes flicked to the priest and her face felt hot; she was losing focus of her goal. Claire’s gaze returned at the back of her friend’s head.  It may have been because she just spent so much time admiring it, but giving his hair a tug seemed a little too mean-spirited.  She would have to do something else.  Her eyes moved to his ear; she didn’t want to yell and scare him, either…  Cliff needed tenderness today, not a bully.  A grin spread across her face as an idea came to her.

“Guess who?” She whispered playfully into his ear and covered his eyes with her hands.

He immediately jumped, nearly slamming his head back into her. For a brief moment, his body language suggested he thought he was being attacked.  He calmed down as he appeared to remember he was in a church with the priest present.  “W-who?”

“You gotta guess,” Claire teased, noticing that his ears had turned bright red.

“C-Claire?” There was a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

She knew that she had made it painfully obvious, but the way he had said her name with the slightest touch of eagerness caused a pleased chuckle to escape her lips. Perhaps she really did have the power to cheer him up.  “Yep!” She grinned and rested her hands on the back of the pew.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” Cliff whirled around to look at her; his face was flushed. He looked startled, but excited to see her.

Carter laughed; he had thoroughly enjoyed the farmer’s performance. “You’ve let yourself get very rusty from last hunting season if you didn’t notice her, Cliff.”

“I-I wasn’t expecting someone to surprise me like that,” The young man was embarrassed as he stammered, looking down at his feet. “S-So, what are you doing here?” He repeated; surely she didn’t come to the far side of town to see _him_ …

It was a good question; the farmer didn’t have an immediate answer for him. She had wandered from her farm to the far side of town without much thought, and she didn’t have any intentions on going to confession today. Claire gave him a friendly smile.  “I came to say hi.”

“Oh… hi!” He laughed, his face easing up a bit.  The farmer was surprised how easily she had knocked him out of his daylong trance.

“Are you doing okay?” She tried to sound cheerful, but her eyes were filled with concern.

“I’m… alright…” He gave her a sad smile.

His friend was eager to see a more genuine expression of relief from what was bothering him. She got the feeling that if he wanted to talk about it, he would bring it up, but maybe an activity outside of the church walls would keep him from dwelling.  “Well, let’s go… do something fun!” Claire suggested, standing up.  The priest gave her a thumbs-up.

“… Like what?” Her friend looked up at her sadly as if such a thing didn’t exist; he was quickly going back into his depressive state.

Claire froze; those eyes he was making hurt to look at. “I dunno…”

The young man began to slouch down again in the pew.

The young woman became more adamant about them needing to go somewhere. She thought of how much fun they had at Beach Day.  The crystal blue water, the glistening white sand, the cheerful squawking of seagulls and the fresh smell of salty ocean air.  Mineral Beach was a peaceful, relaxing place.  “We’re going to the beach,” She announced.

“We are?” He sat back up, and a smile crept back onto his lips.

She became more convinced that she had picked the right destination. “Yeah!  Remember when I said we were going to go out together for fun?  Well, we’re going right now!”  Claire hoped she had come off as assertive yet friendly.  She reached out her hands to pull him up, and she was pleasantly surprised when he zealously took them in his.

“A-Alright…” A grateful expression spread across his face.

0o0o0o0

Claire hadn’t given much thought to what they’d actually do at the beach. It was early evening and the tide was out.  She set down her rucksack under an umbrella and deposited her socks and shoes beside it.  She rolled up her pant legs and her friend did the same.  The farmer noticed the entire process was much more laborious for her friend; the young man almost always had the bottom half of his legs wrapped as if he was prepared go out to hunt or fish, whether or not he was actually doing either of these activities.

Neither of them really said much; they wandered the beach, side by side, staring into the tide pools. The friends stood at the water’s edge for several minutes, feeling the waves wash over their ankles and watching the water pull the loose grains of sand back into the ocean.  Claire loosely intertwined her arm with his and he let out a soft sigh, his eyes never moving from the blue waves.  Perhaps he wasn’t in the mood for talking today, Claire realized.

Cliff finally gave her back a gentle pat before taking his leave of her, walking over to a large tide pool and gazing into it as if he was expecting the Harvest Goddess herself to emerge from it. He hadn’t intended on stealing her attention, but the farmer turned around and found herself watching him, curious as to what was going on through his head.  The young woman joined her friend; she felt that a gentle approach was necessary today, but she wanted to be available if he chose to talk.  They watched the water in silence for several minutes.

“Ivy’s twenty-three today…” He stared into the pool emotionlessly.

Ivy… When had she heard that name?  Claire wracked her brain.  “Ah, your sister,” The farmer assumed Cliff’s sibling had passed away based on the fact that he had always referred to her in the past tense and he was receiving special counseling from Carter, but the way he spoke of her made it sound like she was still very much alive.

He nodded, and she noticed that he had a very distinct grieving expression when he thought of his sister. It had a sadder feel than the usual demeanor he used while sitting alone at the church.  Claire had seen it last when they ate lunch together at the inn.

The inn… Claire recalled her discussion with the roommates and remembered that Ann’s twenty-third birthday would be coming up.  “Hey, she’s almost Ann’s twin, huh?”  The young woman thought that bringing a mutual friend into the conversation might help.

“They’re almost too much alike sometimes.” He picked up a small rock out of the tide pool and threw it into the surf, as if he were rejecting the stone and the idea.  “They have the same smile…  Similar mannerisms…  Sometimes that’s comforting, but other times…”  His voice trailed off.

_It reminds me of everything I’ve lost…_

“Would it help to talk about Ivy?” His friend ventured.

“I… I dunno…”  He finally admitted.  “I’ve never really told anyone much about her other than Carter.  Sometimes it feels better to pretend I don’t have a sibling at all…”  His voice faltered and he stared back at the water.

She waited for him to volunteer some more information about his sister, but he remained silent, crouching down to study the tide pool more closely, digging his toes into the sand. Claire joined him, poking at the water with a small piece of driftwood.

“People… used to say we almost looked like twins,” He said softly, staring down at his feet.

She imagined a young woman with long chocolate hair and expressive deep blue eyes. “She must be very pretty,” Claire murmured, making ripples in the tide pool with her piece of wood.

She heard the beginnings of a chuckle. “She’d roll her eyes at you if you told her that,” Claire’s gaze moved to her friend and she noticed a hint of a smile on his face.  She wondered if he had picked up on the indirect compliment; his cheeks were lightly pink.  “She was definitely… _something_ …”

He still was referring to her in the past tense; it seemed likely they weren’t currently in contact with each other. Claire wondered if they had some sort falling out, but she knew better than to ask.  She could tell that his couple of sentences regarding his sister had been hard enough for him to get out; the young man almost seemed as if he was missing a part of himself.

“Don’t get me wrong, spending time with Ann helps me more than she could ever know.” He scooped up a handful of water and sand and let it drizzle through his fingers.  The grains dripped onto the ground, creating a structure that resembled an anthill.  “But…”  He bit his lip and continued silently playing in the sand.

His friend edged closer to him and contributed to his creation; feeling the sediment flow through her fingers in such a fluid motion was strangely satisfying.

Cliff’s voice was pensive. “I’ve been thinking about this ever since you and I went out for lunch together...  Things have to change…”

At what point had he stopped regularly stuttering around her? He had already changed so much since they first met.  “Change…”  She echoed him with a murmur as she added to the pile.  That was the very thing she had wanted for herself ever since she moved to Mineral Town.

“Yeah… I have to find a way to be happy _here_ …  I’ve moved so much, but…  I wonder if it was really the locations that were the source of the problem.”  His voice was strangely calm as he stared at the sand.

Claire thought of her time in the city and all of the unhappy jobs she worked. “We have to learn how to make our own happiness instead of hoping it will come to us,” she said as much to herself as to her friend.  She realized her craving for something new had been satiated, but she hadn’t taken the time to enjoy it.  Claire hadn’t really thought about it until now.  She noticed conversations with Cliff were like that; she found herself contemplating her thoughts and emotions a lot more.

Her gaze moved over to her friend; he was continuing with his sand tower as if it were a very important project. The summer breeze played at his shaggy hair, but he didn’t brush it out of his face.  The fading sunlight reflected off of it, almost creating a halo on the top of his head.  Claire liked to think her observation was poetic in the way Mary might describe one of her characters, but the farmer wasn’t sure if her rendering had any deeper meaning; it was simply what she saw, and perhaps that was enough.  Cliff’s thick brows were furrowed in concentration, and Claire wondered if he was deep in thought or just very serious about his sandcastles.  She figured it was the first reason; it seemed the more he had on his mind, the quieter he became.

Claire’s eyes traveled from his face to his body. His skin had become rather tanned since spring, she observed with pleasure.  This was another piece of evidence that that he wasn’t spending all of his time inside brooding.  She looked at her own arms and realized her skin had darkened a bit as well.  She couldn’t remember the last time she had been outdoors enough to get some color on her skin before taking over the farm.  The young woman sheepishly tugged at her sleeves and realized she had achieved the quintessential farmer’s tan. 

Her friend didn’t sport the same tan lines, as he didn’t wear sleeves, and he stopped wearing his bracers in the hot weather. He had been outside, catching fish and foraging; he was providing for himself, Claire realized with satisfaction.  He didn’t have a job, but he was still trying to remain in control of his own life.  They really weren’t that different from each other after all.  His facial features gradually relaxed, and Claire noticed for the first time that Cliff had a very pleasant face when it wasn’t filled with worry.  He looked a bit relieved, as if he had just finished puzzling out something.

“Thank you, Claire.” His deep blue eyes moved up to hers and he gave her an honest smile.  “I’m able to see things more clearly when I’m with you.”

“I feel the same way,” She realized with a grin. When he actually gave her a genuine one, he had such a nice smile; if only she could see it more often…

Cliff had built the sand pile to a precarious height and it toppled over without warning. He let out a delighted laugh.  “It got pretty tall, huh?”

“Yeah!” She giggled as she rinsed off her hands in the tide pool.  Her expression became more solemn as she stared at the remains of their sandcastle.  “After all, we can only handle so much burden ourselves until we crumble apart…”

Her friend looked at her with a thoughtful expression and the smile faded from his face a bit.

“I… I w-want you… to feel like you can talk to me, Cliff…”  The young woman stammered, embarrassed by her own boldness.  Her heart mysteriously thudded in her chest and she was suddenly aware of how hot out it was.  Surely, she had intimidated him with those words…

“Y-you really do, huh?” His voice was hardly audible. Their eyes locked and Claire could see that his face was nearly burgundy.  The brunette’s voice became more confident.  “I’m… going to try my best to stay here permanently.”  His entire face lit up.

Claire’s entire mood lifted. “Good, because it wouldn’t feel like home without you here,” she let out a carefree giggle.

He gave her a kind gaze, but the farmer noticed his eyes were shining at her the same way she noticed the other evening; they were the same color as the ocean.

The tide was coming in; they sat on the end of the pier together and watched the sun’s rays escape over the horizon.

“Beautiful…” Claire murmured, admiring the pinks, purples, and oranges in the early evening sky.

“I wonder if she’s watching the same sunset…” The young man’s expression was unreadable.

Claire rested a caring hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure she is.”

 _Happy birthday, Ivy_ , Cliff mouthed as he looked over the azure waves. _Wherever you are…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Why do I give my characters such good advice and not follow it myself? Ugh. The title of the chapter is based from a line from 11 Acorn Lane’s “Spend My Time With You”. A much peppier song than the mood of this chapter, but sweet sentiment is there. The lyrics are just too dang cute and pure. Hope y’all enjoyed the chapter. Comments? Questions? Feel free to leave me a review and let me know what you think.


	28. Part of His Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire cheerfully joins a trio of Gray, Saibara, and Cliff as they go hiking in the mountains. She sees a new side of each of them as they make their trek, and no one is really prepared for the conflict that happens toward the peak of Mother's Hill.

How her friend was able to fold burdock leaves into little packets so neatly was beyond Claire. She held a small twig between her teeth as she fussed with the large, floppy leaf, sighing as some blueberries spilled into the grass at her knees.  It was a method that took patience, and the farmer was quickly running out of it.  She remembered that Cliff sometimes used his knife to shave down the spine of the leaf so that it was more malleable before loading it with the contents; she realized this was her problem, and she had no blade.  The young woman was foraging by herself today.  She washed the berries off in the stream, popping them into her mouth, deciding to give up on the packets for the moment.

She bit into a particularly sweet berry and relished in the flavor and the scenery around her with a smile, forgetting about her clumsy attempts at what she referred to in her mind as _leaf origami_.  It was a perfect summer day.  The sky was clear and she could hear birds singing in the high branches of the tree she was resting under.  Some movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention.

Three men were hiking up the mountain trail. They were quite a ways in the distance, but she recognized a familiar cap on the young man trailing several paces behind, kicking at the ground.  Claire’s heart skipped a beat as she threw on her rucksack and sprinted to catch up with him, her mangled burdock leaf and remaining berries spilling out of her lap onto the ground, forgotten.

Claire tried her best to make her reunion with the apprentice appear as more of a happenstance than a fair deal of effort on her part. “G-good morning, Gray,” She tried not to look too out of breath from her run as she dusted off her overalls.

“Oh, hey, Claire.” The young man gave her a wry smile. He was looking around them distractedly, jamming his hands in his pockets as they walked along the trail.

“It’s unusual to see you out here in the mountains,” she commented, shifting her bag on her shoulders.

“Gramps always takes me out on an early morning hike on the days when the shop is closed,” she noticed his voice sounded groggy. She couldn’t tell if this was something he enjoyed or not judging solely from his tone of voice, but his body language suggested annoyance.  “Usually it’s just me and Gramps.”

Claire caught a dangerous glint in his eye; he was staring straight ahead. The farmer looked where the young man’s gaze was focused.  Gray’s roommate had joined them today, and Saibara and Cliff were quietly walking side by side.  They were just out of earshot, but every so often one man would make a comment to the other.  Claire was startled by a sudden scoff beside her.

“We typically go up to the mountain peak to meditate… Well, I _attempt_ to, anyway,” Gray frowned.  “It doesn’t look like that is going to happen _today_.”  He kicked a pebble along the trail and it fell just short of Cliff.  The young man snorted and folded his arms across his chest, almost a little disappointed that it didn’t hit his roommate.

The farmer was too busy studying the young man’s face to notice that he had kicked anything and assumed he was referring to her company. “Oh, I’m sorry!  I’ll let you be!”

“No, no… It’s not you,” he rolled his eyes and sighed.

Saibara let out a hearty laugh and clapped Cliff on the shoulder and Gray’s glare turned murderous. She noticed that the apprentice got moody when the subject of his grandfather was brought up, recalling the young man’s reaction to Saibara’s birthday gift for Cliff, but Claire had never seen Gray this way before.  It couldn’t be any more apparent that the young man was painfully jealous.

Claire longed to say something to comfort the apprentice, but she wasn’t exactly sure where to start. Gray had a tendency to get defensive when the young woman mentioned anything about the old man.  “You really enjoy your hikes with your grandfather,” she ventured, keeping her eyes focused on her boots.  His strides were longer than hers, but he took them more slowly; Claire couldn’t help but feel like more than just their steps were out of sync.

“… It’s one of the rare times when I’m his grandson and not his apprentice,” Gray murmured.  “We saw Cliff foraging on our way up here, and Gramps was insistent that he join us…  I wish he hadn’t…”  He tugged on the bill of his hat.  “I’m sure you don’t want to listen to this…  You must think I’m a very petty person, huh?”  He gave her an apologetic look, ashamed at his behavior.

Claire shook her head. There were several times when she wished her parents had spent less time with her younger siblings and more with her as a child.  She knew it was wishful thinking, but she still checked her mailbox regularly to see if her mother and father would reply to the letters she sent weekly.  They were mostly just simple reports of her daily farm life and how things were going with her friends, but it would be nice to have some sort of reply that they had actually received them.  Claire moved out of her parents’ house a few years ago and the only real correspondence she had gotten from them was an annual birthday card and a New Year’s card, often with brief messages about how they were doing.  “I don’t see you as petty...” her voice was thoughtful as she watched the pair walking in front of them.

_He just wanted to be an important part of his grandfather’s life…_

Gray grunted in reply, and Claire took this as an embarrassed affirmation. “I-I’m sorry for being so pathetic.  Don’t get the wrong idea…  I see Cliff as one of my best friends, but it really pisses me off that he has a natural way with Gramps.  I’ve… been trying to get the old man to pay attention to me my _entire_ life.”  He grumbled, kicking at wildflowers as they walked past them.  The pink and yellow petals fluttered into the air like confetti although the overall mood was anything but celebratory.

“It sounds like you love your grandfather an awful lot,” Claire offered gently. She was pleased that he was opening up to her, but at the same time she didn’t want to admit to herself that she felt a little uneasy at his anger.  She wasn’t used to having someone express their unhappiness so directly.  Cliff was very hesitant to say what was troubling him, and it often took hours of sitting in silence or soothing conversations to get much out of him.  Karen had a different method; she played off her worries, laughing them off and refusing to go into detail with them.  Claire was first aware of this when the young woman came over to watch anime with her that rainy afternoon back in spring.  The fact that Gray was so comfortable venting to her always threw Claire off-guard – she was flattered he was willing to confide, but she wasn’t ever sure what she was supposed to say in response.

The young woman was startled when she heard a gruff voice. “You coming or not, boy?”  Saibara turned around to look behind him and Cliff followed suit.  “Oh, good morning, Miss Claire!”  The blacksmith bowed politely.  “Did you come to join us?”  Despite his choice of words, he didn’t look surprised at all to see her, and Claire wondered if he knew she had been back there the whole time.

Cliff’s eyes lit up at the sight of Claire, and he gave her a friendly smile. The young woman wasn’t certain how to react; she was happy that Cliff got along well with the old man, but she was uncomfortable with the tension it was causing with Gray.  She flashed the brunette a quick grin, but her eyes focused on the apprentice.

“Might as well,” Gray grumbled with a sigh. Claire almost took offense to this until she remembered his reassurance earlier that he didn’t mind her company; after all, Claire wasn’t competition for the old blacksmith’s attention.  “We’re just bringing along _everyone_ we find on the way…”

Saibara shot Gray a look that made his blood run cold. He had only received a few of these glares from his grandfather within his lifetime, and he vividly remembered each occurrence.  The old man didn’t need to yell at him; his eyes had said plenty.

Claire didn’t notice Saibara’s gaze; she was focused on her friend. Cliff’s eyes flashed with pain for a very brief moment, but he quickly hid it.  The terrific skill at which he did this horrified Claire; this was a learned response, she realized.  The young woman had seen it before when she was visiting the three roommates at the inn a couple of nights ago.  She understood for the first time how open Cliff had been with her regarding his emotions when it was just the two of them together.  “I’m very sorry, I didn’t realize,” The young man bowed his head and smiled apologetically at the apprentice.  “I’ll just be on my way; s-see y’all later,” he quietly started to head down the mountain, but Gray caught him roughly by the forearm.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Gray fought to keep his voice level and failed. It made him furious that Cliff had to remind him how jealous he was.

The brunette avoided his roommate’s livid stare. “I really should be getting back to foraging anyway,” Cliff replied quietly, but he made no motion to struggle; he was patiently waiting for Gray to release him by himself.

 _So that he could gather more things for Saibara and his grandfather would tell him again how much he wished Gray was more like his roommate?_ Cliff’s composed demeanor only made the apprentice more frustrated.  Something inside of young man snapped; Gray’s grip tightened on his friend’s arm until his own hand hurt.  “What the _hell_ is wrong with you?”  Gray yelled.  He wanted him to fight back; he _needed_ him to fight back.  Gray needed someone to validate what he was doing - that wanting Saibara to care about him was _worth_ putting an effort into.  Goddess knew he didn’t have anyone else in his own family to look up to…

Cliff remained silent as he stared at the ground, swallowing the lump in his throat. He had seen the foreshadowing of something like this happening for quite a long time now, and he wanted to avoid unnecessary drama.  The young man thought he’d try his luck and he took a small step away from him, but it was the wrong choice.  The apprentice wrenched his arm violently, begging the brunette with his eyes to at least say something.  Claire winced; she had often admired the blacksmith’s muscular arms, and she could tell his grip was likely going to leave a series of bruises on her friend.  Claire was surprised that Cliff didn’t show some sign that he was in any sort of pain; he looked more annoyed than anything else. 

The young woman wondered if she should say or do something, but she found she was unable to do either; her voice caught in her throat. She was stunned at Gray’s violent reaction to Cliff’s non-confrontational behavior.

“Gray, let go of me.” Cliff’s voice was calm.  He met the apprentice’s gaze.

Claire wondered for a brief moment if Gray was going to punch him. She looked at Saibara, who wore his default emotionless expression.  Apparently, the old man was content with simply watching the whole thing play out.  The young woman bit her lip.  What was she supposed to do?

“Gray…” Cliff was starting to lose his patience; his eyes hardened in a way Claire had never seen before. The young man adjusted his posture more assertively, maintaining eye contact with his friend.  Cliff gave the young man a few more moments as a last chance to release him before deftly twisting his arm out of Gray’s grip.  He carefully took a step back to give the Gray some space, but made no motion to walk away.

The young man tugged on his hat; it was almost as if he had come out of a trance as his rage subsided. He sighed, anger leaving him.  “I-I’m… sorry, okay?  I shouldn’t… have said that, alright?” 

Cliff initially looked unsure of what to say in response; Gray’s words earlier had cut him deeply, but he didn’t want the apprentice to know that. Cliff felt that he should have grown accustomed to being told he didn’t belong in a group over the years, but the brunette found that the pain never really went away.  “… Don’t worry about it.”

Gray flexed the muscles in his hand; they ached. He found that his wrist hurt a bit as well when Cliff had forced him to release his grip.  The apprentice realized with embarrassment what little control he had over his anger as he massaged his wrist, turning away from his friend.  Why was he always making such a fool of himself?  Instead of feeling angry, Gray just felt tired; the young man let out a soft sigh.

Claire found that she had rushed to Cliff’s side. “A-are you alright?” Her face was filled with concern as her eyes traveled over her friend.

“My arm?” He looked down at it and shrugged; she was making a big deal out of nothing.  “I’m fine,” her friend smiled at her, “it’s not like he was trying to hurt me.” 

Claire could already see the beginnings of bruises on Cliff’s forearm and wondered why he was being so casual about it. The farmer wondered if his ability for bringing in money would be hindered by his injury; she was worried about him being able to cover his rent without digging too deeply into his savings.  “… Will you still be able to go spear fishing?” She asked quietly.

Cliff nodded his head as he gingerly rolled his left shoulder a couple of times; he would not admit out loud that he was a bit sore. “I’ve taught myself to be more or less ambidextrous years ago…  Really, I’m fine, Claire,” the young man insisted with a blush; he wasn’t used to having people fuss over him.

“I know that your mother raised you better than to treat your friends like that and to behave that way in the presence of a lady!” Saibara started into Gray furiously.

The grandson pulled his cap over his face, wondering if it was possible for him to feel any more embarrassed than he already was. “I-I’m sorry… Cliff… and Claire…”  Gray wore a defeated expression as he stared at the ground.

The blacksmith was ashamed of his grandson’s outburst. “You must learn to channel your anger into something more productive.”  Saibara snapped.

“I already do!” Gray scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. Claire knew he was referring to his apprenticeship; she thought of how angrily Gray sometimes swung his hammer.

“Good medicine is bitter to the mouth,” Saibara muttered gruffly, continuing up the trail; as far as he was concerned, the conversation was over.

Gray rolled his eyes. The young man looked back over at his friends and reddened, starting up the mountain after his grandfather.  Claire found that she didn’t want to walk too closely with him; she was uncomfortable, to say the least.  She jumped when she felt a light hand on her shoulder.

“Shall we?” Cliff asked her quietly, his eyes following the pair up the rocky path as he adjusted his bag on his right side.

“I-I don’t know if we should,” Claire admitted, kicking her feet in the gravel. She wasn’t sure if either of them were welcome and she was about to suggest they head back down the mountain to town and see what Karen was up to.

Cliff chuckled, and it caught the young woman by surprise. “It would make him feel worse if we didn’t go with them at this point.”  He rolled his shoulder a few more times and stretched his arms, and Claire took note for the first time that Cliff was no slouch; he had some lean muscles of his own.  Gray just had a much sturdier build than his friend, so Claire never really thought of Cliff as physically strong.  “There is no need for you to be afraid of Gray.  I’ve been living with him for around six months now, and he’s much more sensitive than he lets on.”

Claire thought of Gray’s gentleness with Tucker and knew Cliff was right, but the whole situation left her with mixed feelings about the blacksmith’s apprentice. Her eyes kept falling on her friend’s forearm.

“Is he always this rough with you?” Claire was disgusted with Gray’s behavior, and she couldn’t help but be concerned for Cliff’s well-being.

The young man shook his head; Claire really was taking Gray’s outburst much too seriously. If the farmer had sat in on the regular arguments the apprentice had with him, Ann, and Kai, she would realize that Gray was much more bark than bite.  “Honestly, I’ve been waiting for this to come to a head for months now.  Saibara’s the only family Gray has in town,” he explained as he shifted his satchel on his back for comfort, “naturally he wants to have his grandfather’s love and attention,” the young man chose his words carefully.

 _Why should he have it all, though? Did Gray honestly think he was the only one in town who was lonely?_ Claire looked at her friend; Cliff had no family in town, nor did she.  She frowned.  “His tantrum today was still unacceptable.” Claire could feel the blood rushing to her face.  She never thought she would feel the urge to slap Gray; she had proven herself wrong today.

“Please don’t get mad at him for my sake; I’m over it already,” Cliff gave her a small smile and his cheeks had turned pink. “It’s no big deal.”

His voice was gentle, but his eyes were pleading for her to stop worrying about him. “… You handled the situation very well,” Claire looked up at him with admiration, giving him a nod in approval as she shifted her pack on her back.  The two continued up the trail together after the grandfather and grandson.

Cliff flicked out his knife and cut a wild herb as they walked past, chewing on a leaf. “I attempted to play the peacemaker a lot back at home,” Cliff laughed it off, but his face turned redder.  “It didn’t make me very popular with some of the other guys.”  He offered her a tiny sprig.  “Rosemary?”

The young woman nodded, thanked him, and popped a few leaves into her mouth, focusing on the mellow flavor. She was once again reminded that it was a remedy for stress.  “You know…  I thought he was going to hit you,” Claire confessed.  She didn’t think a punch from someone as strong as Gray would feel very nice.

The young man chuckled, swallowing his leaves and rolling his shoulder once again. “You didn’t roughhouse with siblings or friends much, huh?  I would’ve gotten him to back off long before it came to that.”  He ate some more rosemary leaves, biting back a wince and praying for the muscle pain relief to take effect.

By the time they made it to the peak of the mountain, Saibara was already sitting down with his eyes closed. Gray was still standing, and he looked rather uncomfortable.  He walked over to the pair, his eyes lowered to the ground.

“Cliff… I’m sorry.  I…  I just wanted to… be a grandson for a while,” he stammered.  Claire was surprised he was making this confession in front of her as well.  “Y-You get it, right?”

The two men were quiet for several moments; Claire wondered if either of them was going to say anything at all.

“Forget about it. Saibara’s waiting for you.” Cliff replied, cocking his head toward the old man.  “And you’ll always be his grandson.  Nothing will ever change that.”

Gray tugged on his hat and punched the brunette’s shoulder playfully. Claire flinched.  “You sound more and more like Carter every day,” he rolled his eyes at his roommate, took a seat near Saibara, and stared out over the peak of the mountain.

Cliff took a seat further away, giving the relatives plenty of space to themselves. Claire wasn’t sure what to do; she had never really meditated before.  Her friend looked up at her and motioned for her to join him.  She sat down gratefully.  “What am I supposed to do?” She felt out of place.

“Just relax,” he whispered, resting his eyes. “Try focusing on your breathing.  Breathe in for a few seconds, then out for a few seconds.”  He demonstrated a few times for his friend.

“Okay.” The young woman closed her eyes.  Her mind was a jumble of thoughts.  She slowly inhaled and exhaled.  “What am I supposed to think about?”

“Don’t think about anything,” was the soft reply. “Let thoughts come and go through your mind as they please, but don’t focus on them.  Just breathe.”

The young woman briefly wondered if he had learned this technique from Saibara or Carter. She could still taste the rosemary in her mouth.  She filled her lungs with the summer mountain air and relaxed…

“Claire…” Cliff’s voice was gentle.

The young woman snapped awake and her eyes fluttered open. The three men were standing around her, looking down at her.

“I think she was out cold,” Gray snickered.

Claire could feel herself blushing. She rubbed her eyes.  “I-I’m sorry.” 

“It’s not an uncommon experience for beginners,” Saibara’s gruff voice had a friendly tone to it. “Keep practicing and it will help you in your everyday life.”

Claire nodded mutely at the old man, blinking her alert eyes. Cliff had offered her his hand to help her up.  Claire accepted the aid and looked around her.  She was surprised at how energized she felt.

“We were just getting ready to head back down,” Her friend explained.

“Alright.” The young woman was relieved that everyone seemed to be in a good mood.

The group made their way back to the trail and she jumped when she felt a light touch on her shoulder and noticed it wasn’t Cliff.

“Hey, Claire…” Gray tipped his cap at her.  “Uh…  I’ve been thinking…”  He slowed down his walking pace as Saibara passed them.  “Um…”  He gave his roommate a glance, unsure of how to continue his sentence.  Cliff took the hint and walked on the other side of Claire, giving them some space, letting out a silent sigh as he did so.  Gray was not blind to this.  He nervously tugged on the bill of his cap.  “I-I…  I want to improve myself.  Gramps is right…  I need an outlet…  C-Can I come over in a few days to work with you and Tucker?”

Why wasn’t she immediately agreeing? Her words caught in her throat and she wasn’t sure why.  Her eyes moved over to the brunette at her other side, but he was busy pulling some leaves off of another sprig of rosemary.  What was there to question?  Hadn’t she already agreed for him to come over sometime at Cliff’s birthday party?

“Look… I know I was a jerk today…”  He continued, staring at the ground.  “I-I’m not asking you to let me have complete control over how you raise your horse, I’m just asking you to give me a chance to help…”

The humbling words touched her heart. “Of course.”  She nodded and looked forward.

Cliff gave his roommate a kind bob of the head and the three walked down the trail together as Saibara scolded the trio for moving so slowly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I want to thank everyone who is providing their feedback on this story. I also want to make a shout-out to Winter Oak on fanfiction. Thanks so much for helping me with making a few adjustments to “Seeing More Clearly”! I read and reread my writing so many times that it’s nice to have another set of eyes out there!
> 
> Thanks everyone for checking out my story! For those interested, I do have spinoff well in the works about the relationships between the three roommates. What I currently have up is very old; the new story will flesh the characters out much more than those two measly chapters did… Huh… I think I might just put up the first chapter as a teaser for y’all so you get a better feel for what it will be like.
> 
> Your reviews and input are immensely helpful to me! :)


	29. Dueling Chefs and Poultry Farmers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conflict between Rick, Popuri, and Kai eventually evolves into Claire playing mediator between Rick and Karen. Claire has always been a little curious why Rick dislikes Kai so much, but after shedding some light on the past, she learns something new about Karen in the process.

The two friends stared at the piece of French toast that sizzled in the pan over the hotplate Karen had brought over.

“Wow… So two guys were fighting on the mountaintop for the affections of an old geezer…?” The young woman cocked an eyebrow as she poured herself a glass of water.  “It sounds like a scene out of an action drama, only I pictured a different kind of catalyst for the battle!”  The grocer’s daughter gave her friend a pointed glance and raised her eyebrows.  “Perhaps an attractive female…?”

Claire was about to insist that Karen’s adjective hardly described the farmer, but she kept her mouth shut; the actual conflict that happened up in the mountains had nothing to do with Claire. The blonde rolled her eyes instead, but her face caught on fire as the brunette gave her a playful wink; she was beginning to regret saying anything at all about yesterday’s incident.  Karen was making unnecessary drama.  “It wasn’t really a battle or fight,” she insisted.  “Like I said, it was more of a moment of Gray losing his cool than anything else,” she nervously played with her fingers as she listened to the murmur of the cooking show playing on her television in the background.  She preferred not to think about the second part of Karen’s comment; it brought up a lot of confusing, uneasy feelings.

“Like we’ve never seen _that_ before,” the brunette snorted, prodding the spongy bread with a fork.  “I still say paprika would have been a nice touch…” She frowned at the rather bland-looking contents of the skillet, a single slice of French toast.

Karen had brought along the wrong spice, claiming that the two looked very similar and she thought that she had brought the correct one. “I told you to bring ground _cinnamon_ ,” Claire reminded her, “besides, the vanilla we added will make it taste plenty good.”  She glanced up at the television.  “See, Karen?  Look at the show!  Watch Chef B; he does this almost every episode.  He just puts whatever he feels like into the concoction.”

“Chef B sounds like my kind of cook,” Karen giggled, watching the onscreen chef add strawberries and beets to his ramen, immediately turning it a sickly magenta color. “You put in foods you like; I can’t argue with that logic.”

Claire sighed; her friend was missing the entire point. “Well, Chef B often ends up ruining his entry because he doesn’t check to see if the flavors coordinate.”

“Huh…” Karen was staring listlessly at the television screen, ignoring her friend’s demonstration of how to flip the slice of bread in the skillet. “I wonder which of those two guys would win in a fight…”

The bread sizzled loudly as the raw side hit the heat of the pan. Claire giggled and looked up at the television.  The show was called _Dueling Chefs_ , after all…  “Those guys?  Well, I could swear I’ve seen Chef B add a stone to one of his creations, so…”  She didn’t admit aloud that this was one of the few times that the chef’s dish actually _won_ …

Karen stared at the blonde, befuddled. “I was talking about Gray and Cliff.  Who would win in a fight?”

Claire considered this and frowned. “I-I don’t think they’d fight, Karen…”  She remembered the scene from yesterday and her stomach twisted uncomfortably.  “I don’t think Cliff would let it get that far,” her voice was soft as she recalled the young man’s words about trying to be a pacifist.

Karen smirked, twisting a strand of hair around her finger. “Ah, so he’s your pick.  Gray does definitely have a lot of strength, though, but I bet he lacks the endurance.  I mean, that mountain boy can _run_!”  She began to laugh but it soon faded as she remembered the burning in her lungs and pounding in her chest as her friend desperately pulled her along the cobblestone path to Claire’s farm a couple of weeks ago.  She had felt like they were flying, and once they reached the property and Karen saw Claire’s slumped form, her wings broke and she crashed.  The grocer’s daughter swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat.  “Y-You’re right.  It’s a stupid question; they wouldn’t fight.”  She turned back to the hotplate, eager to forget about her memories of the unconscious farmer.  “S-So… I missed you flipping the toast back there…”

Claire pointed at the bread with the fork. “You want it to look golden brown like this.  If you poke it, it will feel solid instead of mushy.”  She dexterously lifted a corner of the bread with the utensil.  “See?  Golden.”  She turned the pan out onto a plate and added oil to the skillet.  “You ready to try?”

Karen pulled her slab of bread out of the egg and milk mixture. “As ready as I’m going to be, I suppose.”  She nervously dropped it into the skillet and let out a small shriek as it hissed loudly.

The blonde gave her a kind smile. “Don’t worry; once you get the basics down, cooking will become a lot easier, even fun!”

The grocer’s daughter gave her a playful punch on the arm. “Well, it’s a heck of a lot more fun than trying to learn from my mom…”  She paused and stared down at the toast in the skillet, her cheeks flushing a bit.  “… Thanks for putting up with me, Claire.  I know I’m a horrible cook.”

She let out a weak laugh. “N-No you’re not!” She insisted, waving her hands defensively, “and I’m not _putting up_ with you; you’re my friend.  I enjoy hanging out with my friends,” she grinned, a warm feeling spreading throughout her body as she bit into her French toast.

Karen cocked an eyebrow. Claire had been _much_ more social lately, especially with _particular_ friends...  “Well, just remember that I’m your _best_ friend,” she stuck out her tongue at the farmer playfully.

The blonde didn’t understand exactly what Karen was hinting at. “Of course!” Claire shot her a grin as she twirled her fork in her fingers.  The brunette had changed her life in countless ways, and Claire was starting to notice that she was starting to speak and behave a little more frankly around the grocer’s daughter.  Karen seemed tickled to receive less formal treatment.  Claire was happy about this as well; she never had close friends growing up and a small part of her had been afraid that she never would.  She cut a small bite for her friend and held out her fork to her.  “Want a sample of what you’re making?”

Karen snatched the fork from the young woman, biting back a snicker as she remembered the blonde feeding the rosy-cheeked birthday boy from her own plate the week before. The grocer’s daughter was content feeding herself.  She took the bite of French toast and chewed thoughtfully.  “It’s good, but I still think the paprika would have done something to it…”

Claire had no doubt that it would have definitely “done something to it”, but she doubted it would be an improvement. “Start with the basics,” she winked at her friend.

“Yeah, yeah…” Karen rolled her eyes.  “So, you’ve still got my swimsuit, right?”

Claire tried to hide the frown on her face; she had hoped to use it more than once before returning it. “I can get it for you in a minute.”

Her friend shook her head. “Nah, I was thinking we could go to the beach this afternoon.  What do you say?”

The farmer grinned as she remembered the fresh, cool water. “Sounds great.  I can’t wait.”  She absentmindedly watched the television program with Karen for a while and her smile faded as she smelled smoke.  “K-Karen!  Flip your toast!”

She swore loudly, attempting to stab the bread through the middle and it ripped. “What the-?!”

“Scoop,” Claire demonstrated with her own fork and the remaining toast on her own plate.

The brunette clumsily attempted the same motion and the bread flopped in the pan, sizzling loudly. The two stared at the charred top of the bread and Claire gave her an apologetic look; she knew she should have been more attentive.

“Looks pretty tasty, huh?” Karen had a genuine grin on her face.

Apparently this was much less burnt than the grocer’s daughter was used to. “Uh, s-sure!”  Claire beamed.

0o0o0o0

“Taking a break, Kai?”

The young man took off his bandana and aired it out. “Yep.  It’s a hot one today, huh?”  He absentmindedly watched Karen and the new farmer girl building a sand castle on the beach.  Kai took a seat on the bench outside his shop.

“It’s good to have you back,” the color rose in Popuri’s cheeks as she sat down beside him.

“It’s good to be back,” he returned with a grin. She was a sweet girl with a bit of spunk to her, and it didn’t hurt that she was easy on the eyes as well.

“Summer’s my favorite season because I get to hang out with you,” Popuri admitted, playing with a strand of her long hair.

Kai nervously wrung the purple square of fabric around his knuckles and stared down at it, frustrated that her words made him feel flustered. The young woman was very forthright with her opinions; he had noticed a not-so-subtle change in their friendship since last summer and, quite honestly, it left him a little baffled.  “It doesn’t bother you that I’m not around all of the time?” He asked carefully.

The young woman shook her head, her cotton candy curls swaying as she did so. Her face lit up and her garnet eyes had such an innocent, joyful glow to them that her companion found himself gaping at her, forgetting about his worries.  “I love the letters and postcards you send me.  Traveling sounds like a lot of fun,” she giggled, “and I know I’ll always see you again in the summer,” she added with a wink.

Kai let out a laugh as he sighed in relief. “Ah, I’m glad you understand…”  He wasn’t looking for anything overly serious right now as far as women were concerned.  He stared back out at Claire and Karen playing on the beach; he didn’t really think of himself as a womanizer, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying the view.

Popuri was watching the pair as well. Her eyes moved back to Kai and she noticed that they were still glued to the women, but she knew better than to take it personally.  After all, she wished that someday she could be as attractive and glamorous as Karen or at least have that simple, yet effective brand of feminine beauty Claire possessed.  Popuri feared that people saw her as a child attempting to play dress up with her ruffles and curls, but Kai had given her a look recently that made her worries fade a bit.  And the glance he had given her was quite different than the one he was giving the girls on the beach, she realized with satisfaction.  “We have the summer to see each other all we want,” she swung her feet.

Popuri had become fast friends with Kai back when he commissioned Gotz to build the beach shack five years ago. Rick had blown a gasket over the mysterious traveler spending so much time with his then sixteen-year-old little sister, convinced that Kai was a cunning pirate who was plotting to whisk Popuri away across the ocean.  She had only seen Kai as a platonic friend for those first few years and she hung out with him mainly to rebel against her brother; but she quickly learned that the cook was a lot of fun to spend time with.  Last summer, Popuri had caught herself openly flirting with the cook, and she was pleased to see that he was doing the same.

“Kai?”

“Huh?” He looked over at her. Her eyes were locked onto the water and she was slouched a bit; Popuri suddenly looked very small.

She swallowed the lump in her throat; her mouth suddenly felt dry. “You don’t have any girlfriends at the other towns you visit, do you?” She stammered, avoiding his gaze as she stared out at the beautiful aqua waves.

The question caught him off guard and he felt an itch of annoyance as he bit his lip. Kai shook his head.  “Your brother said that, didn’t he?”  No doubt it was another one of Rick’s plots to keep Popuri from seeing him.

The young woman looked at him earnestly; she had to know what Kai really thought of her. “He implied it,” she admitted, craving to hear his reaction.

He snorted, shrugging his shoulders; he was at his wit’s end with Popuri’s sibling. “Well, your brother can go to hell.”

Satisfied with his answer, Popuri giggled and gave him a kiss on the mouth; the tanned young man jumped a little in surprise, but he was more than happy to go along with it.

“HEY!” Rick’s voice echoed across the beach as he stomped towards the pair.  “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

Claire looked over at the poultry farmer in surprise. She had never heard anyone yell that loud in her life.  Karen stood up and watched her childhood friend storm through the sand.

“Goddess…” Kai groaned when he heard the young man’s bellow. Of _course_ Rick had to enter the beach at that very moment…

Popuri glared at Rick and gave Kai a few more kisses out of spite for her brother. The cook was so pleasantly surprised he forgot that he was supposed to be hesitant.

“I thought I told you to stay away from my sister!” Rick growled as he caught his breath. The uneven sand, coupled with his unbridled rage, left the young man a bit winded.

Kai opened his mouth to speak, but Popuri interrupted him. “ _I_ came here to see _him_!  He’s my friend, Rick!  Why is that so hard for you to accept?!”

Claire found it hard not to eavesdrop on the conversation. For one thing, everyone was speaking so loudly the entire town could probably hear.  Secondly, the subject matter was incredibly juicy; as much as she told herself she would not butt her nose into others’ affairs, she was finding it nearly impossible to stand there quietly and ignore the conversation.  Thirdly, Karen had left her side and was slowly approaching Rick.

“Friends don’t… h-hang all over each other like that!” Popuri’s brother stammered, adjusting his glasses before they fell off of his face.

“Well, Karen’s right here; why don’t you give it a try? Maybe you’d be less of a jerk!” The young woman retorted as she hugged Kai’s arm, daring her brother to challenge her.

“Wh-Wha-?” Rick whirled around to see his friend standing behind him and he turned a bright shade of red. “K-Karen!”  He didn’t question why she was there; he was desperately seeking an ally.  “T-Tell Popuri she’s b-being disgusting and inappropriate!  She listens to you!”

The brunette blinked at him and turned toward the couple. She looked back at Rick and shrugged.  “I don’t see anything gross.”  She raised her eyebrows when she got an impatient stamp in reply.  “And I’m _not_ her parent,” she added pointedly.

Rick bit his lip until it threatened to bleed. “What exactly are you getting at?”  He couldn’t tell which woman he was angrier with.

Karen flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Exactly what I said.  I never mince words with you.”

Kai shot the young woman a grateful look and Rick was not blind to this. _That meddlesome traveler did nothing but fool around and charm women; he had Popuri and Karen both wrapped around his finger!_ Rick was so furious he had trouble wording a proper sentence.  “B-But… _th-they_ …!”

The brunette put a warm hand on his shoulder. “…  Kai _isn’t_ a bad guy, Rick…  You need to-” her green eyes widened when her friend shrugged off her touch.

“Y-You’d know _all about_ him being so great!” He spat, whirling on his heel and storming off the beach.

Her voice dropped threateningly and the poultry farmer halted in his tracks. “Rick, don’t you _dare_ walk away from me!”

“I-I can’t deal with this right now,” his voice cracked as he took a step toward town.

The young woman’s patience broke. “I thought you wanted to be a _man_ ,” Karen chided, folding her arms across her chest.

Her words had stunned him. Rick froze and stared at her, pain reflecting in his eyes.  “Really, Karen…?”

“Yeah, really,” the brunette walked over and linked her arm with Claire’s, much to the farmer’s surprise. “Come on; the three of us are going to the Goddess Spring.”

The blonde’s heart pounded in her chest. She was going to be accompanying the two friends during what was going to inevitably turn into an argument?  The young woman gave her friend a questioning look, but she was met with a confident smile in response as Karen pulled her closer.

The young man stared at the couple on the bench with frustration. Kai and Popuri were sitting side by side rather stiffly, each with a thin line for a mouth.  “And what if I refuse?”

The farmer watched curiously as Karen let out a soft chuckle and ran her fingers down his arm before taking his hand. He shivered slightly, color rushing to his cheeks.  “You and I both know that’s quite impossible.”  Claire couldn’t tell if the brunette was being flirtatious or threatening.  The blonde watched in surprise as the young man grasped his friend’s hand gratefully and turned toward Karen.

“ _I-I’m_ making the decision to join _you_ ,” he replied carefully, pushing his glasses back on the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

She knew exactly how to work him; they grew up together, after all. Karen gave him a playful smirk.  “Of course you are.  Lead the way, Rick.”

0o0o0o0

The walk to the spring was pleasant enough. Karen and Rick made small talk as they passed through Claire’s property, and the poultry farmer very impressed with the amount of corn the farmer had planted.

“The first ears are just ready to eat; I’m going to be harvesting a lot tomorrow morning,” Claire nodded proudly. She stared out at the tidy rows of corn, overwhelmed for a moment.  It looked like a _farm_ …

Rick’s eyes curiously scanned the fields. “Yeah, that’s _a lot_ of corn…”  A grin played at his lips as he adjusted his glasses.

The trio sat in the grass in front of the Goddess Spring and Claire waited quietly, her stomach twisting in anticipation. The walk here had been suspiciously peaceful; she didn’t have to wait long for their argument to un-pause.

“You know you’ve been pushing them together, right?” Karen’s voice was soft as she stared at the waterfall.

“Wh-What?!” Rick glared at her.  “I’ve been trying to keep them apart!”  He gritted his teeth while he balled up his fists.

She shook her head. “What do you expect her to do, Rick?  You won’t let her help out at the farm.  Where else is she supposed to go?  I bet you’d suggest she go the church every day, but then you’d get mad because that’s Cliff’s haunt.”  The brunette stared at him and shook her head.  “Heaven forbid Popuri interact with a male…”

The poultry farmer snapped and slammed his fists on the ground. “I-It’s not like that!” He retorted, rage welling up from within him.  “And _I_ should be the one that’s angry!”

The grocer’s daughter hadn’t really been angry until Rick said this. She was tired of playing nice.  “Well, it just happens that Popuri is my friend!” Karen frowned.  “Do you have any idea how worthless you make her feel?”

“Worthless?!” Rick spat, “All I’ve ever done for her is try to handle her the way Dad would! She gets treated like a damn princess!”  There was a not-so-subtle tone of jealousy in his voice as he stared at the ripples on the Goddess Pond, almost frustrated that the scenery looked so tranquil.

“You are _not_ her father…” Her voice trailed off as her anger melted.  “And no one expects you to be.”  She stared into her male friend’s eyes.

Claire was starting to wonder why she had been dragged into coming along; she was starting to feel very uncomfortable. She looked up in surprise as she saw Cliff silently creeping out of the Spring Mine, slipping a heavy gauntlet off of his right arm and massaging his left shoulder.  Their eyes met for a brief moment and the color drained from his face; he looked like a spooked deer.  His hands immediately fell to his sides in response.  The young man gazed at the tension on Rick and Karen’s faces and gave Claire a comforting smile and nod in greeting as he noiselessly snuck behind them to head back into town.

The poultry farmer bit his lip as he fumbled to form a proper sentence to express his complicated emotions. “… Popuri _deserves_ a father…” Rick stared at the water miserably.  “And she deserves a man who will stay in her life; not someone who just goes gallivanting around…”

“Are we talking about Rod or Kai?” Karen asked quietly.

They were quiet for a long time.

“Both, I guess…” He admitted with a sigh.

“You can’t do it all,” Karen took her hand in his and traced her fingers along his knuckles. “We’re all only human.  Don’t think of this as a bad thing... but… Kai can help ease that burden in a way…”

“I don’t trust him.” His voice was curt.

Claire noticed that Karen was struggling to find the right words as she stared at the ground. “I know that…  But I’m asking you to try.”

Rick looked at her with burning cheeks. “I don’t want him to toss her aside like an empty paper cup once he gets bored with her.”  His gaze shyly returned to the ground as he slouched his shoulders.

A rush of anger coursed through the grocer’s daughter as she clenched her jaw. “I-I told you…  Our breakup was mutual,” Karen let go of his hand and fussed with her brown locks.  “I-If anything, _I_ broke up with _him_ …”

Claire’s jaw dropped; she had no idea that Kai and Karen had once been a couple. Her friend had mentioned nothing of the sort, and she found that it made her feel a little hurt and left out for not receiving this information.  Karen seemed to sense this and shot Claire an apologetic look before turning her focus back on Rick.

The brunette decided she might as well give Claire a shortened version of her history with Kai. “It was a short fling,” she shrugged.  “It was years ago.  I’d hang out at the snack shop and we’d sit out on the docks together.  When summer ended, we both decided to move on.  It was fun while it lasted, but there wasn’t anything… _solid_ there, you know?”  She looked at Rick; surely he had to understand this.

The poultry farmer swallowed the lump in his throat. The traveler had stolen Karen’s first kiss, and he would never forgive him for that.  Rick had secretly longed for that precious gift for himself for several years, but he could hardly say that aloud.  And now Kai was hanging out with his little sister…

“Kai really is a good guy,” Karen repeated quietly. “He wasn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t be great with Popuri.”

“I-I don’t want to talk about that right now…” Rick took off his glasses and wiped them nervously.

Karen leaned against her friend, her brown hair brushing against his shoulder. “I’m over him, Rick.  It’s about time that you were, too.”  She looked at him with wide eyes.

His cheeks flashed crimson as he scooted closer to her, but his posture immediately stiffened when he remembered Claire was sitting with them. He nervously cleared his throat.  “I-I g-guess you may h-have a point…  I…  I-I c-can’t guarantee it will happen overnight, though…”

Karen gave him a friendly smile as she sat up. “I thought I already said that we’re only human,” she giggled, standing up.

“Y-Yeah…” Rick wiped his sweaty palms off on his apron and gave her a crooked smile as he got up.

Claire bounced up, a little jittery at the display she had witnessed. She shyly followed the pair back toward town.  Rick and Karen started up their small talk again, and Claire noticed that it soothed her this time.  The trio stopped in front of Claire’s farmhouse.

“Well, thanks for hanging out with me today, Claire,” Karen gave her friend a swift hug as an unspoken apology for the argument she was dragged into. “See you soon?”

Claire nodded. “Of course.”

The brunette turned toward Rick. “I’ll meet you at the bar in a minute, okay?” Karen winked at the poultry farmer.  “Save me our spot and order me something good, okay?”

“A-Alright,” the young man blushed and waved goodbye to them. “Thanks, Claire.  Have a good evening.”

“B-Bye…” She waved, unsure of why he was thanking her.

“Thank you for coming along to the spring,” Karen echoed as her friend was out of earshot. “I know you really didn’t want to, but it means a lot that you did.  You were a huge help.”

Claire couldn’t help but wonder if her friend was being sarcastic. She knitted her brow.  “I d-didn’t do anything…”

Karen laughed and slapped her friend on the shoulder. “You kept me from slapping him a few times.  Your presence alone was very helpful.  Kind of like a mediator or a judge in a boxing ring…”  She stretched her back as she threw on her bathing suit cover-up.  “Well, I guess I should head to the bar.  He always wants to drink when he fights with Popuri; who am I to argue with that?  My sources say that we’re gonna get _riggedy riggedy wrecked_ tonight!” She cackled.  “No doubt he’s starting us off with straight vodka.”

Claire raised an eyebrow. She knew Karen could hold her liquor, but she couldn’t help but tease her a bit.  “Don’t get too crazy, now.  Am I going to need to come and check on you later tonight?”

Karen roared with laughter and playfully patted her friend’s cheek; Claire thought she was already starting to act a little buzzed. “Are you looking for an excuse to visit the inn, you naughty girl?” She gave her a playful wink.

Her friend’s cheeks burned and she folded her arms across her chest. “I-I’ll leave it to Rick to walk you home, then.”

“Oh, he knows he will tonight,” Karen’s own face lit up as she waved goodbye to her friend. “Rick can be awkward sometimes, but he’s definitely a gentleman!”

Claire wondered if Popuri would be the only girl to get a kiss today…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Beets and strawberries do not belong in ramen; I know from personal experience…
> 
> “Riggedy riggedy wrecked!!!” – Rick and Morty fan, guilty as charged, haha.
> 
> I really wanted to focus on Karen in this chapter and the different ways she handles her relationships with people. Karen is always so guarded, so it was really refreshing to write her being so blunt with Rick. I also hope that I achieved a believable Rick as well; he doesn’t seem to have many fans, but I think he’s a great character.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for your reviews and support! Let me know what you think of this chapter!


	30. Words from the Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire visits the bar while Gray is treating his grandfather and roommate to a drink as an apology for his recent behavior. After she visits with them quickly and leaves, Saibara becomes more informed on the situation that is taking place between them. Saibara could easily take Gray and Cliff's heads and knock them together, but he finds it slightly more satifying to harsh talking-to over a glass of hot sake.

“Ah, wait!” Cliff shuffled through his jingling bag and held out a thin strip of leather to the farmer. “Here.”

The blonde stared at the offering in the palm of her hand and looked at her friend curiously.

The young man cocked an eyebrow. “Hair is very flammable, Claire.  Keep it tied back when you’re building a fire.  What was it Papa always said?  Ah, yes, ‘Don’t be a hothead’.”  He gave her an indecently pleased smile.

She blinked; the pun was so bad she almost didn’t want to acknowledge it. “Your father _always_ said that?”  Her friend didn’t strike her as the type to use puns, and she couldn’t deny the pleasure it gave her to hear him say something ridiculous and embarrassing.

The brunette bit back a sheepish grin. “Yes.  Yes he did.”  He gave an emphatic nod as he watched the young woman pull back her hair, admiring the way the sunlight hit her golden locks.

Long hair on men was unusual to Claire; men in the city had very no-nonsense short haircuts for conducting business. “Did he have long hair too?” She fumbled with the strip of hide.  Cliff made taming his hair with a simple string look so easy; she was used to elastic ties.

“Much longer than mine,” her friend nodded. He wore a nostalgic smile on his face as he set down his flint.  “A long beard, too.  He braided it.”

Claire found herself giggling with delight as she saw her friend’s eyes light up when he spoke of his father. “The hair or the beard?”  She knotted the leather and shook her tousled ponytail for good measure.  She nodded in satisfaction when she saw that it held.

The young man’s cheeks turned pink as he quickly focused the gaze on his flint and steel before she caught him staring. “Both,” he laughed.  “A lot of the men had long hair and beards back home.  They were often gone on hunting trips for long periods of time, so it just made sense.”

Cliff started the spark with his tools, leaning in to blow on it. Claire watched in fascination as delicate, wispy curls of smoke rose up to the sky from the small ball of kindling.  Within time, a tiny flame crackled at the twigs and dead grass.  “Ah, that’s the hardest part,” he smiled with satisfaction.  “Once you get the flame a little stronger, we can start feeding it a little more.”  He nudged the beginnings of the fire into a small tent of sticks they had set up.

Claire reviewed the lesson out loud. “So, dry leaves, dead grass, dry moss…  Bundle it up into a bird’s nest shape…”  She gave him an impish grin.  “But don’t add your hair by mistake; _don’t be a hothead_!”

He chuckled. “Sounds like you’ve got it right.”  The brunette showed her the different sizes of sticks to feed to the tiny fire.  “I can lend you my extra flint and knife to practice with, okay?”

“Thanks!” She beamed. The farmer stared at their creation with contentment and quite a bit of excitement; this was a major step toward outdoor cooking.  She watched her friend monitor the flames and imagined a taller, bulkier version of the young man sitting beside him, laughing and spouting puns.  “What about you?  Think you’ll grow out a long beard one of these days like your father?”  She teased.

Cliff rubbed his smooth chin thoughtfully before shaking his head. “Eh, I doubt it…  I don’t think I could pull off a beard…  But… what do you think?”  His eyes traveled to her shyly and he let out a soft chuckle.

Claire played with her ponytail, vaguely aware that he was expressing that he valued her opinion on his appearance. “I like being able to see your whole face… all of your expressions,” she looked at him honestly and gave him a tender smile.  “I think you look fine just the way you are,” she gazed at him.

He turned burgundy in response and rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a nervous laugh. “Uh… Th-Thanks…  Speaking of…  I wonder if I should try to look and dress more like other people in town…  I mean, if I’m really going to be trying to be _staying_ here and not just passing through…”

She was a little surprised the young man seemed self-conscious of the way he looked. “Nah,” Claire giggled, “You’re you.”  Her laughter died down, as the very thought of his residence being temporary always made her heart break a little.

“You mean I don’t look like… well... you know…?” His voice trailed off. Cliff didn’t really feel like repeating the insults he had heard hurled at him over the years – _hobo, vagabond, bum_ …  “I mean… I look… _alright_?”

“You don’t look like someone who doesn’t belong, if that’s what you’re asking,” the farmer smiled as she watched the small flame grow. “You look like Cliff, resident of Mineral Town.”  She looked him once over and nodded appreciatively, but her smile faded when she realized he was wearing his heavy set of bracers in such warm weather.  Claire had noticed he was also wearing them yesterday when she caught a glimpse of him at the Spring Mine.  She had a distinct hunch as to why he decided to wear them today, but she refrained from commenting on it, wishing to respect his feelings.  He hadn’t mentioned the incident with Gray at all, and she decided to let him bring up the subject if he so chose.

He didn’t seem to notice where her gaze was briefly focused. “And you look like Claire, Mineral Town’s best farmer,” her friend returned, his eyes glowing.

The start of a frown that had been threatening to spread across her mouth faded instantly; the young woman giggled with glee in response. “You sure know how to stroke an ego!  I’ve got _quite_ a ways to go before I can even be considered that,” she playfully bumped her friend’s shoulder with her own.  Cliff’s bag sitting between them jingled from the impact.  She looked at the satchel inquisitively.  “What _is_ in there, a bell or something?” She finally asked.

Her friend nodded emphatically, shuffling through the sack. “Two, actually.”  He placed them in her hand and she stared at them curiously.  They were rather unique acorn-shaped copper bells with leather straps attached to them.  Claire shook them and noticed a dissonance in the two, realizing that one was slightly larger than the other.  Knowing Cliff, they served a distinct purpose; the traveler didn’t carry around more than was necessary.

“So… what _do_ you use-?” Her voice faded as she saw the young man’s posture stiffen and his eyes widen in what looked like horror as the color drained from his face.

“’Afternoon,” Harris tipped his cap at them. “Lovely weather, huh?  I hate to be a bother, but have you seen Gotz around, Cliff?”

The young man’s eyes traveled to the ground as he wrung his hands. “H-He said he was going up to the peak today.”

The constable noticed the uneasiness on the young man’s face. The brunette often looked like he was brooding when Harris saw him entering and exiting the church in town, but he had seen Cliff laughing just a moment ago as the police officer made his way toward the two friends.  “Is everything alright?” He asked carefully.

“We’re doing great,” Claire replied with a smile and a playful shake of the bells.

The police officer smiled at the young woman. “Ah, was Cliff going to play you a song?”  He had been hearing a flute around Gotz’s cottage lately and he knew the woodcutter didn’t play.  “Have fun!”  He waved goodbye to them and made his way up the mountain trail.

“Claire.”

The blonde looked at her friend quizzically; the happiness seemed to have vanished from his whole demeanor when the constable appeared. She also was also curious about the song Harris was referring to.

“Are you available tomorrow?” He didn’t look up from the fire.

The young woman’s cheeks felt warm; she knew she would have trouble sleeping tonight out of excitement. The questions she had for her friend faded from her mind immediately as she shook her head.  “I’ve got plans with Gray tomorrow, remember?  He’s going to teach me vocal commands with my horse.”

He gave her a polite smile. “Sorry, I forgot.”  He absentmindedly peeled the bark off of a stick and added it to the flames.  “How about the day after tomorrow?”

He seemed eager about _something_ ; she was distracted from her thoughts of the handsome apprentice for a moment.  “Sure.  I can hang out after I’m done watering.”  She looked at him with a slightly tilted head, silently asking what the reason for his excitement was.

“Thanks. There’s… someone I’d like to introduce you to…” A shy smile spread across his lips.

The farmer thought she had already met everyone in town. She pictured the layout of Mineral Town in her mind and went down the streets, repeating the names of everyone she had met.  “Well, who is it?”  She asked, giving the strange bells a rattle.

The young man blushed. “It’s a surprise…” His smile grew a little bit as he fussed with his bracers.

Claire pouted. “You’re going to be all mysterious?” She grinned at his expression.

“Uh-huh,” his eyes glittered at her; he was eager to give the young woman something to look forward to.

0o0o0o0

“It’s good to relax after a hard day’s work,” Saibara took a sip of his sake and gave a small nod to his grandson that evening; he was finally starting to show a little class.

“ Yeah...” The apprentice tugged on the bill of his hat and looked across the table at his roommate.  “You sure you’re fine with just water, Cliff?  I really don’t mind paying for your drink…  I paid for Gramps.”

Cliff silently shook his head.

The apprentice had invited both of the men to the bar as a sort of apology for the other day, and Cliff had refused to accept any drinks from him. _Maybe he’s still mad…_  

Gray noticed that his friend had been wearing a rustic set of leather bracers for the past couple of days. He hadn’t seen Cliff don them since mid-spring when the weather was cooler.  The apprentice had watched his roommate remove them last night before going to bed and Gray felt a wave of guilt when he saw the purple bruises that dominated his forearm.  Gray’s own hand had been sore the day after the incident, and he was still mad at himself for his lack of control.  Cliff had mentioned nothing about the injury, and he seemed to be keen on keeping the whole thing under wraps, literally.  Gray was grateful for this, but it also made him feel worse about the situation…

“Come on… I’ll buy you a sake, too…”

“R-really… I’m fine…” Gray’s roommate shook his head; he felt uncomfortable that Saibara and his trainee were relaxing after a day of work and he was still unemployed. He hardly felt like he should be sitting with them at all.  He knew the only reason Gray had invited him along was because he felt guilty about the other day.  Cliff felt accountable as well; he should have been less easily swayed when Saibara invited him to hike in the mountains with them.  He knew how the young man felt about his time alone with his grandfather, but Cliff had been too selfishly excited to be included in a group outing to give much thought to any potential consequences.  He hadn’t thought of Gray’s feelings, only his own…

“Well, I’m going to buy you something anyway… You’re making me feel weird about all this…”

“It’s okay… really…” The brunette honestly wished he were anywhere else but here.  He couldn’t help but feel that his tablemates had the same desire for him.

“When someone as cheap as him offers you a drink, you should accept it.” Saibara’s sudden gruff voice startled both of the roommates.  “Don’t be ungrateful, Cliff.”

The young man stared at the floor, embarrassed. “… I’m fine with some grape juice.”

Gray rolled his eyes, but he was relieved his grandfather had taken his side for once. He decided to ignore the comment about him being cheap.  “Hey, Ann, can we get a red wine over here?”

Cliff’s eyes widened. “Th-that’s not what…!”  His cheeks flushed with embarrassment; he felt like he was being an imposition.

Ann bounced over to the table. “Sure!  What kind?”

“Whatever has the highest alcohol content,” Gray smirked. “A nice, big full glass, please.  Cliff wants to get trashed!”

Saibara roared with laughter.

“Oooh, someone’s feeling dangerous tonight!” The waitress teased as she walked past their table, giving the brunette’s ponytail a playful tug before bouncing back to the bar.  The young man rolled his eyes and scowled at the two chuckling blacksmiths.

The door to the bar creaked open loudly, and the three men looked in the entryway. Claire was carrying a bundle of young corn, and her face lit up when she saw them sitting at the table.  She began heading toward the men, her disheveled ponytail from that afternoon replaced with long, sleek cascades of gold.

“Good evening!”

“And a good evening to you, Miss Claire,” Saibara nodded politely to her. The old man checked the reactions from his companions of the corner of his eye.  His grandson looked exasperated and was doing a poor job of hiding it, and Cliff was smiling at the young woman, but his eyes looked pained.

“I’m surprised to see the three of you here together,” Claire laughed nervously as she shifted the bundle in her hands.

Saibara observed the farmer’s excitable behavior and wondered if she was going to take a seat or not. “The boy decided to treat us tonight,” the old blacksmith gave her a grin as Ann returned with Cliff’s wine.  The waitress gave her a kind wave, not before drooling a bit at the tasty-looking bundle she was carrying.  The blonde waved in response, but she was too busy staring at a particular occupant of the table to notice the redhead’s silent begging for a cob.  Ann shot the apprentice a poisonous look before heading back to the bar and he gave her a feeble shrug in response.

“H-how sweet of him,” Claire’s face was flushed. She was becoming increasingly eager for tomorrow’s lesson with Gray and Tucker.

Cliff took a sip of his wine and didn’t look up.

“Meh, I try sometimes,” an uncomfortable Gray tugged his hat over his face and folded his arms across his chest.

“W-well… Since you’re all _three_ here, you can all share this gift from me!”  The farmer nervously hoisted the bundle of corn on the table, trying her best to hide her heavy breathing.  She had expected on giving the entire bundle to the apprentice as a thank you for agreeing to train her tomorrow, but she felt very flustered to present the gift in a group.  It hardly felt polite to not share the gift, given the company present.

“How very generous,” Saibara commented as a grin spread across his face.

The blacksmith’s apprentice could feel his mouth watering as he got a better look at the bundle. “That’s roasted, isn’t it?”  He lifted the brim of his cap and his eyes widened.

Claire nodded and gave him a shy smile. “Y-yeah.  Cliff taught me how to make campfires today, so I went home and thought it would be a good idea to practice roasting something over one.”  She recalled seeing Gray expressing his love for corn at Cliff’s birthday and she was delighted to see that he looked very interested in the offering.

The brunette looked up from his glass, and Saibara noticed the aching in Cliff’s eyes had increased. “Yeah… corn roasts well over a fire…” he replied kindly and returned to his drink; Gray’s love for roasted corn wasn’t exactly a secret.

“It really does taste best over a campfire; I tried an ear myself before I came over,” Claire nodded at Gray. “It’s really good…  I just picked it this afternoon, so it’s really fresh...  W-well…  I’ll see you all around.  Have a great evening, and enjoy the corn!”

“Thanks, Claire. It looks great,” Gray grinned, digging into the bundle.

“We will definitely enjoy!” Saibara grinned at her, tipping his glass toward the young woman.

The farmer gave them a courteous nod and turned to leave.

“H-hey, Claire…?” Cliff’s voice was quiet as he looked up from his glass of wine.

“Hmmm?” The young woman turned around, her blonde locks shining under the bar’s light fixtures.

“Thank you… you know… I’d be happy to show you how to cook some fish over a fire sometime,” he said carefully, giving her a shy smile as color rushed to his cheeks. He swirled the burgundy beverage in his glass as he looked up at his friend.  “And there are a _lot_ of things you can cook over a campfire.  It’s… a very useful tool…”

“Alright, I’d be happy to learn!” She gave her friend a polite grin, distracted with her excitement about the next day’s events. “Good night!”  She left the bar, looking rather pleased with herself.

Saibara sat pensively for a moment after the young woman left. Gray had already started munching on one of the ears of corn, and Cliff drank deeply from his glass, his face blanching as he stared at the gift his friend had left in front of them.

The elderly man was keenly aware of the strained tension at the table. He wasn’t surprised that his grandson appeared to be oblivious to it; the boy’s reasoning often got muddled when his favorite food got involved.  “It’s odd that she didn’t stay for a drink...  She didn’t even look like she wanted to sit with us.”  The old blacksmith commented slowly, as he gave his tablemates a curious glance.

His grandson shook his head as he chewed. “Oh, she rarely stays to drink unless she’s with Karen,” Gray replied with his mouth full.

“So she stops by here regularly…” The old man took a sip from his glass.  He was already well aware of this; he recalled seeing the farmer going upstairs the other evening.

Cliff said nothing, but took another very deep drink. The conservative brunette’s glass was already nearly empty.  This told Saibara more than any words could.

The old man cleared his throat as he calmly poured himself another sake. “Gray?”

The young man looked up at his grandfather; he rarely called him by his given name unless it was to scold him. “… Huh…?”  He swallowed his food and could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stick up.

“You haven’t been giving it your all at the forge lately,” Saibara started, his voice emotionless as he touched the alcohol to his lips.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The young man immediately got defensive.  “I-I’m always focused!”

Saibara cocked an eyebrow and set down his glass. “You expect me to believe that?  We both know that your mind is elsewhere!”  Saibara’s eyes flashed at him dangerously as his voice rose in volume.  “Don’t we?”

Gray turned a bright shade of red. “Wh-why are we talking about this _now_?”  He glanced around them, but Duke and Basil were too busy laughing to pay any attention to them; the pair looked like they had had their fair share to drink, and Gray was grateful that their focus was elsewhere.

The old man slammed his empty glass on the table so loudly that both young men jumped. “Is that a serious question?!”

The brunette shrank down in his seat and silently set down his empty glass. “M-maybe I should-” Cliff’s eyes nervously shifted between his tablemates.

The old man gave him a stern look. “This concerns you as well!”

“I-it does?” Cliff’s eyes widened as he remained frozen in his chair.

Saibara sighed; young people could be so dense sometimes. He drained his glass of sake and swiftly poured a new one.  “How long has Claire been stopping by here to bring you gifts?”  The old man’s eyes turned to his grandson and they didn’t move from him as he drank.

The color drained from his face; he saw where this was going. The apprentice winced, preparing for a scolding.  “Ah… since… the beginning of spring…?”  He was too terrified to lie to him as his heart dropped to his stomach.

Saibara gave him a small grunt. “Cliff…  Is this true?” He raised a snowy eyebrow at his grandson’s roommate.

The young man froze. He wasn’t sure how to answer; he would have someone angry with him either way.  The brunette nervously wrung his hands and decided to stick with the truth.  “… Y-yes…?”

The blacksmith wanted a more solid answer. He gave his companion a cold glare.  “Well, is it a yes or no?” Saibara slammed his fist on the table.

Cliff jumped at the sudden noise. “I-I really don’t know…  She stops by when I’m out most of the time…”  He couldn’t meet the old man’s gaze.

Gray’s heart stopped. He cursed under his breath; he didn’t feel quite so bad for bruising Cliff’s arm anymore.  “Look… if this is about me seeing a woman without a chaperone, I’m a grown man and can make my own decisions.”  He tried to stick to the lesser of two evils in an attempt to reason with the old man.

He was met with a snort in reply as the elderly blacksmith folded his arms across his chest and furrowed his brow. “Yes, I know that you are.”  The blacksmith nodded.

Gray let out a sigh of relief.

His grandfather stared up at him with stern eyes. “But we all know where you go when your shift ends; you’ve gone there nearly every day for the past few years.”  Saibara had stopped yelling, but Gray would have preferred his screaming to the low, dark voice his grandfather had used instead.

The apprentice could feel his face getting hot. Why did he have to bring up this up in front of his roommate?

The old man continued. “And _you_ …”  He pointed accusingly at Cliff and his voice rose a bit.  “You are definitely not making the situation any better.”

The young man was confused. “I-I… I was just trying to show her some survival skills…”  The color drained from the young man’s face as he weakly attempted to defend himself.  He still wasn’t quite sure why he was being scolded.

Saibara rolled his eyes. Did he really have to spell it out to both of them?  “I am in the company of a couple of fools tonight.  Why are you both letting this happen?!”  He drained his sake glass and went to pour another.  Upon finding the flask empty, he slammed it down on the table in frustration.  “Well?!”  He waited for a reply from either of his companions.

Neither of the young men said anything. They took turns looking at each other uncomfortably, Gray’s gaze eventually drifting toward the ceiling and Cliff’s focusing on the floor.  Saibara sighed; he hadn’t really expected them to reply.  His anger faded a bit.  They were both still young after all, and therefore, fairly stupid.  “You both need to be firmer with Claire.  Neither of you are getting what you want, are you?”

The men had opposite reactions; Gray went pale, and Cliff turned a deep shade of red.

“Y-you’re the one who told me to always accept gifts!” Gray shot back.

“You’re accepting more than gifts from her, boy. Don’t be an idiot.”  Saibara went to take a sip of from his glass.  Being reminded once again that it was empty, he clanked it back down with a groan.  Both of them were being so thick that he was getting tired of speaking in a manner which he deemed as tactful.

Cliff stared silently at the tabletop, waiting for his half of the scolding. Upon seeing the old man’s frustration of his empty glass, the brunette waited for his words to be sharper.  He slightly bowed his head, as if pleading the blacksmith to go easy on him.

In truth, Saibara’s heart went out to the young man; he wasn’t blind to the look on Cliff’s face when he saw what Claire had done with the skills he taught her. “I know you made an attempt tonight, young man…” The old man’s voice was gentle.  “But we both know you’re not going to get anywhere until the boy wisens up.  He may need your help.”

Gray gritted his teeth; things were always his fault in Saibara’s eyes. “I don’t have to take this!”  He stood up.

The old man stroked his beard calmly; he knew Gray wouldn’t go anywhere. “Yes, you do.  I thought that you told me Cliff was your best friend.  Sit.”  He frowned at no one in particular.

The apprentice found himself unable to do anything but obey. He plopped down and folded his arms across his chest, tugging down on the bill of his cap.  “I just wanted to take you both out for a drink to say I was sorry, Goddess!”  He let out an overdramatic groan.

“Another sake over here!” The old man hollered, tapping his empty flask on the table.  He turned toward the brunette and gave him a playful wink.  “Order something else, too, Cliff.”

The young man shook his head, half in confusion and half in decline of more alcohol. Saibara’s mood swings had left Cliff befuddled, to say the least, and the wine had already caused his mind to slow down quite a bit.  “Oh, I couldn’t…”  He was suddenly aware of how strong his beverage had been and he vaguely remembered that he hadn’t eaten since that afternoon when he and Claire had roasted a couple of small things over the campfire; it had been a light snack at best.

“Pah…” The blacksmith rolled his eyes at the young man.  “Another wine for the kid!”

The apprentice shrugged and figured he might as well order something else, too. “Scotch on the rocks!  … Make it a double...”  Gray downed the rest of his drink.  He knew it was going to be a rough night, anyway…

“Gray?” The old man’s voice was gruff.

“Yeah?” He sighed, resting his arms on the table.  He looked up at his grandfather with a slightly harassed expression as he pulled off his cap and cradled his head in his hands.

The old man was taken aback; perhaps he had been too rough on the boy. “You are lucky that your young lady is so patient with you,” his expressions softened, as did his voice.  “A woman like that is more precious than gold; treasure her.”

Ann returned with their drinks and the three men drank in silence for a few minutes.

The apprentice stared at the ice cubes in his drink as he tilted the drink toward his mouth. No matter which way he rotated the glass, the ice remained right in front of him.  The whole concept reminded him of a particular person.  He took a pensive drink.  “How am I supposed to reject Claire’s gifts without hurting her feelings?” Gray asked quietly, thinking of his regular offering of copper in the evenings.  “You’re the one that says I should be a gentleman…”

“I said nothing about rejecting _gifts_ ,” Saibara replied thoughtfully, drinking deeply.

The young man waited for further instructions, but his grandfather said nothing more. Gray sighed and turned toward his friend.  “What do you think, Cliff?”

The young man looked up in surprise; he wasn’t sure how to respond. He took a sip from his glass and found he was lamenting the fact that he had no experience on such matters.  Women never sought his attention, but it wasn’t as if he had ever willingly approached any during his travels.  “I-I’m not sure…  I’ve never had that kind of problem before,” he realized with a slight twinge of jealousy.

Gray scoffed, taking a swig from his glass. “Consider yourself lucky, then.  Doesn’t Claire ever give you _anything_?”  He was surprised, to say the least.

“Ah…” The young man turned very pink.  “She thinks she’s being sneaky when we’re foraging; she tucks extra things in my pack.”  He fidgeted with his bracers as he said this; surely Claire was just trying to be polite and nothing more.  It would be silly for him to even wish that it was anything beyond a friendly formality, but he still felt heat coming to his cheeks.  The young man pushed away his wine; he was thinking into all of this far too much…

Saibara looked at Cliff with interest; perhaps things weren’t as one-sided as the young man believed. He took a long drink and looked over at Gray.  Things weren’t going to change for Cliff unless his grandson did something about the two women in his life; and until then, he was going to have an apprentice who couldn’t focus properly on his work.  Truly, no one was getting what they wanted.

Saibara finished off his glass. Gray had been dragging out this whole thing with Mary for far too long.  “So, boy…  You’ve got yourself quite a situation…  You can keep metal in the fire for as long as you like, but if you ever hope to make something of it… you need to take it out and pound it,” he winked at his grandson as he poured himself a fresh glass from his flask.

Gray’s eyes widened and he turned a deep shade of red, choking on his drink. “G-Grandpa!”

The old man stared emotionlessly at the young man for a moment. What was he getting all worked up over?  Cliff was attempting to hide a snicker, but he did a poor job of it as he shook his head, the soft chuckle turning into a genuine laugh.  What was so funny?  Perhaps the brunette had a little too much to drink…  Saibara suddenly realized the innuendo in his choice of verb and threw back his head, laughing heartily; the fact that he hadn’t meant to make a dirty joke made it even funnier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Is it painfully obvious that my favorite villager is Saibara? Haha!
> 
> If there’s any real lesson to be learned in this chapter, it is that your own lack of decisiveness can cause others harm, even if you’re trying to avoid causing harm in the first place. Well, that and “Don’t be a hothead”. Obviously.


	31. Tuckered Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gray comes to Mystic Acres for Claire's much-anticipated lunging practice. Things go a little differently than expected as an innocent comment gets out of hand.

“Alright… You need to get Tucker used to the sound of your voice, so we are going to start lunging today.  It’ll be good for the both of you to get used to working together.”  Gray slid the harness on the colt’s head, gently brushing the forelocks out of Tucker’s eyes and giving the animal a pat.  “Barley’s already got him used to a lead rope and a halter.”  He took the rope off of a hook and handed it to her.  “Practice makes perfect.”

The farmer’s heart pounded; she had hardly been able to sleep the night before because she was so excited about her first horse real training session with the apprentice. Claire was eager to please; the young woman had high hopes that Tucker would be an icebreaker for the pair.

She fastened the rope and was surprised at how calmly Tucker followed. She normally lured her colt back into the stable with fresh greens, but she was pleased to find that the rope was far more practical.  Claire was glad that she never admitted this clumsy method to the young man; he probably would have thought the whole thing was rather silly.

Gray grinned. “He’s a mellow guy.”

They walked out to an empty grassy section of the field and the young man took the lunge line. He tugged on the bill of his cap and surveyed the area.  They were just going to start with the essentials today.  Tucker stood quietly beside him, awaiting a command.  Gray found that his heart was throbbing in excitement as he held the rope in his hands and looked at the colt, and he struggled to contain his cool demeanor.  After all, if he came off just as giddy as the farmer, he wouldn’t seem like a very credible teacher.  He attempted to acquire his grandfather’s description of the perfect balance of concentration and passion - _tranquil as a forest, but on fire within_.  Gray liked to think the words were pretty poetic and almost lyrical; he wondered if the old man had come up with them himself…  “Alright, let’s give him around ten meters.  Watch what I do, and step back over there,” he instructed.

Claire obeyed and watched in fascination as Gray commanded the young horse to walk in a circle around him. She tried her best to focus on Tucker, but she found that her eyes were attracted to the young man’s softened facial expressions as he watched the horse follow his orders.  He looked focused, but there was an easygoing air about him that the young woman had seen only on rare occasions.

“You got a feel for it? Come on over, Claire,” his voice was gentle.

She carefully approached them and felt her face get hot when he put his hands on her hips. _Maybe I’m just imagining it, but his touch is so gentle. Loving, almost…  Maybe he really is interested, but he has a shy way of showing it…_

He was too busy concentrating on the colt to pay any notice Claire’s facial expressions. “Move over here,” he guided her to where he was standing and handed her the rope.  “Okay, give it a try.”  He got out of the way so that she could maneuver Tucker.

Claire did exactly as she was told, and to her excitement, the horse obeyed. She looked over at the apprentice for approval, but his eyes were glued on the horse.  His lips were curled up into a satisfied smile; the young woman’s heart pounded.  Claire was always so enthusiastic to impress Gray, and it looked like for the first time, she was actually succeeding.  The farmer steadied her breathing and continued to command Tucker.  Now might be a good time to ask for some advice…

“He’s doing well,” Gray smiled kindly at the horse.

Claire grinned. “Hey… Gray?”

“Yeah?” His gaze followed the animal as he nodded in approval.

Her eyes were focused on Tucker. “Is it normal for him to hold his head that low?  I’m kind of worried about his neck…”

“What do you mean?” He stared at her, folding his arms across his chest.

Claire watched the colt slowly walk past and her smile faded at the young man’s stiffened stance and accusing glance. “Well…  I saw a few carriages in the park back in the city, and the horses pulling those had much better posture…” she explained.  “I just want to make sure-”

“ _Better posture_?!” Was she saying what he thought she was? “You sure as hell better not be suggesting we use an overcheck, because if you are, then I’m taking Tucker back right now,” Gray didn’t raise his voice around the horse, but his eyes flashed dangerously at her.

Claire was startled by his sudden change in demeanor. Time with Tucker had always meant a happy, gentle Gray.  “O-Overcheck?”

“So you don’t know, then,” Gray’s face relaxed and he looked away uncomfortably as he pulled his cap over his eyes. “… Sorry… It just pisses me off that people will cause stress on an animal for the sake of fashion.”

“I-I just thought that’s how horses were supposed to look,” she weakly attempted to defend herself.

Apparently this was the wrong answer; his body became rigid and he clenched his fists, seething. “Horses are supposed to look _natural_ ,” he spat, “they’re not supposed to look like some kind of wind-up toy…” he fumed for a moment, remembering similar carriages in the city he grew up in and wondered if the farmer was really so naïve.  It sickened him the way the horses were used to pull along doting couples, but the animal was given such little affection in return; he had seen them panting from overwork on several occasions, covered in sweat in the summer holidays.  His eyes returned to the farmer and the color immediately drained from his face when he saw her defensive posture and widened eyes.  His stomach dropped.  It was like the day he first met Claire all over again; all he could manage to do was say the wrong thing and hurt her feelings.  “I-I’m sorry… you said you didn’t know…”  He cast his eyes to the ground, embarrassed.

Claire wasn’t sure what to say; he hadn’t raised the volume of his voice enough to startle Tucker, but she found that she was trembling. Why was Gray always so quick to assume the worst in people?  Had she not proven to him time and time again that she could be a caring individual?  She bit her lip.

“I’m sorry, okay?” He tried again.  He tugged on his hat again, as if he was wishing he could use it to conceal his entire body.  “You’re doing great, really…” his voice softened as he took a few steps closer.

She had a feeling he was just saying that to be polite. Her stomach felt sour.  She looked down at the lunge line in her hands and played at the frayed fibers of the rope, losing her focus on the horse as her vision blurred, her eyes threatening to fill up with tears.

The farmer looked disheartened; he tried to reason with her. “I-I guess if you’re only used to seeing city horses...”  He still attempted to apologize.  “L-look…  Claire, can you stop Tucker for a moment?”  He looked at her with a worried frown, his lungs deflating.

The farmer halted the horse with a trembling voice and her heart pounded as the young man walked toward her. She blinked away the beginnings of tears and moved her gaze toward him anxiously.  Was he angry?  She said she didn’t know about overchecks…  She still wasn’t quite sure what one was, but she didn’t want to ask…  Was he going to try to take Tucker back to Barley’s and declare her a failure?  She found that she was steeling herself for some kind of defense to any sharp words or glares she got.

“I’m really sorry Claire. I really am…”  His face turned very red as he stared at the ground.  “I…  I know I can be kind of a jerk sometimes, but I…  I really do want what is best for Tucker.  Please… _Please_ let me continue to help with him.  I promise I’ll stop being an ass…”  There was a tremor in his desperate voice.

Claire stopped holding her breath; _he_ was the one asking for forgiveness…  “Y-you really like horses, huh?”  She ventured, her voice soft.  She wrapped the rope around her knuckles absentmindedly.

“Yeah…” He tugged on the bill of his hat. “It’s one of the main reasons I moved out here.  I get to help Barley a bit, but I’ve never really been able to help someone train a yearling on my own like this…  It’s kind of been a dream of mine…”

So Tucker was a project for him the way farming was for her, cooking was with Karen, and socializing was with Cliff…

“Claire… _Please_ let me help…”   He repeated.  The young man removed his hat and bowed his head, his unruly red hair sticking out in several directions; the farmer stood in stunned silence at the humble gesture for a few moments.

The thought of refusing Gray’s help hadn’t crossed the farmer’s mind until he had pleaded for her permission. She found herself hesitating again, just like she did on the mountaintop when he asked to train with her.  Why was she so unsure? Claire frowned.  That couldn’t be right; Gray had been the only thing she was sure about since she moved here…  “Of _course_ you can help,” the words flowed out.  “I mean, I wouldn’t really know what I’m doing without you here to show me…”  She admitted.  Claire immediately realized Barley could also help, but she quickly stifled this thought.

“Oh, thank you!” His face lit up.  “I promise I’ll make it worth your while!”  He tossed his hat back on his head and his pale blue eyes were wide.

Without warning, he threw his arms around her. Claire gasped and her knees immediately went weak.  She was surrounded by the scent of oil and coal; it was intoxicating.  The young woman’s trembling hands found their way around his waist; she was so happy she was dizzy and she almost forgot to breathe.  Yes, she made the right choice to allow him to continue helping, and what a reward she got in return!  What was there to decide, anyway?

Gray pulled away from the embrace and looked over the young woman’s shoulder. His face blanched as he saw his roommate standing frozen on the mountain path through the farm.  He had a makeshift rack of fish slung over his shoulders and a wounded expression on his face.  Cliff must have been headed back to their room at the inn, Gray figured.  The brunette snapped back to his senses, turned very pale, and did an about-face, hurrying back up the mountain.

The farmer was oblivious to the background activity. “I really do appreciate your help,” Claire stammered, blushing deeply.  It seemed that Tucker was bringing them closer together once more.

Gray paused a moment before replying; he knew that there could be some serious repercussions for their hug if Cliff mentioned it to Saibara. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.  What was she thanking him for again?  His eyes fell to the lunge line in her hands. _Right, the horse…_ Suddenly, the fact that he’d be helping her with Tucker didn’t feel all that important right now.  He had so few true friends that he didn’t want to lose the ones he had…  His eyes flew to the mountain trail.

“Of course…   I’m glad to be given the opportunity.  Thanks again, Claire.  Just keep practicing, and I know that you’ll do great.  I’ll check up on you sometime to see how you’re progressing.”  He gave her shoulder what meant to be a friendly pat, but the farmer was too preoccupied to notice how stiff and awkwardly formal it was.

She could hardly hear his words over her heart thudding loudly in her ears. “O-okay.  Thanks!”  Claire played with the rope in her hands.

His mind was racing; he looked around them distractedly. “Well, I’ll leave you with that today…  I-I’m sorry; I’ve got to go talk to someone…  See you around.”  He nodded a curt goodbye and followed the mountain trail.

“A-alright… I’ll make you proud, Gray!”  She called out to him.  The sudden goodbye seemed a bit strange, but the farmer didn’t mind; she was still flying high from their hug.  Claire was already counting down the moments until her next training session.  His embraces were a little rough, but she found that she rather liked it; they gave her heart a thrill.

“Good! You better!”  He broke into a jog toward Mother’s Hill, cursing under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: All who are familiar with Saibara’s words of wisdom in this chapter earn a cookie.
> 
> On a more serious note, my intentions with this chapter were for Claire to get a better feel for the real Gray, and not just the idealized illusion she has created of him in her mind. I’m interested to hear your thoughts on this.
> 
> P.S. Any Adventure Time fans out there? I found myself thinking of the “The Eyes” (Season 2 Episode 2) while writing this… “Finn, the horse is bringing us together~!!!!” “The horse is tearing us apart~!”


	32. The Man Cave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eager to clear up Cliff's misunderstanding, Gray hurries to his friend's hideout to talk things over.

Gray didn’t bother hiking too far up the mountain trail; he was sure he already knew where his friend was off sulking. He headed for the Spring Mine.  Sure enough, he saw a faint light flickering in the far corner of the cave and groped through the dimly lit cavern, grumbling and swearing as he stumbled on the loose rocks and uneven floor.  The young man heard a haunting, melancholy tune on a pan flute echo through the mine and Gray rolled his eyes; the guy could be so melodramatic sometimes.

Gray shuffled his feet to Cliff’s hideout. It was a cozy corner of the mine that the young man had lived in for a couple of months before moving into the inn.  A few oil lanterns lit the area and a deerskin was spread out on the ground.  Cliff was currently sitting on it, leaned back against a stalagmite, lost in his song.  Gray had to admit that his friend was actually really good; he had heard the brunette play a few instruments with great skill and he had mentioned something about training on them in his home village.  He had a way of putting his soul into his music, and Gray found that the melody made his heart ache a little; it was such a lonely song.  Tethered to the same rock formation was the young man’s partner, a peregrine falcon that accompanied him on his travels.  Cliff had introduced the apprentice to his companion nearly three months ago and he had pleaded with Gray to keep quiet about the bird; he was pretty sure that what he was doing wasn’t exactly legal, at least in this area, but he had nowhere else to keep the creature.

It was a pretty comfortable place, all things considered. A long, horizontal crevice on the cavern wall served as a makeshift window and provided a supply of fresh air.  The pair had come up here to hide on Saturday mornings when Ann insisted on rounding up everyone in the inn to watch another insufferable episode of _Star Lily Bandit Girl_.  Cliff had taught Gray how to feed the bird, and one afternoon, the brunette had invited his roommate up to the mountains to hunt with the falcon.  It was refreshing to see Cliff do something that he was confident at; he seemed like a completely different person when he wasn’t consumed with his gloomy, guilty demeanor.  Gray had watched with fascination; the traveler and bird definitely had a strong bond.  The apprentice knew better than to refer to the raptor as anything other than a partner or friend to his roommate.  He had received a piercing glare the last time he used the word “pet”.  The falcon seemed happy enough in his dwelling place, and Gray noted that he could often find the young man here when he was seeking solitude, which was fairly often.

He had been standing there for a couple of minutes; he was surprised Cliff hadn’t noticed yet. The bird had been watching the apprentice keenly since he entered their area.

“Hey.”

Cliff stopped playing his instrument and looked up at his friend in surprise. The brunette’s companion greeted Gray with a chirp.

“Hey,” Cliff echoed nonchalantly, setting his pan flute down beside him. “What brings you here?”

Gray rolled his eyes. “Is that a serious question?”

Cliff said nothing, but looked to the falcon as if the bird would answer for him.

The apprentice sighed; he knew from experience that his roommate was a very adept player of _The Quiet Game_.  “Claire’s doing well with Tucker,” he stated.

Cliff remained silent as his eyes traveled to the rocky floor.

Gray sighed. “Tucker is her horse...  Barley dropped him off at her place at the beginning of spring…”

“I _know_ that.”  There was a hint of brusqueness in Cliff’s voice.  His friend smiled; now they were getting somewhere.

“Glad you remember, because _you_ kind of gave me the go-ahead to train with her a few days ago,” he reminded him with a sharp look.  The two stared at each other in silence for a few minutes and Gray briefly wondered if Cliff enjoyed pissing him off with his lack of emotion.  Gray realized he was the one that had to keep the conversation going; his roommate sure wasn’t going to...  “Well, anyway, I was showing her some vocal commands today,” he nodded.  “Claire’s a smart girl; she actually kind of impressed me.”

Cliff pulled a heavy gauntlet out of his jingling bag and pulled it on, holding out a small fish to the falcon. He fluttered onto the brunette’s arm and accepted the treat.  The young man didn’t remove his eyes from the bird.  “Oh, really?  That’s great...” he didn’t sound like he meant it at all.

Gray was hoping that Cliff would get visibly angry; it infuriated him that his roommate was so eager to acquiesce any time there was tension between the two of them. The apprentice was sick of playing this game; Cliff was always making him feel like the bad guy.  He pushed harder.

“You saw us hugging.” Surely he had to reply in some way to this.

“So?” The brunette was watching the bird finish off his snack.  The young man’s silence in this particular instance was a little discomforting.  His friend vaguely wondered if Cliff was wishing that the fish were Gray’s own entrails.  He stroked the falcon a few times and was met with a chirp between gulps.  Cliff didn’t seem visibly mad.  He never did, that was part of the problem…

Perhaps he needed to see if that could be changed. “Well… aren’t you going to tell Gramps?” he finally asked, tugging on the bill of his cap.  “I mean, especially after our talk the other night?”

“There you go, Cain,” Cliff murmured to his falcon and gave the bird one last affectionate pet as he flew back to his perch with a happy chirp, his tether jingling. The young man slid off the gauntlet and stared at the ground thoughtfully as he returned his bracer onto his arm.  Gray was reminded that Cliff still had kept his left arm covered and he felt a wave of guilt rise within him once again; the apprentice had seen the bruises again last night and they still looked quite painful.  Cliff didn’t look up at his roommate as he laced up the arm wear.  “We’re not children, Gray; I don’t intend on tattling on you like one.”  He sat back down on the deerskin.

The apprentice frowned. Something was wrong; most guys would have been itching to punch him by now.  This guy had a strange way of dealing with his anger, which appeared to be not processing it at all.  However, Gray knew that if Cliff wouldn’t acknowledge that there was an issue, it wasn’t going to resolve itself.  “We both know Gramps has a way of drawing things out of people.  Besides, I _know_ you’re pissed.”

“N-No I’m not…” Cliff fidgeted with his bracers and looked at the ground.

Gray let out a sigh; the young man could be exasperating sometimes. The apprentice would have been a little relieved at the invitation of a fight or at least a punch to the face.  “Why do you have to lie like that?  Why can’t you show someone how you feel for once?”  Gray took a seat beside him.

The brunette furrowed his thick eyebrows and scooted away from him a bit. He was well aware that Gray had been egging him on, and Cliff could only ignore it so much before he lost his temper.  The young man frowned; he and Gray were very different people.  “Well, you’re always _too_ eager to show others when you’re unhappy,” he replied curtly.  He immediately hated himself for his bold response.

The pointed comment gave the apprentice a bit of hope that his friend would open up. Gray stared at the dancing flames of the oil lamps, contemplating his behavior earlier that day.  “Huh…  Maybe I am…  I got mad at Claire today and kind of yelled at her.”

Cliff said nothing in reply but looked over at his roommate in surprise, and, Gray noticed, a hint of disgust.

 _Good, more emotion. Finally..._   Gray continued.  “I misunderstood her and thought she was saying she wanted to use a harness that restrains the movement of a horse and forces them into holding their heads up high…  Not good for the animal…  Anyway, I got angry with her and then I got afraid she wouldn’t let me help her with Tucker anymore.”

Gray waited for some sort of verbal response, but he got none. The emotional feedback seemed to have vanished as well.  The brunette was staring over at a rock formation.

The apprentice decided to continue. There was no reason why Cliff should be treating him this way, and he wanted the young man to know that.  “But she forgave me. _That’s_ why I hugged her; I was grateful she was going to let me keep working with the horse.  It wasn’t romantic or anything…”

The brunette opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but he promptly closed it again, staring up at the stone ceiling with what appeared to be a passive demeanor. It seemed as if Cliff was eager to look anywhere but his roommate’s face.  Gray studied the behavior and expressions of his friend for several minutes in silence.  There was a hint of a frown on the young man’s lips and his eyebrows were ever so slightly furrowed.  Cliff’s tell was the stiff posture and clenched jaw; Gray realized that while the brunette wasn’t speaking much, he was very livid.

“Come on! You know that’s the truth!” Gray frowned; he was frustrated that he felt like he had to encourage some kind of reaction and defend himself at the same time.  “It didn’t mean anything more than that, and we both know it.”

 _But she may have seen it as more… Claire was so desperate to see any sort of sign Gray was remotely interested in her…  Surely Gray had to be an idiot not to see this!_  The young man was furious, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to choke down.  Cliff shrugged and looked back over at Cain.  “Fine… and why would I care anyway if it did?” he didn’t meet the young man’s gaze.

The apprentice was ready to give his friend a swift kick in the pants. He let out an annoyed groan.  “ _You’re_ the one who said we aren’t children anymore, but if anyone’s acting like one right now, it’s you.”

Cliff’s anger began to deflate as he turned a bright shade of red; Gray was absolutely right. He stared at the ground, ashamed.  “I-It’s just that…” his voice trailed off.  He didn’t want to finish his thought aloud; it was too immature.  Cliff had shared a friendly embrace with Claire when she returned home from the hospital, but he was not about to confess aloud how much he craved holding her close like that again.

The apprentice blacksmith’s pale blue eyes watched him with interest. Neither of them talked much about their emotions to one another, and today had been an odd day, to say the least.

“I’m… sorry, Gray,” Cliff finally said, exhaling as his quiet rage subsided.

“Whatever… I guess I’m sorry, too.”  Gray realized that his interactions with Claire today didn’t exactly help things.  “Go over to that farm and give her a hug if that’s what you want.  Hell, give her a kiss!” he laughed.

Gray’s smile fell as he was met with a cold stare. “She’d probably slap me across the face and never speak to me again,” the brunette replied bitterly, his barrier crumbling as he stared at the ground miserably.

The apprentice rolled his eyes. “You make it sound like she hates you.  I still don’t know why you think you don’t have a chance with her.”

There were many answers for this, and the brunette was surprised Gray didn’t notice the one that was the most glaringly obvious – Claire’s heart was set on the apprentice. Cliff let out a silent sigh; there also was the painfully clear fact – to him, anyway – that even if the young woman had never met Gray, Cliff wouldn’t even be considered as a potential partner for her.  He was silent for a long time as he gathered up his things. 

Gray was beginning to wonder if his friend was just deciding not to talk to him or if he was thinking of a response. He stared at the brunette, waiting for a reply of some sort.

“I’ll see you later tonight…” Cliff began extinguishing the lanterns one by one, signaling the end of their time in the cave together.

“Why aren’t you responding to me?” The apprentice couldn’t hold back his impatience any longer.

His friend looked at him with sad eyes, the notion of being alone forever weighing more heavily upon his heart than usual. “… I said I was sorry,” he muttered quietly.

“That’s not what I was talking about!” Gray was tired of him dodging the issue; things were never going to get resolved between them at this rate.

“… I don’t have a chance with _anyone_ ,” Cliff finally murmured, slinging his fish over his shoulder, immediately regretting saying anything at all.  Why was he always saying too much?

Gray scoffed. “You are so melodramatic, I swear!”  He folded his arms across his chest.

_Melodramatic… Claire had used that same word to describe him back in the springtime…  What was it she had said?  He bottled up his emotions and let them stew until they became blown out of proportion…_

The apprentice met his roommate’s eyes and was taken aback that the brunette looked almost on the verge of tears. Apparently the subject was a touchy one for him; Cliff didn’t seem to see much value in himself.  Gray couldn’t claim to be much better, but it was much easier focusing on someone else’s problems rather than his own.

“Hey…” Gray’s voice was soft.  “Look…  We’ll go out sometime soon and I’ll prove to you that you have a chance.  I’ll be your wingman and get you some time alone with your cute little lady friend.”  It would also be a good opportunity for the apprentice to work on deflecting the farmer’s advances without coming off as a jerk, Gray realized.

The brunette stiffened and nearly dropped the rack of fish. “W-Wingman?!”  Even in the dim light of the cavern, his roommate could see that his friend’s face turned scarlet.  “I-I’m not trying to lure in _anyone_!”

Gray rolled his eyes and couldn’t bite back the self-indulgent smile that spread across his lips. “You hang out with a priest every day and you still lie…  For someone who is very insistent that they are meant to be alone, I’ve never seen anyone so _lovesick_ ,” he snorted.

Cliff’s flushed cheeks didn’t make his hardened stare very convincing; his friend almost laughed aloud. The brunette said nothing as he gave Cain one last stroke and brought the final lantern with him, leading the way out of the mine.

“I’ll set something up tomorrow. Don’t worry about it, man.” Gray jammed his hands in his pockets and gave the young man an emphatic nod.

Cliff swung around abruptly, nearly slapping his friend with a couple of fat trout. “Not tomorrow.  I’ve already got plans with her,” he tried to hide the pride in his voice and failed miserably.

Gray laughed and gave him a hearty clap on the back. “Ah, so you think you don’t need my help after all, eh?”

Cliff extinguished his lantern in response and smirked as he heard his roommate stumble over the loose rocks of the cave, cursing at him the whole way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looong(!) Author’s Note: Harvest Moon 64 fans will recognize Cain. I feel like Cliff and Cain kind of come as a packaged deal. I wrote Cain as a peregrine falcon because: 1.) they’re awesome birds; 2.) based on the concept art, I really couldn’t figure out what variety he was so I picked my favorite breed; 3.) “Peregrine” is defined as having the tendency to wander, or “foreign”. A traveler with a peregrine falcon just seemed like a good fit; it felt kind of poetic for Cliff’s personality, you know?
> 
> I was excited to post this chapter not only for the introduction of Cain (which bumps Cliff up roughly 20 cool points), but I’ve been aching to publish some honest interactions between Gray and Cliff. Neither strike me as the type to really say what is on their mind, and I know you readers have been itching to know what the heck is going on inside of their heads.
> 
> Anyway, as always, I’m eager to hear what y’all think of this chapter. What did you think of the interactions? How do you feel of my portrayal of the characters thus far? I’m always open to feedback!
> 
> P.S. My husband and I both agreed the song Cliff is playing on his pan flute is “Alone in the World” from Wild Arms (PS1) if anyone’s interested. Fits the bill perfectly. He proofread the chapter and was all, “Hey, you know what song I’m imagining he’s playing?” And I laughed when we had the same one in mind. So that settles it, then.


	33. A Song in His Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire meets Cliff's mysteries friend, and she learns about one of his hobbies.

Claire counted out Cliff’s portion of coins from the shipment the night before as she consulted his list of contributed items. She smiled when she saw the scratchy handwritten note scribbled beneath his typical businesslike list.

_Don’t forget to meet me at the Goddess Spring at three o’clock! -Cliff_

The farmer smirked; as if her friend really needed to sign his name. She noticed he had drawn a silly smiley face next to the note and found a grin of her own creeping across her mouth; he had a very distinctive artistic style.  Her friend was in a playful mood and she was looking forward to spending some time with him.  He didn’t need to remind her about their appointment, either; Claire was more than just a little bit curious about Cliff’s friend and was eager for an introduction.  She walked outside, watering can in hand.  If she wanted to make good time today, she would need to start right away.

Watering her crops was much more manageable since she was only doing half of her plots each day. She had originally planned on watering the entire field every day once she was healthy enough to be able to work again, but it was simply too much work to do; she’d have to plan better next season.  Karen was right, though – Claire was definitely going to be bringing in a lot of money this summer.  The farmer knew right away how she wanted to spend some of her earnings – she was planning on going to Won’s shop soon to order a few new outfits.  The merchant had lent her a catalogue of available items around a week ago, and the young woman was having a hard time deciding what she wanted to purchase.  The very idea of owning another set of clothes made her a little giddy.  This was a thought for another time, though, Claire realized as she hurried inside to prepare for her outing.

She had no idea who this person was, but the farmer didn’t want to show up empty-handed. Claire’s parents had taught their daughter from an early age to offer a gift to a new acquaintance if possible.  The young woman tidily bundled up some blueberries she had found in the mountains earlier for an introduction gift of sorts.  This particular bundle was the neatest one she had constructed yet, nice and sturdy; Cliff would be impressed by it, and surely, so would his friend.  She waved goodbye to a napping Koro in the shade and headed out toward the mountain trail.

Claire thought that she heard some faint singing as she made her way to the spring, but the voice blended into the waterfall and she couldn’t make it out very well. The song had a joyful, yet simple melody and she found that it had given off a contagious happy feeling.  The farmer shuffled her bundle of berries in her hands as she excitedly bounced to the spring.

The young man was sitting cross-legged in front of the waterfall and his friend realized he must have been the one that was singing. She was a little surprised, but she figured she would have recognized her friend’s voice immediately if she had heard better; she hadn’t gotten a very good listen, but the voice sounded comfortable and confident, two words she would have never associated with Cliff when she first met him.  “Hey.”  She greeted her friend.

Cliff beamed at her. “Hi!” A pair of dancing blue eyes stared back at the farmer as the young man stood up excitedly.

The young woman was eager to see her friend in such an upbeat mood, but she was suddenly aware of how nervous she was about meeting another new person. What if they didn’t like her?  How uncomfortable would it be if this friend got along well with Cliff but not her?  She clumsily held out the bundle to the young man in giddy confusion and then hugged it to her chest.  She was eager to make a good impression.  “I, uh… I brought a gift for your friend.  Are we going to go to their place?”

Cliff nodded. “Yeah…  I guess you could say that.” The brunette saw the berries and gave her a curious look.  “Hey, Claire, don’t worry about the gift.  He doesn’t really eat berries.”  The young woman was taken aback to hear him let out a soft chuckle.

The farmer felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. “W-Well… I, um…”  She nervously shifted them into her bag.  Claire had wanted to make some sort of offering to this new person, but now she was empty-handed.  Dumont house rules told her that this was unacceptable; her parents would scold her for not bringing a gift to a formal introduction such as this.  She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.  “O-Okay…”

He shook his head with a smile, hoping to ease her anxiety. He had meant for this venture to be fun for her, not stressful.  “Seriously, you don’t have to bring him anything; I’ve already got him spoiled pretty badly.  If it makes you feel better, I’ve got something for him for later; I’ll tell him it’s from you.”  Cliff gestured for Claire to follow him as he picked up his lantern off of the ground and led the way to the Spring Mine.

The blonde frowned; this made her feel even worse. She had done such a poor job of picking a gift that he had to step in and help her.  She was distracted from her uneasiness as she saw Cliff enter the cave.  She was immediately reminded of Gray’s tales and she placed a warning hand on her friend’s shoulder.  “Wait, why are we going in here?  Are we going to meet an… _oni_ or something?” she cast him a sideways glance.

The brunette raised his eyebrows at her and bit back a chuckle. “Oni?”

“Well, yeah… Gray said they lived in the mines,” her voice trembled and she laughed a little more loudly than she meant to.  “I don’t know if this is the best idea…”  She wasn’t in the mood for losing a finger, and she wasn’t keen on her friend getting injured either.

“Well, Gray’s not very educated on youkai and the supernatural. If he was, he’d know there is no way an oni would live this close to a town full of people; he’s all talk.”  He was about to mention something about this quality probably existing in Gray due to the fact that he was a “city slicker”, but he held his tongue.  The young man lit his lantern at the mouth of the cave.

“Oh, so _you’re_ an expert?” she forgot her nerves once again and flashed him a mischievous grin as she looped her thumbs under her rucksack straps and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.  That playful side of him was coming out today, and Claire relished in it.

He gave a pleased laugh when he realized that the thought of scrambling to defend the apprentice hadn’t even crossed the young woman’s mind. “Hardly.  I don’t know if anyone ever could be; Carter says there are countless things in this world that humans aren’t even aware that they can’t comprehend.”

“Fair enough… but I’ve been told there’s something… _dangerous_ living in the mine,” she replied, tightening her hold on her straps.

Cliff gave her a rueful smile, shuffling his feet abashedly. “I know; and that’s my fault.  I owe you an apology and an introduction.”  He led the way into the cave.

Claire almost tripped over her boots and she wasn’t sure if her instability was due to her friend’s comment or the craggy floor. “S-So… we _are_ going to meet… whatever’s been living in this cave?” her heart pounded in her throat.

“Yep.” The dim light from the lantern reflected off of Cliff’s eyes.  The young woman reached for his arm and clutched it.  He flinched a bit and she felt a wave of guilt, remembering there was a reason why he wasn’t carrying the lantern in his left hand.  She shifted her hold to his upper arm and he smiled at her.  “There’s no reason for you to be afraid, Claire,” he laughed innocently, but he prayed she wouldn’t let go.  Much to his delight, she did not.

Claire had never been to this far corner of the cave. She heard the fluttering noise and stifled a gasp.

“His name is Cain; we’ve been traveling together for years. Wait right here for a moment, okay?” He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“A-Alright.” She could hardly hear him over her pulse thudding in her ears. She watched mutely as her friend lit a few oil lamps and he was speaking to his companion in a soothing tone.  The young woman listened to the slight lilt in his pleasant folksy voice and found herself calming down.  Something was perched on a rock formation in the shadows near her friend.  Was it a giant bat?  The friendly chirp the young man received in reply made her think otherwise.  “I’ve heard of mines having canaries…” she laughed nervously.

“Oh, don’t tell him he’s a canary,” Cliff laughed, “or he’ll stop hunting for us. You can come on over.  He’s actually quite used to people and he’s tethered; you’re both perfectly safe.”

Claire walked to the corner of the cave and recognized the bird immediately. “Hey, it’s that falcon! So he’s yours?”  Her fear faded as she remembered the large bird soaring over her head the other day.  He was even more beautiful up close.  Claire admired the bird’s sleek feathers; it was truly a treat to see such a magnificent creature in such an intimate setting.

The young man donned a heavy leather gauntlet on his right hand. “Oh, so you recognize him then…?”

“On the afternoon of your birthday, he was watching you fish when Karen and I came over,” Claire recalled, stepping a bit closer and staring into the bird’s piercing eyes. “You fed him the scraps from your fish.  I thought you were just really kind to animals.”

He was grateful she felt this way about him even though she knew he hunted. Claire was also very observant, he realized.  “I’m… actually impressed you noticed,” he admitted with a blush, thankful that the lighting of the cave was so poor.

The bird stretched his wings and Claire stared in amazement. “So, you have quite a pet.  I don’t know why you didn’t tell me sooner.”

The young man held out his gloved hand and the bird fluttered to perch on his forearm. Claire’s eyes widened at the impressive wingspan on the creature.  “It’s not like I was trying to hide him from you…  But I’m not sure what the regulations are around here…”  That explained his nervous behavior around Harris the other day, Claire reasoned.  The brunette continued.  “I actually wanted to tell you for a while, but I thought he might scare you,” he confessed sheepishly as he stroked the bird’s feathers.  Cain gave him a deadpanned stare in response.  Cliff smiled at the bird.  “What?  I didn’t mean that in a bad way, Cain!” 

The bird blinked at him and Claire stifled a giggle; she could easily tell that they had spent years together, and the pair seemed to have a sort of understanding.

The brunette rolled his eyes at Cain. “Well, anyway, I prefer to think of him as more of a partner,” Cliff grinned.  “We’ve traveled a lot together.  I fly him at least once a day.  He really likes it up here in the mountains.”  Perhaps Mother’s Hill reminded Cain of home as well, the young man thought with a wistful sigh.

The farmer’s gaze was locked on the bird. “Wow, a falcon…  That’s so cool!”  The concept of owning one sounded so foreign to her; they were so wild and fierce.  Claire realized at once that she sounded like Karen on the day they had first spotted Cain.  The grocer’s daughter had gawked at their mutual friend while he was fishing and was a little over-the-top with her reaction.  Claire feared she sounded similar and found herself casting her eyes downward in embarrassment.

“Really?” It seemed perfectly natural to her friend; he looked at the bird perched on his arm curiously.  In truth, he couldn’t remember a time in his life when he didn’t practice falconry; his father was known throughout their small village for his skills with raptors.  Falcons and hawks were quite common in Akiyama Village, but he was aware that a peregrine like Cain was hardly a bird for a beginner.  Thanks to his childhood time spent with his father, Cliff was far from being considered a novice falconer, but saying so out loud felt a little boastful, as eager as he was to share this part of his life with his friend.

“Yeah!” she gave him a perky nod.

“Well, don’t you see Koro as your partner?” He stroked the bird with an affectionate hand. Claire noticed he did not invite her to do the same and she suddenly realized Gray’s warning about “losing a finger” might have actually had some weight to it.

“Hmmm…” The farmer thought of her young dog chasing his own tail and laughed.  “No, he’s more like a pet.”

“Well, I think he’ll surprise you someday,” her friend returned kindly. “Dogs are wonderful animals; we had a lot back at home.”  Cliff smiled at the bird as Cain fluttered back to his perch, preening his wings.  “I think that people and animals were meant to work together as partners…  Want to head back outside?”

“Sure. Bye, Cain!” Claire gave the bird a shy wave and giggled when she received a chirp in reply.

The young man extinguished the lanterns in the area. “He knows his name,” Cliff laughed, leading the way with the final lantern.

The young woman was grateful that her friend kept a slow pace for her to match. “I think it’s great that you have a special friend like Cain,” she looked at her friend thoughtfully.

He gave her a genuine smile in return as he carefully watched the uneven floor. “Thank you, and I’m glad you have Koro to help with your farm.”

Claire snorted. There he was going on again about her adorable, yet useless puppy.  “I honestly think he’s a lost cause,” she confessed with a playful giggle.  All her dog was good for was following her around and tripping her as she attempted to water her crops.  The farmer could’ve sworn she saw her puppy stumble over his own paws a few times when he got too excited.  “Don’t get me wrong; Koro’s the sweetest dog ever, but I don’t trust him with anything.  I have another animal that I’m hoping will be more useful in the future.”

“Tucker.” The young man didn’t have to guess as the pair took a seat in the grass beside the Goddess Spring.

Her entire face lit up, and Cliff wondered if she was thinking of the horse or the instructor. His silent question was answered almost immediately.  “Yeah… horse training went well yesterday,” she added casually, her cheeks turning pink.

Her companion let out a nervous chuckle and stared down at the grass, selecting a few very long strands and knotting the ends together. He began to braid them, and Claire realized that he used these little “ropes” regularly for all sorts of things.  “Ah, that’s good…”  He gave her a civil smile and his voice was lighthearted, but Claire noticed his body language suggested otherwise; his shoulders were slouched a bit and he wouldn’t meet her eyes.  She didn’t recall Cliff’s posture always being this poor, and wondered why she was suddenly aware of it.

She was about to gush over Gray’s gentle handling of her colt, but her voice caught in her throat. It wasn’t as if the lesson had gone perfectly, after all, and she was a bit unsure how she felt about the whole thing.  Claire found that she immediately regretted bringing up the subject.  She was reminded how rude she was to Cliff when he was trying to teach her some basic cooking skills with foraged goods at his place; once Gray got involved, she had a tendency to forget about everything else.  Why did it hurt so much more today to realize she was doing this?  She bit her lip.  Confused by her conflicting thoughts, she grabbed a few long strands of grass for herself and began mimicking her friend.  “I… I should have asked you about the song the other day…  I’m sorry.”  She gave him a sincerely apologetic look.

His focus moved to the young woman and a quizzical expression could be seen on his face. He was pleasantly surprised to see she had changed the subject.  “What song?”

Claire tightly braided her grass, admiring the knotting she had done on the ends. “Well, Harris asked if you were going to play me a song the other day.  Don’t you remember?”

The young man chuckled. “Oh, _that_!  It’s no big deal and you don’t have to be sorry…” he shyly rubbed the back of his neck and Claire caught a bit of color on his cheeks.  He stopped slouching almost immediately, she noticed. 

He was so polite despite his rustic appearance, often diverting the conversation about himself to give someone else a chance to speak. She wanted to learn something new about him today.  “I’d love to hear a song from you.  Do you play a musical instrument?  Or do you sing?”  She remembered his singing at this very location earlier and grinned.

Cliff finished braiding his strands of grass and set them on his knee. “Uh… actually, I do both,” he failed miserably to hide his excitement, and he rifled through his bag, pulling out a wooden pan flute.  There was a light behind his eyes, and Claire was reminded of his vague description of his rowdier childhood days.  The young woman studied him curiously and the word _endearing_ had resurfaced in her mind while a smile spread across her lips.  It was always satisfying to see her friend so comfortable, and she was a little surprised he didn’t seem flustered at the notion of performing.  “What would you like to hear, Claire?” His eyes glowed at her.

This was a side of him she had rarely seen before. Claire ran her fingers through a strand of her hair.  “Uh… I dunno.  What songs do you know?”

“Lots,” he admitted with an impish grin.

She bit back a laugh. What words had he used to describe his younger self?  Obnoxious and loud?  She could easily picture a rowdy young Cliff with this same smile.  “Why don’t you play me one of your favorites?”  Claire suggested kindly.

“Okay…” There was a hint of a shy smile as the young man took a couple of slow breaths and began to play. He had grown and changed just like he had said a few weeks ago, but he was still had the same spirit.  Claire had noticed the brunette’s teasing and playfulness with Cain earlier.  Cliff hadn’t lost that childlike wonder for life, despite what he thought when he sat quietly in his pew at the church.  His song was proof of that.

The farmer had never heard a live pan flute before; she smiled at the pure, airy tones. Her friend had selected an upbeat melody with a bouncy beat that sounded like joy in musical format.  A strong wave of euphoria washed over her; something about the notes and especially the emotion behind them tugged violently at her heartstrings and she realized at once that this was more than a mere hobby for her friend.  For a few minutes, the young woman forgot about her fields of crops that needed tended, her young horse and the man who agreed to help train him, her quandaries over whether or not to invest in a hen, her looming tax and utility bills.  For that brief moment, she was simply a person listening to a song.

He was finished before she knew it; Claire sat in silence for a few moments, relishing in the experience. She dabbled on the ocarina, but his skill was unlike anything she had personally witnessed.  “That was beautiful.  How did you learn to play like that?”

“Oh, thank you!” Cliff reddened, setting down the flute. “I…” he immediately lost his voice as he stared pensively at the grass, as if he was debating whether or not to answer the question.  The young man bit his lip.  He had agreed to play for her, after all, and it would be rude to not reply.  Still, he found himself hesitating; this was a very slippery slope and if he wasn’t careful, he might end up burdening Claire with much more than she deserved.  “Ma trained me,” he answered with a slight smile on his lips, but his gaze did not move from the ground.

Based on his body language, she felt she had to speak carefully. “Did you perform for groups?”

He gave her a nod and a sad smile. “You know, I used to really enjoy being in crowds… Sometimes… sometimes, I even enjoyed performing.  Bet you never would’ve guessed, huh?”  His laugh sounded joyful and bitter at the same time; Claire was confused.

The blonde tilted her head at him curiously. “You seemed like you were having fun when you played a moment ago.”

He looked up at her with such anguish in his eyes that Claire was taken aback. “Playing for your own pleasure and having it be part of your life’s work are very different.”

The young woman played with a long blade of grass. She could relate in a way.  “You know…  I always enjoyed playing with numbers as a kid.  Mum and Dad always told me that I’d be an accountant in a big firm, handling finances and bringing home big paychecks… and I did for a while.”  She turned toward her friend and found that the smile on her own face felt a little forced.  “But it didn’t make me happy.  It wasn’t the work itself that made me so miserable…  I’m probably not making much sense, am I?” she shook her head and let out a chuckle.

The fact that she wasn’t overcome with regret caused Cliff to fall out of his own despair. He felt that he never asked her enough about herself.  Just because he didn’t want to speak about himself didn’t mean that he couldn’t listen to Claire’s story.  “What about it made you unhappy?” he asked, scooting a little closer to her, his eyes widening in genuine curiosity.  “Was it the fact that you had to do it as a living?  … Carter says a lot of people have trouble with that because people tangle their hobbies with their income,” he attempted to comfort her.

Claire shook her head once more and felt a lump form in her throat. “No, it wasn’t even that…  It was because _I_ wanted to be able to choose my career myself.”

Her comment hit a little too close to home; the young man struggled to regain his composure while the young woman stared up at the clouds listlessly. She seemed to sense his uneasiness and didn’t look down from the sky, allowing him to calm down.  “But you chose to be a farmer here, right?” he stammered.

A warm sensation rose through Claire’s stomach and she grinned at her friend, nodding. That had really made all the difference with her; the young woman’s outlook on life felt so different.  To be honest, she had never even considered being a farmer until she saw the ad in the newspaper.  The promise of freedom was enough for her to leave behind everything she had ever known, and much to her delight, she found that she didn’t miss her old life in the city at all.  “Right.  Just like how you _chose_ to live here with Cain…” she reminded him.

“Yes,” he beamed at her and their eyes locked. He was silent for a long time, but Claire didn’t say anything in reply; it looked like there was something he wanted to say and she waited patiently.  He gave her a friendly chuckle.  “Things happen for a reason, I suppose,” his wide eyes moved up toward the clouds.

“Yeah…” Claire looked back up at the sky, oblivious to her flushed cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: A big thank you to everyone reading my story! Your support means more to me than you know!
> 
> I attempted to show a lighter side of Claire and Cliff’s friendship in this chapter; they are getting more comfortable talking about their pasts together. I’d love to hear your comments or questions!
> 
> P.S. I pictured Koro as a puppy tripping over his own ears and just died a little bit from cuteness overload. In my file of the game, my dog was so stinkin’ clumsy – running into walls and fences, barking at nothing, and flailing on his back like he wants me to rub his belly. I tried to channel that into this story, haha.
> 
> P.P.S. Random Trivia: the chapter title is a line from “The Penniless Optimist” by The Electric Swing Circus. Yeah, I’m on an electroswing kick.


	34. Clams, Snails, and Skipping Rocks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A beachcombing trip for Karen and Claire turns into a rock skipping contest as Gray and Cliff join them. Despite the happy atmosphere, Cliff gives Gray a stern warning.

“Check out this one!” Claire proudly shoved a seashell in her friend’s face.

“Nice, no cracks or chips!” Karen beamed as her friend put it in her basket.

The two were spending an early evening beachcombing. The blonde had been aching to go back to the beach again, and the sand felt great between her toes.  The cool ocean breeze was refreshing after a hard day’s work.

The farmer looked into the woven basket. She had been finding shells much more quickly than her friend, and the container was already almost halfway full.  “So, what are we collecting all of these shells for?” Claire asked.

“I dunno,” Karen admitted, admiring a piece of sea glass and adding it to their collection. “Maybe one day we will get creative with them.”

“So, you never told me how things went with Rick the other day,” Claire used a broken shell to scrape away the top layer of wet sand and was rewarded with a pristine clam shell in exchange. She eagerly set it beside her and continued to dig in the surf.

Karen shrugged. “Things went fine; they always do…”  Claire couldn’t help but notice her friend sounded a little disappointed; perhaps she was thinking that something more would come of that night as well.  She glanced at her friend and noticed that the brunette seemed frustrated while she noisily rifled through a cluster of broken shells further from the shore.  “Rick means well, but he has a tendency to try to do too much…  He really expects too much from himself, and may the gods grant mercy to those who try to tell him so.”  She thoughtfully rubbed her thumb along an unblemished scallop shell she found and stood silently for a moment, reveling in her find.

Claire found herself hesitating; she didn’t want to pry, but she was more than a little curious as to what took place at the bar the other evening between the two of them. “So, what all happened?”

A guilty smile spread across Karen’s face. “Vodka happened.”

The farmer knew that this was an evasive answer, albeit an amusing one. Claire looked beside her and the clam shell she had dug up a moment ago disappeared; it must have been carried out by the tide while her back was turned.  She dug again and to her surprise, she found an identical shell.  “So… are you both doing well then?” she asked carefully.

“Yeah. Like I said, Rick can be stubborn, but he was really sweet the other night.  He bought all of my drinks and walked me home,” she gave her friend an impish smile.  “I got a peck on the cheek, too,” her face flushed and she beamed.  “O-Of course… it was probably just between friends.  I can dream though, right?”

Claire giggled; her friend wasn’t shy about giving kisses, but it seemed receiving them was another story. “Of course you can dream, Karen.  But I don’t think that you have to pretend too hard,” she admitted.

Claire’s implication that Rick had feelings for Karen made the grocer’s daughter turn a bright shade of red. She clattered through the empty shells and let out a nervous chuckle.  “Well, what about you?  Didn’t you have a lesson with Gray the other day?”

The blonde bit her lip and nodded. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole thing.  Karen’s face immediately fell.

“What did he do?” she started right into her. “Do I need to kick his ass?”

Claire shook her head defensively. “It was my fault really…  Everything was going fine, until I asked a stupid question,” she muttered.

Karen’s eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t you know that there’s no such thing as a stupid question?  What did you ask?”

The blonde felt uncomfortable talking about the subject. She carried her clam shell to the basket and continued digging in the wet sand in an agitated manner.  “W-Well…  I asked him about Tucker’s posture and I thought that his neck should be held higher like the horses I saw in the city…  Apparently they get like that from wearing an uncomfortable harness, but I didn’t know when I asked him.  I did a little more reading on it…  I’m such an idiot,” her voice cracked as she stared down at the sand.  “I must have sounded so stupid to him!  It’s no wonder he threatened to take my horse back to Barley…”

“He did _what_?!” Karen’s voice rose in anger as she threw a shell in the pile, making a loud clattering noise.

“Well, that was when he thought that I wanted to use that harness,” the farmer quickly explained. Her mouth felt very dry all of a sudden.  “H-He apologized to me…  Pretty profusely, mind you.”

“I should hope so. So what happened?” the brunette put her hands on her hips and frowned.

“He said he was sorry and asked if I would still let him work with Tucker,” Claire’s stomach felt sour. “A-And I agreed… He… he was so happy he gave me a h-hug…” she turned a bright shade of crimson as she nervously dug in the sand with her fingers.

The farmer was so busy avoiding the brunette’s gaze that she didn’t notice Karen crush an old chipped snail’s shell in her fist as she clenched her jaw. The young woman gingerly removed the shards from her hand.  She would need to have a heart-to-heart with Gray; Karen was not happy with the way the young man was treating her friend.

Claire had distracted herself with collecting more sea shells. The farmer felt like she had stepped into a treasure chest.  She had never gone beachcombing before, and everywhere she looked, she saw beautiful sea shells – all she had to do was scrape a small layer of wet sand away.  She wondered why Karen was taking so long picking ones out.  “Now here’s another perfect one,” Claire picked up a snail shell and proudly handed it to the brunette.

The woman’s anger melted away at her friend’s foolishness. “It’s still occupied, you goof,” Karen giggled, handing it back to her.

“Oh.” Claire looked in the hole in the shell and saw the fleshy mollusk tucked inside. She tossed the shell gently into the surf and walked back to her basket sheepishly, crouching down beside it, studying the contents.

“What are you doing?” The brunette grinned; she had a pretty good idea she knew what was going on. Claire had been adding shells to the basket suspiciously quickly.

“I found a lot of clams that I thought looked perfect… I was thinking that I was just really lucky…”  She rifled through the shells.

Karen laughed and tipped over the basket with her foot. A few of the clams started to burrow immediately.  “You’re such a helpless city girl!”  She gave her a playful punch and laughed good-naturedly.  “Here’s a basic tip: if the shell’s closed, something’s probably living inside.  I guess you could’ve kept them to eat if you wanted to; I know you’re brave like that.”  The farmer ate all sorts of things that Karen would not dare to try – different colored grasses, herbs, and strange fruits that grew in the mountains.  She wouldn’t be surprised if the blonde had shared a squirrel over a campfire with Cliff.  Karen highly doubted Claire ate any of these things in the city, and the young woman had dropped quite a bit of weight since they first met.  It seemed when one was hungry enough, one couldn’t afford to be too picky.

Claire set some pretty stones they collected off to the side and lined up the shells on the beach in a tidy row, grumbling. “Alright, Miss Expert Shell Collector, let’s see how many of these are actually alive,” she challenged.  She’d show Karen…

“What the heck are you doing, Claire?” A deep voice from behind her caused the blonde to jump.  The young woman recognized the blacksmith’s voice and stood up abruptly, blushing.  Of _course_ Gray had to arrive when she was doing something stupid…

“She’s catching clams and snails,” Karen laughed. “We _were_ beachcombing for empty shells, but she has a knack for picking ones that are still alive.  Maybe we’d be better off digging for some clams and roasting them over a bonfire instead.”  The brunette teased, giving her friend a good-natured grin.

Claire turned around and noticed that Cliff had joined him. “Hey, Cliff.  Hi, Gray.”  She tried her best to remain casual.  She wished Karen hadn’t pointed out her ignorance in front of Gray.  She quickly brushed off the sand on her borrowed shorts and wished she her hair looked tidier.  She ran a few fingers through it in a futile effort to push it out of her face, but quickly realized she had sand on her hands.  She could feel herself turning redder as her heart hammered in her ears.

Gray didn’t make any acknowledgement regarding her appearance. “Well, did you find any big clams?” he asked politely, tugging on the bill of his cap.

The young woman was grateful that he never seemed to poke fun at her; she didn’t know if her heart could take it. “Not really,” she laughed.  “I’d rather catch some fish than clams anyway.”  The concept of eating clams wasn’t particularly appetizing to Claire.  Her parents were fond of them, but the whole idea of eating something out of its own shell simply reminded the blonde that she was eating a creature that had been living not too long ago, and it felt a little barbaric.

“Well… Cliff caught some really good salmon this morning,” Gray mentioned, giving her a small smile. “If you really want to catch some fish, you should get him to give you some tips.”

The notion of going on an outing with Cliff didn’t bother the young woman, but admitting that out loud to Gray didn’t feel acceptable. “But I use a rod,” Claire replied automatically, confused by her mysterious emotions.

The brunette man shyly took a step forward. “I-I could borrow one from Gotz,” Cliff stammered, wringing his hands anxiously.

She forgot about her strange apprehension when she noticed that her friend’s arms were bare today and the bruises were nearly invisible unless one was searching for them. She felt a wave of relief; it seemed Cliff was a fast healer, although he had probably used some herbal remedies.  “Yeah, that could be fun,” the young woman grinned at her friend excitedly.  “I don’t think I have the reflexes for spear fishing.  So you fish with a rod, too?”  She hadn’t noticed that Gray had artfully stepped back a few paces and gave Cliff the slightest of nods.

The young man took another tiny step closer to his friend and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “Sure.  I prefer spear fishing, but I started out on a rod.  I learned from a master fisherman…  Maybe next time we’re in the mountains together, I can give you a few of the pointers Ray showed me.”

“Alright; sounds fun! To be honest, I haven’t fished much with the rod Zack gave me, and I never went fishing as a kid.”  Her face lit up in excitement.  A free protein source sounded wonderful; she knew that she had been lacking proper nutrition, as she was still very hungry all of the time.

“Well, there’s always time to learn,” He smiled at her, and his eyes drifted down at the sand in front of them. “Ah… it looks like most of your clams and snails were still alive.”

Claire looked down at her feet. Only a couple of shells remained, and one was slowly edging back out to the surf.  “Oh, well,” she laughed with a shrug.  “I was collecting some rocks, too.  Check out this one,” she handed him a smooth flat rock that was flecked with pink and white.  She was particularly proud of this find.

Cliff admired the rock in the palm of his hand. “A perfect skipping stone,” he murmured as he ran his fingers along it, a flood of childhood memories at the river’s edge filling his mind.  A nostalgic smile spread across his lips.

“Well, that one’s for the ‘keep’ pile,” Claire giggled and snatched the stone from his hand before he got any ideas.

“I-I wasn’t going to throw it,” he insisted with a blush. “Where’s the pile of rocks you’re going to keep?” he asked, looking around them curiously.

“Um… you’re standing in it,” Claire stifled a laugh, pointing at his feet.

Cliff jumped as his friend giggled. “I’m sorry!” He turned redder.  His attempts at appearing calm and collected in a social setting were fading quickly.

“Here, let’s get some more rocks in the surf,” Claire suggested, cocking her head toward the water’s edge with a playful expression. The young man eagerly followed.  The waves washed over her bare ankles and she looked at her friend with a huge grin.  Simply being outside in a beautiful setting with good friends was enough to make her heart burst with joy.  She was met with a happy chuckle in response; it seemed she wasn’t the only one who felt this way. 

Karen waited until the two were further out before she spoke. “Claire told me what happened the other day,” her voice was somber.

Gray swallowed the lump in his throat, vaguely wondering which of his transgressions she had told the grocer’s daughter. He hardly felt it appropriate to ask her to specify, lest the punishment become greater than it surely already would be.  “Ah.”

The brunette cocked an eyebrow. “That’s all you can say for yourself?  What do you think you’re doing over there at her farm?  Barley would be more than willing to give her some pointers, and he wouldn’t judge her!” her anger erupted.  “She needs encouragement, but you’re giving her the _wrong kind_!”

The apprentice didn’t say anything in reply; he knew that everything she said was true.

“Seriously, you’re such an idiot sometimes. Keep your hands off of Claire,” the brunette flipped her hair over her shoulder and folded her arms across her chest with a huff.

Gray felt his own frustration bubble to the surface. Karen truly was too protective over her girl friend, and he was tired of being treated like a villain.  “I already explained this to Cliff!  There was _nothing_ romantic about the other day!”

The young woman mulled her friend’s words over in her mind. “So Cliff knows about what happened, then.”  She watched the pair standing out in the waves.  The young man had found a hermit crab and was holding it out to Claire, who let out a squeak in surprise and delight.  Karen’s anger faded a bit.  The farmer was simply too cute for her own good and Cliff’s pleased reaction to his friend’s behavior made Karen’s heart melt; her friends were, in her eyes, painfully adorable.

Gray let out a deep sigh. “Naturally, he was walking back to the inn through the path on the farm when he saw us…  I… I talked to him!” he insisted, tired of having to defend himself.

“Good.” The young woman’s eyes didn’t move from her friends for a few minutes.  They stood in silence, and Gray sensed that her anger had subsided, much to his relief.  “So where were you guys headed tonight?” Karen asked the blacksmith casually.  “ _You_ hardly strike me as the beachcombing type,” she snorted and gave him a curious look.

He let out a silent sigh of relief; she was finished scolding for the night. “We were going to Kai’s,” Gray replied vaguely.  “He told me if I brought a friend, he’d give me a discount.”

“Oh, that’s harsh! So you just dragged Cliff along?” Karen roared with laughter.  She lowered her voice as she looked out at the surf.  “Is that really your _only_ reason?” she cocked an eyebrow.  Was it true that the stubborn young man was actually trying to help his friend?

Gray tugged on the bill of his cap; Karen was too perceptive. “Ann said that you two had plans out here tonight…  Why don’t you guys come with us?”

“Oh?” Karen looked far too entertained for Gray to feel comfortable. “Alright, then…” she turned to call out to her girl friend, but Gray caught her by the wrist. 

“Hey… give them a few more minutes, okay?” he kept his voice low.

“… Ah, I see…  Very well,” she raised her eyebrows and smirked at him.  It seemed he had a plan in mind, and she wasn’t about to argue with it.  The pair looked out at the farmer and the young man out on the edge of the water.

Claire didn’t want to admit out loud that she had never skipped stones before; surely Cliff would think she was odd. The young man shuffled through the rocks on the shore and quickly found one suitable for throwing.  He tossed it out over the water and got five skips out of it.

His companion watched in amazement. “Wow!”  Claire exclaimed.

The young man felt a rush of confidence at his friend’s reaction. “Heh, that one was pretty good,” He looked rather pleased with himself.  Cliff looked over at her playfully.  “Now let’s see what you’ve got,” he nodded out over the water.

He had made it look so easy; it must be a really simple process. The young woman grabbed the first rock she found and clenched it in her fist eagerly.  “Alright!”  She chucked it into the water with great determination and was surprised as it landed with a deep plop.  It seemed simply wishing it to skip across the water’s surface wasn’t enough to succeed.

“What the heck was that?” Karen laughed in the distance.

Claire rolled her eyes at her and grabbed another rock, her cheeks burning. She threw it harder this time, and only got a bigger splash.

The young man carefully shuffled through the selection of stones on the shore and finally settled on one. “Here.” Cliff handed her a smooth, flat stone.  “Try moving your wrist like this,” he imitated the movement a few times.  “It’s like throwing a disk.  Just let go when your wrist is fully extended.”  He got another rock for himself and demonstrated another throw, getting three skips.

Claire tried the motion several times with her own stone. It had taken her friend a few moments to find this particular rock and she didn’t want to waste it.  She was determined to make some sort of progress.  “I’m bad at disk throwing, too,” she admitted, laughing.  “Koro won’t be the only one who does terrible next summer at Beach Day,” she giggled.

He gave her a warm smile in response. “Well, you can think of this as practice,” he encouraged her.  “Go on; give it a shot,” he kept a kind, watchful gaze over the blonde as she bit her lip and looked over the water.

Claire summoned her determination and focused it in her wrist. “Okay…”  She exhaled and tossed the rock over the surf.  The young woman surprised herself when she got one skip.  “Did you see that?!”  She squealed in delight as her eyes widened, and she hopped up and down like a child.

“Sure did,” he laughed. The young woman was very cute when she was excited.  “Here, try it again,” he offered her another stone.

Claire was so eager to throw the rock that it landed with a deep plunk again. If Karen had heckled her again, she didn’t notice.  The young woman was so determined to succeed again in skipping the rock that her focus was aimed solely at the task at hand.

“I know I can do better than that!” Claire wore a determined expression and searched in the surf for more stones like a hungry scavenger in search of a meal.

“You want something flat… Hey, check out this one,” Cliff held it out to her.  The smooth stone was round and flat and was a beautiful gray-blue in color.

Her eyes widened at the simple beauty of the stone. “How pretty…  Don’t throw that one,” she breathed, giving him a pleading look.  If he didn’t want it, she was more than willing to keep it.

He was pleased to see that she found the stone as lovely as he did. “I don’t plan on it,” he replied as their eyes met.  He closed his fingers around it.  “This stone will stay safe,” he blushed, putting it in his pocket.

The young woman gave him a kind smile and returned to her scouring of the water’s edge. She spotted a rock with the right qualities and snatched it up eagerly.  “Okay, I’ve found the lucky stone!” Claire announced, holding it up in the air above her with an intense face as if she was imagining a heavenly chorus singing out a fanfare for her sacred find.

Cliff laughed at her expression; a playful Claire was a lot of fun to be around. The blonde practiced the movement with her wrist several times and stretched her arms.  By now, Karen and Gray had joined them and were watching silently with interest.

The farmer took a couple of deep breaths and popped her wrists. “Here we go!”  She tossed the stone and got two skips out of it.  The young woman felt a surge of adrenaline.  “Yeah!”  She yelled out over the waves, surprised at the volume of her own voice.

“Good job!” Cliff laughed heartily.

“I did twice as well that time,” She grinned at him, feeling a surge of pride in her accomplishment.

“Alright, Claire!” Karen’s sudden voice startled her. The farmer jumped and giggled.

“Not too shabby,” Gray gave her a nod of approval.

Claire felt herself redden. “Well…  Let’s see what you guys can do, then!”  It was time to pass along the challenge.

Karen sighed. “Really?”  While she had enjoyed watching them enough, the grocer’s daughter hadn’t intended on actually getting involved with her friends’ childish games.

The blonde nodded and dropped her voice into a serious monotone. “Show me what you got!” Claire’s bright blue eyes were blazing.

“Okay, okay,” The grocer’s daughter roared with laughter. She grabbed a flat stone and threw it into the water.  It landed with a loud splash.

Was Karen really as clueless about rock skipping as Claire had been? The farmer felt a sense of relief.  “What was that?!” The young woman heckled her.  “You threw that overhand!”

“That’s how I throw,” Karen retorted with a shrug, as if it was a problem that couldn’t be helped.

“You’re not using the right technique. You’ve gotta use your wrist!” the blonde insisted, mimicking the motion with her wrist that her male friend had taught her.

“You’ve created a monster, Cliff,” the brunette laughed at her friend. He gave her an apologetic look, but it didn’t look very sincere.  She smirked and threw another rock overhand out of spite.

Gray couldn’t stand remaining silent. “You’re killing me, Karen,” the apprentice tossed a rock and got three skips out of it.  “See?  Nothing to it.”

“That was so cool, Gray!” Claire cheered, but she turned straight back toward the brunette woman. “Come on, Karen!” she stared at her friend intently.

“Yeesh… Relax, Claire,” Karen giggled.  “I haven’t skipped rocks since I was a kid.”

Cliff threw another rock and it skipped four times.

The blonde’s eyes widened with amazement. “Go, Cliff!  That was awesome!” Claire squeezed him around the shoulders and he reddened violently as breath escaped him.  He found that he was quite unable to wipe the silly smile that spread across his entire face.

“You’re not helping the situation, man,” Karen rolled her eyes, but she was grinning as she threw another rock overhand. It arched high in the air and landed out far in the water with a loud plop.

Gray let out a low whistle. “Damn…  You got some distance on that one…”

Claire stamped her foot in the sand, still overcome with adrenaline. “You’re doing it wrong, Karen!  Don’t encourage her!” she laughed.

“How about we go get a bite at Kai’s before Claire tries to see how far she can skip Karen into the water?” Gray suggested with a smirk.

The grocer’s daughter gave the apprentice a sideways glance. “Your treat, right?” Karen winked at him.

The young man sighed, although he had a feeling he was getting let off easy. Either way, he was used to being scolded by her.  “Fine,” he said a little begrudgingly.

The brunette woman hurried toward the snack shack, but Claire hesitated before following her friend, shyly looking back at the men with a coy smile and twisting a strand of blonde hair in her fingers before heading there herself.

Gray gave Cliff a rough nudge. “Well, how about _that_?”

The brunette’s cheeks burned. Either way, she was in a playful mood and he didn’t want to read into the gesture too much.  “I think that was aimed at you,” his voice was barely audible as he stared at his female friend’s retreating figure.

“Pah, you’re just in denial that I did a good job tonight and helped you,” the grin that crept across Gray’s face was rather smug. He started to head toward Kai’s, but he stopped when he noticed his friend wasn’t moving.  “Are you coming or not?”

Cliff was staring out at the waves with a pensive look on his face. “Y-You know what would _really_ help?”  He folded his arms across his chest and kicked at the sand as the ocean breeze played with his hair.

The apprentice thought that he had already assisted his friend plenty this evening. After all, Claire hadn’t focused much on Gray at all tonight.  “Huh?” his roommate grunted in response.

The brunette’s posture stiffened as he gulped. “If you made a decision already.”

Gray’s stomach did a somersault. “Wh-What do you mean?”

Cliff’s deep blue eyes locked onto his and the intensity of his expression caught the apprentice off guard. “You know exactly what I’m talking about…  Look, I know you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but right now you’re hurting _everyone’s_.”

The conviction in Cliff’s normally timid voice made Gray realize it was something that had been on the young man’s mind for a long time now. The apprentice had never really thought about the situation that way.  “Is that so…?”  He tugged on the bill of his hat; startled at his friend’s honesty and openness.

“Yeah.” Cliff swallowed the lump in his throat.  “If you don’t want to do it for me, at least think of Mary and Claire and how they’re feeling.”  He gave the young man a nod, satisfied with the words he had chosen, and started walking toward the snack shack.

Gray remained on the beach and found that his throat was tightening. Karen’s words didn’t tear into him the way his roommate’s had.  Did Cliff honestly believe he thought that little of him?  This was the person he identified as his _best friend_ , and after their discussion the other day he was saying things like this?  He knew that the brunette had self-esteem issues, but his words – _“If you don’t want to do it for me…”_ Gray felt like his heart had been ripped out and ground into the sand.

He stared at the waves crashing across against the shore and blinked back the mistiness that was starting to form in his eyes.

“Goddess… what kind of friend _am_ I?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I once again would like to thank everyone who is reading, following, adding to favorites, and/or reviewing this story. This work truly is a labor of love and I am delighted that people are spending the time to take a look at it. In many ways, writing out my characters and their emotions has helped me sort through some of my own problems and helped me understand a little bit better about the way my own mind works. As always, reviews are always welcome and appreciated. :)


	35. Ladies' Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A scheming Karen invites Claire and Mary to the bar. They're not too far into their beverages when Ann tells Claire that a young man has offered to buy her a drink, presenting a garnished cocktail.

Karen was sitting on the bench outside of the grocery shop with Kai when she saw the blacksmith’s apprentice leave the library with a new stack of books and walk back toward the inn. “Well, here we go…  See you in a while?” She winked at the cook.  She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little bit anxious about their plan, but she knew something needed to be done.  The grocer’s daughter swung her feet.

The young man’s eyes followed Gray. He was in agreement that things couldn’t remain the way they were.  It wasn’t even the tension that had seemed to form in his room at the inn – he genuinely felt bad for the blonde farmer who silently asked for a walk home every night from the apprentice and never got one.  Thankfully, Cliff always stepped in, but still, it just wasn’t right…  “Yeah…  It’s stupid, really…  He’s a grown man, and you know he’ll be kicking and screaming the whole time.”

“I don’t care,” the brunette replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I’m sick of all of this.  He needs a good shove and we are doing him a favor.  Catch you later!” The young woman saw this as her moment to strike.  She waved goodbye to Kai as she hurried toward the library and pulled open the door.

“Gray, did you forget something?” the librarian didn’t look up from her desk as she shuffled through an assortment of papers.

The grocer’s daughter leaned over the desk and made a sultry face at the young woman. “Baby, if you were a library book, I would check you out!” Karen dropped her voice an octave and did her best impression of the apprentice.

Mary’s face turned scarlet at the implication that Gray would proposition her; he would never say something like that. “K-Karen, what a lovely surprise...  I was just about to close up for the night, but I’d be happy to help you find something.  What kind of book are you looking for?”

She shook her head, her brown and blonde locks whipping about. “No books.  I was just wondering if you want to hang out tonight,” her green eyes lit up with determination.

Mary raised her eyebrows. “This is unusual…” 

Karen tried another route and shrugged casually. “It’s ladies’ night at the bar.  What would you say to hanging out with me and Claire?  Kai will be bringing the guys.  How would you feel about Gray buying you a drink?” She gave the librarian a playful grin.

The librarian dropped her pen on the floor and laughed nervously. “I-I don’t go to the bar very often…  And… I doubt…” her voice trailed off as she searched the floor for the pen.  The writing utensil rolled across the floor and tapped Karen’s boot.  The brunette picked it up and presented it to her.  “Ah, thank you.  Pardon my asking, but why do you want to invite _me_ to the bar?  You and I don’t hang out much…  Did Claire ask you to invite me?”

Karen shook her head. “She doesn’t know about this yet.  It was just like I said – don’t you want to spend some time with Gray?  Kai and I will help… _set the mood_.” She replaced her playful expression to a warm, friendly one.

This change in demeanor seemed to help, as Mary actually met the brunette’s gaze. The young woman adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose.  “I really am quite unsure of what to say…  I suppose I do have one question.”  Mary shyly returned her gaze to the floor and fidgeted with the cuffs of her sleeves.  “Why are _you_ helping _me_?”  She lowered her voice to a whisper.  “I _do_ like Claire and I’d like to get to know her better…”  The invitation to the bar with the two of them _was_ inviting.  In fact, her heart pounded in excitement at the very notion, especially due to the fact that the apprentice would be present…  “But… with Gray… I also… see her as a bit of a… _rival_ …”  Mary felt ashamed to admit it aloud to anyone other than her mother or her friend Elli, especially this rival’s best girl friend.

“Exactly,” the grocer’s daughter gave her a knowing nod in reply.

Mary still felt as if they weren’t seeing things eye-to-eye. She absentmindedly tidied the stack of papers on her desk with shaking hands, vaguely wondering if this was some sort of plot.  “I-I still don’t understand.  I would have assumed you’d want to help her instead.”  Mary bit her lip.  The brunette wouldn’t have ill intentions toward her, would she?

Karen’s eyes locked with Mary’s earnestly. “Claire is my best friend.  I want to help her, too.”

The librarian blinked. “I’m afraid I don’t quite follow…”  This was partially a lie; perhaps she was _afraid_ to understand…

The brunette wasn’t sure how to word her frustration at Claire and Gray’s situation. “I want her to be happy, _genuinely_ happy…  I…  I don’t want her to keep chasing something that won’t bring her joy.”  It was difficult seeing her best friend suffer this way day in and day out.  “She’s… she’s in love with the _idea_ of Gray, but she doesn’t love _him_ …  It’s heartbreaking to see her pine like that.”

Mary was surprised at Karen’s brutal honesty, but she found that she rather liked it. After all, honesty was one of her favorite qualities in a person.  “I see…  You’re a good friend to her, Karen.  And I’m not just saying that because of m-my _own_ feelings toward Gray,” she shyly squeaked, her face turning pink.

 The grocer’s daughter stared into Mary’s mocha brown eyes.  They seemed to have reached an understanding.  Her voice became less serious, but she spoke in a soothing tone.  “Come with me to the bar.  It’s not a big deal at all,” she let out a gentle chuckle.  “Just a couple of drinks…”

The young woman considered this offer. She stood silently for several moments.  “Let me change into something nicer real quick.”

0o0o0o0

Claire received a knock on her door just as she was preparing to change into her new nightgown. She let out a sigh.  It had been a long day of harvesting tomatoes, and she was eager to go to sleep early tonight.

“Heyo! Claire, open up!” Karen’s voice was muffled through the door, but the farmer could hear the overly enthusiastic quality to it.

Claire complied and stood in shock for a brief moment. To see the librarian accompanying her best friend this evening was a surprise, to say the least.  “Hi, Karen.  Hi, Mary.  Please come on in,” she bowed politely.

Karen cast a sideways glance at her friend. Claire was normally pretty formal, but perhaps being around someone she saw as a rival was making her nervous.  Well, that wasn’t acceptable.  Not tonight, anyway, Karen nodded to herself.  She had already talked the most difficult person into going to the bar – Claire should be a piece of cake.  The brunette thrust a bag into her arms.  “Get dressed.  I’m taking you ladies out tonight.”

The blonde accepted the sack with eyebrows raised in suspicion. Upon looking inside of the bag, she discovered the dress that she had worn after her brush with heat stroke.  “Why can’t I go out in what I’ve got on?”

The grocer’s daughter was relieved that Claire had already more or less agreed to accompany them. Karen gestured toward her own sleek purple dress and Mary’s white eyelet sundress.  “Because you’ll look silly if you don’t at this point.  We’re going to order fancy drinks and feel cool.”

 _If they were sitting at the bar dressed up nicely and Gray happened to be coming home from work_ …  Claire blushed.  “A-Alright, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

The brunette grinned. “I knew you’d see things my way.” _That was surprisingly easy…_

0o0o0o0

Claire felt a little silly to be dressed up to go to the inn. She felt most comfortable in her denim and overalls.  The dress, while cute, was much more Karen’s style than her own; it had a flirty flair to it that Claire couldn’t decide if she liked or not.  As they took a sat at their table, Mary and Karen were talking about something the farmer wasn’t making any attempts to listen to.  After all, she had temporarily lost the ability to focus on anything other than the table on the other side of the bar that was seating three young men.

Her face felt warm as her eyes traveled across the trio. Kai was sitting in the middle.  He was a very handsome young man with a deep tan and smiling brown eyes.  Something about his presence made her feel giddy and comfortable at the same time.  Cliff was sitting to Kai’s left.  The brunette’s long tresses were a bit tamer tonight and he wore a very comfortable-looking cotton tunic.  He normally didn’t wear much other than hides; the pale yellow of the shirt suited his complexion.  Her heart throbbed as she looked to the man at Kai’s right.  His hat was pulled over his eyes and his arms were folded across his chest as he leaned back casually in his chair.  Gray always had such an aloof air to him, but it was part of what attracted her to him.  She noticed he was wearing a fresh set of coveralls and she vaguely wondered if the young man ever considered shedding this unnecessary layer of clothing in the heat.

They hadn’t been at the bar for long at all when Ann approached the table.

“Oooh, Claire! A young gentleman has sent you a drink.  Will you accept it?” the waitress sang, presenting the farmer with a pink cocktail garnished with a cherry, a honeycomb, and a sugared rim.

“Damn… very nice…” Karen raised her eyebrows and snuck a look at the men’s table, giving her friend a nod of approval.

“H-Huh?” the blonde blinked in surprise. The thought had never occurred to her that someone would be interested in buying her a drink.  She knew what such a proposition meant in the city – some conversation would be exchanged and a future date may be set.  A few of Claire’s city friends had even gone home with men who purchased them drinks.  The blonde didn’t approve of this behavior, but she was afraid to express it aloud.  But this was Mineral Town; she knew everyone here, and she didn’t feel threatened by anyone.  Her blue eyes drifted toward the table of young men and she felt her face get warm and her pulse began to race.  Cliff was staring at the surface of the table and she was unable to see his expression beneath his shaggy hair, but his ears were red.  Kai was laughing at a slack-jawed Gray who was staring in her direction.  She had never seen the apprentice’s eyes so wide.  “Wh-who?”

The waitress set the drink on the table and nudged it toward Claire. “It’s from Cliff.  He says hi and hopes you’re having fun tonight.”

Any sort of apprehension she had disappeared immediately. The notion of her friend buying her a drink was a welcome one.  Her heart swelled.  “Ah, how sweet of him!” She gave him a kind grin, but he didn’t see it.  Claire was aware that Cliff had been bringing in more money with his shipped goods, as the list he slid under her door seemed to grow longer every day.  She knew that he was working hard, and the young woman was flattered that he wanted to celebrate with her.  “H-he’s a good friend…” she stammered, battling a confusing emotion within her.  Her gaze moved toward the man who purchased her drink.  His eyes were still glued to the table in embarrassment, but a shy smile played at his lips as he slightly tilted his head upward at her words.  He looked so vulnerable, yet strangely charming.  Her stomach did a strange flip-flop.

“That’s it – it’s time for a girl huddle!” Karen motioned for her tablemates to move in closer. They quickly obeyed.  The brunette beamed at her friend.  “Go, Claire!  You reeled in the sweet, cute one!” she teased, nudging her in the ribs a little too roughly.

The blonde laughed off the comment. “ _Reel in_?  You make him sound like a fish.”  She suppressed a strange fluttering feeling in her belly that rose to her chest.  “It’s a friend buying another friend a drink.  You do it to me all the time.  He’ll probably buy you one, too, Karen.”

The alcohol connoisseur studied the mixed drink. Judging from the generous honeycomb garnish and pink sugar on the rim, it was a custom order.  Cliff had gone all out, and she had to admit that she was a bit impressed.  This was likely his reaction to Gray’s behavior at Mystic Acres the other day.  Karen felt a slight wave of relief that her friend wasn’t going to let his roommate walk all over him.  “Whatever.”  She highly doubted she would receive a drink from the young man, but she wasn’t about to complain if she did – it looked like he had good taste.

Mary leaned forward and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose before they slid off of her face. “Well, standard etiquette says that if you accept the drink, you also accept his company…” she fussed with her ebony braid and Karen was a little surprised to see a hint of a smirk accompany the librarian’s kind eyes.

The farmer didn’t understand what there was to decide. “Well, of course I’ll sit with him, as long as you guys don’t mind.”  She didn’t want to come off as rude to her tablemates.

“Of course not.” If Claire wasn’t so giddy with excitement, she may have been suspicious in the fact that her companions said this in perfect unison.

“Then there’s nothing to debate,” the blonde continued as she twirled a blonde strand in her fingers, unaware of the huge grin creeping across her mouth.

“Why don’t you call him over, then?” Ann challenged, smugness written clearly upon her face.

The brunette jumped in surprise at the redhead’s interjection. “What are you doing here, Ann?” Karen gave her a playful shove.

The young woman puffed out her cheeks. “Well, you called a girl huddle!”  She stated this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Go… get me another wine!” Karen replied distractedly, shooing away the waitress playfully.

The redhead glanced over at Cliff. He was sneaking a look over at the blonde with that wide-eyed gaze that he reserved for the farmer.  Claire was playing with a strand of her golden tresses, her face flushed, but she had an air of confusion regarding her own emotions.  Ann exhaled.  It was starting to hurt a little less to watch the two of them, she realized.  “Alright, alright,” she sighed overdramatically and turned to head back to the bar.  She paused and whirled back around.  “Just remember, Claire… buying a girl a drink doesn’t give him the privilege of a roll in the hay!”

The young woman shook her head so emphatically that she felt dizzy. “Ann, why-?”

Karen roared with laughter and swatted her friend on the bottom. Ann let out a shriek and gave the brunette an impish grin as she went to get her friend’s beverage.

“Don’t worry about her,” Mary’s soft voice was soothing and brought the situation back to reality. “Everyone sitting at this table knows that Cliff is a gentleman and would never do something like that.”

Karen leaned back in her chair. “She’s right, you know.  Hang out with the boy.”

Claire’s cheeks burned as she stopped leaning on the table. She was never intending on _not_ accepting the drink.  The young woman turned toward the man who purchased her beverage.  Their eyes met and she beckoned him over shyly with her finger.  She was attempting to look playful and keep the mood light, but she found that her face felt warmer than it did the day she had heatstroke.  Cliff was giving her a startled stare as if he wasn’t expecting her invitation.  The blonde was completely unaware that he was mirroring her exact behavior from a few moments earlier.  Her stomach sank a little bit; why did he look so scared to spend time with her?  His gaze nervously darted between his tablemates, and she could see him mumbling something to Kai.  Claire didn’t realize she was anxiously wringing her hands until she heard his chair screech across the floor as he stood up shakily and dragged his feet over toward her.

“H-Hey, Claire,” he let out a nervous chuckle. She had been around him enough to recognize that he was attempting to regulate his breath and used the laughter as a disguise to let out the excess air.

“Hey, Cliff… thanks for the drink,” she stammered with a shy smile. Claire had snuck in a sip while he was mentally preparing himself to join her.  “It’s really good.”

“Ah, I’m glad…” he rubbed the back of his neck, coyly looking at a vacant table in the corner. “So… uh… d-do you wanna…?”

Claire didn’t notice her companions’ slight nods of approval. She had already stood up and taken her drink in hand.  He politely gestured for her to lead the way.  Karen gave a slight tug on his tunic.

“Don’t keep her up too late, now,” she gave him a playful grin.

He gave a single nod in reply, turning from pink to red. Flustered, he whirled around and took a seat at the new table.

“Well, _that_ was unexpected,” Karen turned toward Mary and gave her a kind grin.

“Yeah… it looks like things are looking up for the both of us,” the librarian returned.

Cliff pushed in his chair, observing his companion. She had dressed up for the evening and looked lovely.  A sense of pride began to well up in him for having the courage to engage her tonight.

Claire was still a little giddy and nervous at the young man’s shy, yet alluring behavior. Unsure of what to do, she looked down at her beverage.  “Here, give it a try.  Be sure to get some of the sugar on the rim,” the blonde nudged the drink toward her friend.

The young man took a sip from the glass and his eyes widened in surprise. “Wow, that’s very sweet, but it’s really good.  You can really taste the honey, huh?  It’s almost too sweet after what I’ve been drinking.”  Cliff had brought his own glass of wine over and timidly slid his own beverage toward the blonde, offering her a drink.

She touched her lips to the burgundy liquid and let out a tiny exclamation in surprise. The flavor was a stark contrast to what she had been drinking.  “Ah, tart!” she exhaled, closing her eyes.  “Let me try that again.”  She took another sip, focusing on the dark, fruity notes.  “Ah, it’s actually really good,” she grinned as they traded glasses once again.

They shyly drank in silence for a few minutes, neither sure what to talk about.

The young man was staring up at the ceiling. “I’ve been to a lot of bars and inns, but this one feels the homiest,” Cliff smiled.

She was grateful that he had chosen a conversation topic. She took a sip from her glass.  “And you’ve never ordered alcohol before moving here?” Claire asked curiously.

He shook his head. “I usually ordered hot water because it was free.  I ordered hot cocoa a couple of times as a treat.  I came in to warm up.”

Her friend made it sound like he was living outdoors. “So you didn’t actually live in the towns you traveled through…?” It was such a startling concept to her that she had a hard time wrapping her head around it.

He shrugged. “I camped outside; I don’t know what kind of residency that falls under,” he said with a slight chuckle.  Claire was relieved to see that the thought of it didn’t appear to upset him.  “This is the first place I’ve lived with a roof over my head since home,” he took another sip of wine thoughtfully.  He paused for a moment, deep in thought.  “… But I’ve been to a lot of festivals, though…”

Claire stopped nibbling on the piece of honeycomb in her drink. “Oh yeah?” her face lit up.  “What kinds?”

“Most of the ones I went to were music and dance festivals…” he looked pensively into his glass. “I performed at quite a few of them.”

“Wow, really?” Claire’s eyes widened in excitement as she continued to munch on the honeycomb, savoring the sweetness of the fresh honey and the delicate texture of the wax.

“Yeah, I filled in where they needed me and they paid me,” he had a slight smile on his face, but it was slowly fading.

She was determined to keep a smile on his face. “What would you say was the most bizarre festival you’ve ever attended?” she beamed at him, taking another drink.

He quietly thought for a few moments and let out a snort as he came up with his answer. “I went to a farming community where they had a tomato throwing competition,” he laughed.  “Ugh, I think I got some tomato in my eye once.  It was like a snowball fight, only with tomatoes.  A little wasteful, really…”

She bit into the cherry, relishing in the flavor it had picked up from being drowned in the beverage. “Sounds like someone’s a poor loser,” Claire teased with a giggle.

He grinned, glad that she was enjoying the drink so much. “Well, it was a waste of perfectly good tomatoes!” he replied with a mock-pout.  “Either way, I can now throw a mean tomato.”

Claire laughed heartily, taking another sip from her glass. “That seems like a vital life skill.”

“Oh, it is,” his eyes glowed at her mischievously. “You see, you never know when you’ll need to heckle someone who deserves it.”

The young woman leaned across the table and gave her friend a playful shove. “Well with an attitude like that, maybe someone should throw a tomato at you!”

Cliff let out a chuckle. “If you think you can hit me, by all means.”  He took another drink and smirked at her.

A grin crept across his companion’s face. “Well, you better watch your back when you’re passing through Mystic Acres, then!” Claire finished her drink and relished in the warm sensation it had left in her belly.  She leaned forward and rested her chin in the palm of her hand, giving her a friend a raised eyebrow and smug smile.

He snickered and drank the last bit of wine in his glass; her friend seemed to be in a playful mood tonight. His demeanor changed as he looked at the empty glasses and then at her with a deep blue gaze and flushed cheeks.  “Ah… w-would you like another, Claire?” he almost seemed afraid she would leave now that the beverages were gone.  “I’d be more than happy to treat you…” he had a shy, hopeful smile on his pink face and his eyes sparkled at her.

A different warm sensation flowed through Claire. Her friend had a very endearing way about him.  There was that word again, she realized.  “I’d love another, thank you.  I’m having fun!” She let out a friendly giggle.

0o0o0o0

Claire stood up a little too quickly. Her head and neck felt like they were moving half the speed of the rest of her body.  She felt a bit disoriented for a brief moment.

Cliff was slightly embarrassed that the alcohol had hit both of them so hard and so suddenly. “Whoa, are you okay?” her friend kindly offered her an arm, which she gratefully accepted to steady herself.  “I’ll walk you home, alright?”

“Thanks,” she gave him a sincere smile as she walked beside him, so flattered that he had opened the door for her that she didn’t notice the occupants at the table off to the side. The blacksmith’s apprentice and librarian were seated together, staring at each other with dreamy eyes and flushed cheeks.

It was a humid, hazy evening that only served to exacerbate Claire’s tipsiness.

“I don’t think I’ll drink that much on an empty stomach again…” she steadied herself against her friend’s forearm once more. The young woman stared down at the arm she was holding and briefly admired the toned muscles in it.  Her gaze focused on the scars on his arms and she realized that he had probably acquired most of them in his outdoor living experiences.  They were no longer pink and looked like they had healed years ago.  Her eyes traced upwards to the wisps of rich brown hair that had escaped her companion’s ponytail and she studied his profile in the sunset.  The young man had a slim face with heavy, yet friendly eyebrows.  He had a softer jaw line than his roommates, a straight nose, and large eyes that made him look younger than he really was.  Cliff was a little rough around the edges, but he wasn’t bad-looking by any means, she realized as the blood rushed to her face.  Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but he actually looked quite attractive…

“Maybe we should have gotten something to eat,” Cliff admitted with a guilty chuckle. “I am feeling the alcohol a bit, too.”  He turned to give his friend a grin and he noticed she was studying him closely.  His cheeks immediately flushed so deeply it was still visible in the setting sun.

“I’m sorry,” Claire stammered, “I didn’t mean to stare.” She remembered how flustered he was when they first met and she had been unable to take her curious eyes off of him.

“I-It’s alright…”

The sun had almost set by the time they made it back to the farm. The blonde immediately made a beeline for her fields.  She crouched over and rustled in the plants for a few moments before resurfacing with a large tomato in her hand.

“Hey, Cliff…” she gave him a teasing grin.

His eyes widened in surprise for a moment and he looked down at his tunic with a slight frown. He wasn’t thrilled at the notion of scrubbing tomato flesh off of his shirt.

“Don’t give me that look,” the young woman teased, carefully handing him the fruit. “If I threw it, then it would just be a waste of a perfectly good tomato, right?”

“Thank you.” A coy smile crept across his face as he gazed at the farmer.  For a moment, Claire was unsure of whether he was thanking her for the tomato, her mercy, or both.  “I’m glad you see things my way.”

“Besides,” Claire admitted with a giggle, “I probably would’ve missed. That second drink hit me kind of hard,” she leaned on his arm with a sigh.

Cliff stumbled a bit himself, and it wasn’t only because he had also had a little too much. Claire laughed harder, and her friend was reminded that she had a very contagious laugh with a musical quality.  It was one of his favorite sounds.  He stopped feeling self-conscious and gave her a friendly grin, looking down at the produce in his hand.  “Thanks for the tomato.”

“Here, take some more,” she murmured, filling her arms with the fruits.

“Cl-Claire, I couldn’t possibly-!” he stammered, but caught them in his arms as she unloaded them on him. He swiftly used his long tunic to hold the produce.  “This is too many.”

The playful look faded from the blonde’s face. “I _want_ you to have these.  Please eat them…  I put a lot of work into them.” The young woman picked one more and took a huge bite from it.  “I’ve got more than I need, and they’re really good.”

“Well, that’s why you should be selling them,” her friend returned.

She rolled her eyes; they both knew how many tomatoes had been filling her shipping bin the past few days now that the first tomato crop was coming in. “C’mon, take a bite,” she insisted with a giggle, holding the fruit for her friend to try.  “Don’t you want to be _cool_?”  He looked at her curiously for a moment before the both of them burst into hearty laughter.  She really _was_ drunk.  Claire wiped a tear from her eye.  “Seriously, though.  Give it a taste.”  She held it in front of his mouth, blushing.

“Alright,” he took a bite and they both burst into fits of giggles when juice spurted from the fruit and hit them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Ah, the powers of fermented beverages! They make some people giggly, others bold, others depressed, and some just straight-up weird. I hope you enjoyed the read! Lots more fun to come! I thank each and every person who has taken the time to read this. Again, it means a lot to me! Please let me know what you think! :D
> 
> Just for anyone who’s curious and because I didn’t get a chance to fit it in this chapter, but when Cliff orders stuff at the bar he gets the “DB discount”. Doug’s Boys. Haha, I’m trying to make it a thing.


	36. Appearances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire spends an afternoon with Ann and becomes startled when she finds a crack in the redhead's cheery mask.

“Catalogue from Won’s?” Ann took a seat on the stool next to the farmer.

It was a hot afternoon and the farmer was taking a break from the scorching sun at the local eatery. A glass of ice water sat in front of Claire; the condensation ran down the container, creating a puddle on the surface of the table.  The blonde nodded in response to the waitress as she took a sip from the glass.  “I need to purchase some new clothes, but I’m not sure what I want.  I have a list of work clothes down, but something a little more casual would be nice, too.”

“Well, it’s a good thing Karen’s not here! She’d probably manage to talk you into buying a bunch of party dresses!” the waitress giggled, swinging her feet.  The grocer’s daughter had a closetful of things she never wore, and judging by Claire’s worn-out overalls, Ann reasoned that the blonde needed some more practical things for her wardrobe.  “Although…”

“Huh?” the blonde looked up at her curiously.

The redhead looked around them conspiratorially. “Can you keep a secret?”

Claire gave her an excited nod.

“We’re planning a little festival of our own here at the inn, a sort of midsummer’s shindig, if you will. I suppose even _I_ will have to wear a dress,” Ann giggled.  “It will be at the end of the week; we’re gonna put up the flyers tomorrow.”

“Oh!” Claire flipped through the catalogue.  “I don’t think anything I order will come in time…”  She frowned at the notion, but it wasn’t as if she had intended on ordering anything remotely formal.

The waitress shook her head. “Don’t sweat it.  Between Karen and Popuri, I’m sure you’ll manage to find something you can wear.  I’ve only told you and Cliff, so don’t go blabbing.  We’re still hammering out the details and an official announcement will be made soon.”

“I won’t!” the farmer pouted, eager to keep the secret. She hadn’t been to many group events since moving to Mineral Town, and she looked forward to another opportunity to try to improve on interacting with others.

The redhead hesitated before continuing. “There will be dancing and live music, too… did you dance much in the city?”

“No,” Claire confessed with a sigh. “I was always too self-conscious to go out on the dance floor.”  She was surprised she was admitting this to someone else.  Her thoughts turned toward awkward high school dances and evenings of sitting alone in the nightclub while her friends danced with groups of strangers, or worse yet, they brought the unfamiliar people to the blonde in an effort to make her more social.

Ann battled a strange combination of emotions – pity, victory, and excitement. Cliff had shyly admitted that he was an experienced dancer and intended in participating, his face lighting up at her mention of the event.  “So, will you be coming?  I know you missed the Chicken Festival.”

“I’ll try to make it,” the blonde gave her a kind smile. “But I can’t guarantee I’ll do much dancing,” she took a deep drink from her ice water and immediately regretted it; she was rewarded with brain-freeze.  Not only did she see herself as a clumsy dancer, but no one would probably ask her to join them.  She already was making plans for where to sit for the entirety of that evening.  “What about you?  Do you dance?”

Ann snorted and turned a bright shade of pink. “N-Not really.  Not with partners, anyway.  I was just trying to drum up some business for the bar.  I got a few folks from the Valley to agree to come over and play some live music, too.”

The waitress’s flustered behavior didn’t go unnoticed. “Oh, so you’ll mostly be working…” Claire commented.

The young woman shrugged. “Well, maybe a dance or two if he’s willing…” Ann muttered under her breath.

Her companion cocked an eyebrow. The waitress never really spoke about boys, unless it was to say that they were stupid and that she had no interest in them.  “With whom?”

She went from pink to red. “N-No big deal.  I told you, I don’t need a boyfriend,” Ann laughed nervously.

The blonde frowned. “A dance doesn’t make two people a couple.”  As uneducated in courting and romantic customs as she was, even Claire knew this, and she was sure that Ann did as well.

The redhead didn’t appear to be convinced. She fidgeted with her fingers, tapping them nervously on the tabletop.  “I suppose… but…”

She could sense that the waitress was uncomfortable on the subject, and the clicking sound of Ann’s fingernails on the wood was making her feel anxious. “Hey, I’ll dance with you if neither of us get a partner, okay?” the farmer offered kindly.

The waitress giggled and stopped the racket. “You’re too sweet, Claire.  You’re right.  There’s no sense getting worked up over it.”  She exhaled and sent a few of her red strands of hair straight up into the air before they fell back across her pale forehead.

Her friend tilted her head and her voice softened. “I have a feeling you’re referring to something other than the dance, Ann.”  She hadn’t meant to be so direct with the young woman, but the words slipped out before she meant for them to.  Claire prayed that she didn’t come off as rude.

The redhead’s color drained from her face as she stared at the floor a long time before speaking. Claire immediately regretted what she had said; it seemed that asking her directly what was wrong wasn’t Ann’s style.  The waitress ran her fingers along the grooves in the wooden tabletop thoughtfully, not looking up at the blonde.  “Dances always have a romantic connotation to them.  I was an idiot for thinking one up.”

Claire wondered if she was thinking of something her father had said to her; Ann had mentioned that Doug seemed concerned at the lack of romance in her life. Her friend shook her head.  “It will be a chance for everyone to get together.  You don’t have to pressure yourself.”

Ann laughed bitterly. “There’s no point pressuring myself anymore…”  She pressed her thumbnail into a scratch in the table’s surface and widened it a bit.

“What are you talking about?” Claire vaguely wondered if her companion realized she was destroying her own property, but she was more focused on the riddle Ann had presented to her.

The young woman looked around them cautiously before whispering. “I’m… afraid I blew my only chance… at love.”  A couple of tears rolled down her reddened cheeks and she swiftly wiped them away, embarrassed.  “I don’t even know what I want anymore…”

Claire’s heart broke. She had only ever seen the young woman with a grin on her face, and she realized that she was catching a true glimpse of her in this moment.  “Ann…?”

The redhead swallowed and plastered a cheesy grin on her face. “Wow, that was stupid of me, huh?” she giggled.  “I sounded pretty silly back there…  F-Forget about it!” her eyes were pleading under their thin veil of mirth.

The young woman felt uncomfortable. She wasn’t used to Ann’s methods of dealing with troubling issues.  She was accustomed to talking things out with Cliff.  This unfamiliar tactic left Claire a little on edge, and she felt guilty not continuing to attempt getting the young woman to open up to her.  She decided this was the right move for the situation although it was against her instincts.  “Why don’t we go to the beach shack or something?  I’ll buy you a snack and we don’t have to worry about anything, okay?”  She figured it was the least she could do; Claire hated to see Ann this way.

A genuine smile spread across her friend’s face. “Thanks.”  Her grin spoke louder than her words.

0o0o0o0

Kai’s snack shack was overstaffed when they got there. Three employees were working and Claire and Ann were the only customers.  Claire looked around the shop curiously.  All of the young men were half-naked and working with cleaning supplies in differing degrees of familiarity.  It was a curious yet interesting sight, to say the least.

“I wanna see my reflection in those tables, Gray!” Kai sang from behind the counter he was scrubbing, turning up the volume on his record player and bobbing his head to the reggae beat.

The young man removed his cap and groaned, running his hands through his unruly red locks. “This is so unfair!  How the hell was I supposed to know that you’re a frickin’ mermaid?”

Kai shot him a dirty look. “Mer _man_!” he retorted, tossing a soapy sponge at him.  “Hush and get back to work, Mr. Dead Last!” he cackled, turning up the music louder, as if to drown out his friend’s complaints.

The cowbell clanked as Claire let the door fall shut. The proprietor snapped to attention.  “Hey, ladies!  How are ya?”

Ann was smirking at the apprentice. “Hubba, hubba!  Two men in swimsuits _cleaning_ – be still, my beating heart!” she cackled.

Kai finished scrubbing the counter with a cloth. “Better get your eyes checked there, Ann, you missed one!”

“Hello.” Cliff’s voice emerged from underneath a table.  He had a metal spatula in one hand and a trash bag in the other.  Claire felt a swell of pity for the young man; she had been assigned to his duty a few times back when she worked at a diner herself, and it was a thankless job.

“I beat them both in a swimming race and now they’re my help for the afternoon,” Kai beamed.

“Wow, you guys were stupid enough to take on Kai in swimming?” Ann giggled. “What a couple of chumps!” she heckled them shamelessly.

“Shaddap,” Gray huffed, rubbing a dirty cloth on the table, smearing around mayonnaise and okonomiyaki sauce into a beige mess. If anything, he was grinding the filth into the pores of the plastic tablecloth.  The young man was likely more harm than help in cleaning the diner.

“Is it all that bad?” Claire stooped down to talk to the brunette. She noticed he looked surprisingly comfortable crouched underneath the table as he cleaned the undersides.

He flashed her an impish grin. “Nah.  We get all the free chewing gum we want.  I think I found where Stu sits.  Elli buys him the best candy.”

The two burst into laughter. Claire had two younger brothers, after all, and she was used to gross humor.

“Cliff, you can’t be serious!” the waitress rolled her eyes as she tried to keep a straight face; her friend’s comment had even put Ann off her appetite a bit.

 He just looked at her and grinned, as if telling her to figure it out herself.  Claire noticed that Ann had a flushed face and the blonde felt a rush of an uncomfortable emotion that was dimly familiar.  She remembered that her library book was due next week.

“So are you scraping gum because you want the free candy or because Kai put you there?” Ann asked with a playful gleam in her eye.

He shook his head, a few wisps of his brown hair falling around his face. “I’m just happy to help…” he replied innocently, giving both of the women a shy smile.

“Bull- _shit_!” Gray snorted with laughter.  “You’re the one who challenged Kai in the first place and roped me into the bet because you were so cocky!”

The brunette blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. “W-Well… I was confident in my endurance…”

“It was a _speed_ competition!” His friend growled.

“Well, this is a quality competition now,” Kai threw another wet sponge at Gray and was met with a loud curse in response. “Stop using that nasty rag!  Whoever does a better job gets some free takoyaki!”

The young man picked the sponge up off of the floor and feverishly began scrubbing the tabletop. Kai slapped his forehead – he already knew who would be the winner.

“So are we going to order some food or just watch you guys clean?” Ann raised her eyebrows as she eyed up the menu.

“Order anything you like,” Claire offered with a kind smile.

Kai let out a good-natured laugh. “That’s a rookie mistake, Farmer Girl!  That girl will make you broke!”

Ann sulked. “I’ll just have a plate of spaghetti, a snow cone, and an ear of roasted corn,” she replied humbly, playing with her fingers.

This sounded like an awful lot of food for a snack, but the blonde didn’t complain as she handed Kai the money. “And I’ll have a snow cone as well.  I’ve been dying to try one.”  She had a flashback of feeling dizzy while watering her crops in the early summer heat and shook her head.  “A glass of ice water, too.”

“Sure thing. I’ll have it ready in a few minutes.  Feel free to take a seat… well… wherever the guys aren’t bugging you,” he chuckled as he washed his hands and pulled on a shirt and apron.

Ann plopped down at the table Cliff was working on. “What if I just sat here and decided to stretch my legs… like this?”  She playfully nudged her friend with her sneaker.

“Ah, you almost kicked me in the mouth, Ann!” a chastising voice emerged from underneath the table.

She let out a giggle and repeated the motion, squealing with laughter when her friend caught her foot in his grip.

“Cut it out!” he chuckled; he didn’t sound very convincing in scolding her. Claire watched the two curiously and vaguely wondered if Mary had been working on a new chapter of her book lately.

“Yeesh, you two can play footsie later,” Gray rolled his eyes. “This diner isn’t going to clean itself, Cliff.”

“Ah, sorry…!” the brunette popped his head out from under the table. “I’ll talk to y’all later, okay?” his eyes moved between the two women and Claire noted his face looked a little flushed from Gray’s teasing.

“Let’s sit over here,” Claire gestured toward a clean table and set her catalogue on the checkered tablecloth.

“Oh, fine,” the redhead pouted. She let out a playful giggle.  “I thought it would be fun to kick Cliff a bit more…” She stuck out her tongue at her male friend and he rolled his eyes.  “He’s fun to make flustered,” she added with a giggle and a wink.

Claire found herself flipping nervously through the pages of the catalogue. “That’s not very nice,” she let out a weak chuckle and wondered why she couldn’t just decide on a more casual top already.  “What do you think I should get?” Claire swiftly changed the subject as she shuffled through the booklet, not looking too closely at the photos of the products.  She stopped on a page of denim pants.  “Maybe some jeans would feel nice and not quite so heavy-duty.”  The young woman jotted down the item number of a basic pair that looked flattering.  “And this top looks pretty cute…  What do you think, Ann?”  She was looking for someone’s approval, but it wasn’t really her tablemate’s.

The young woman played with the ends of her braid, her mouth turned into a slight frown. “I think you should get what _you_ like.”

The blonde was caught off guard by the slight bitterness in the waitress’s tone and realized she had been caught staring at the redheaded young man. “Ah, I suppose you’re right,” she gave the Ann a nervous smile as she leafed through the pages.

The young woman hesitated before speaking. “Hey… I’m sorry if that came out rude.  I just meant you should stay true to yourself.  Don’t worry about what other people think,” she gave the farmer a friendly nudge.

The blonde stopped wondering what Gray’s favorite color was. “You’re right,” she nodded and turned the page. “I wish that came as easily to me as it does to you,” she confessed with a sigh. 

The waitress bit her lip as Kai delivered their food. She waited for him to leave before she spoke.  “What is _that_ supposed to mean?” the redhead raised a challenging eyebrow at her companion but didn’t hesitate before digging into her food.

Claire honestly wasn’t sure what Ann was driving at, but it looked like she had offended her in some way. She mulled the words over in her head.  “I meant that you always stay true to yourself and you never doubt who you are.  I hope someday I can be like that, too.”

Ann messily slurped her spaghetti, the marinara sauce splashing her cheeks. “You wanna be like me?” she asked, her mouth full.

“Well… yeah,” her companion admitted with a slightly flushed face. “I wish that I had your confidence.  Sometimes I feel like I drive people away with my… _lack_ of it,” she silently cursed herself for her awkward phrasing.  “I fear that my personality is so… dull.”  Claire stared glumly at her snow cone.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Ann started on her frozen treat.  “Well, you don’t need to feel that way.  Lots of people like you just the way you are.  And if they don’t… well… who cares?” she gave her a reckless grin as she chomped down on her ice.

The farmer stared down at the pink ice crystals in her paper cup, envying the lack of hesitancy it took for Ann to say such a thing. “Again… I wish I was more like you,” she repeated with a sad smile.

Kai stopped by to pick up some dirty dishes. He caught Claire’s last line.  “Don’t wish that.  You’re you, Claire, and we’re lucky to have you.” He flashed her a warm smile.

“Kai’s right,” Ann nodded as she thoughtfully dug into her ear of corn. “Besides, you grow the best corn!” she cried out as she munched happily.

“Hell yeah!” Gray echoed emphatically from the opposite side of the diner and Claire’s cheeks burned.

The farmer felt a surge of confidence. Maybe she did have her own things that made her special.  Still, she wished she could be more outgoing like Ann.  Claire jotted down a few numbers of shirts in the booklet that were cute and feminine but still practical.

“You buying more overalls?” Ann asked, leaning over the catalogue, spraying a few chewed kernels on the page. She gave her friend a sheepish grin as she brushed them away swiftly.

“Of course,” Claire answered. “I still need my clothes to work in, after all.”

Ann took a look at the numbers the young woman had written down and stared at the page in the catalogue. Many of the more casual things Claire ordered had flirty details to them that Ann would have turned her own nose up at.  The redhead felt her cheeks get warm.  “S-So… did you find anything casual to order?”

The farmer nodded. “Yeah.  I found a few cute things.”  She stared down at the order form, satisfied with her choices and the pair stood up to leave.

“Thanks for taking me out,” Ann gave her friend a grin as they waved goodbye to their friends and left the beach shack.

“Oh, it was a pleasure. I like spending time with you, Ann,” the blonde returned, giving her a genuine smile.  “Well, I’m off to submit my order.  See you later!”

The waitress let out a sigh and looked down at her own outfit as the farmer waved goodbye, her catalogue tucked under her arm as she opened the door to the house on the pier. Perhaps _she_ should dress cuter…  She only entertained the thought for a moment; Ann shook her head and gritted her teeth, staring out at the waves.  What was the point?  She dressed for comfort, and she knew a wardrobe change wouldn’t make a particular young man pay attention to her differently.  After all, she realized, those deep blue eyes were often focused on a woman wearing overalls, it just wasn’t Ann.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Kai’s a bit of a beast in the N64 Swimming Festival. And yes, that’s a Zoolander reference there, haha.
> 
> I tried to capture the playful nature of Cliff and Ann’s friendship in this chapter a bit. You’ll see more of that next chapter as well.


	37. A Necessary Evil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann, Gray, and Cliff spend what seems to be an uneventful evening together, but they learn a few things about each other in the process.

“Come on, Gray, stop being so stubborn. You were the one asking me to do this for you.  Take it off right _now_!” Ann yelled in frustration.  “It’s not my favorite thing to do, you know.  If you didn’t pay me, I wouldn’t bother.”

Cliff could hear his roommate groan through the door. “… Fine… just get it over with.  Goddess knows we need _Claire_ walking in on us…”

“Oh, my… this might be the longest I’ve ever seen it,” Ann giggled. “Are you going for a record or what?”

“Quit complaining and just get to work on it already,” he grumbled.

“Ah, so now you’re raring to go, huh? Fine, just let me get it wet first.”

Cliff’s eyes widened as he stood in front of the door; he had half a mind to turn around and try to pretend he hadn’t heard anything. He had just arrived back from the church, but his face reddened as impure thoughts quickly swept through his mind.  He shook his head, as if to get the images out, and he whipped himself in the mouth with his own ponytail.  The brunette paused as he shifted his bag on his shoulder and knocked nervously. _Surely I’m hearing this the wrong way…_

“Come on in!” Ann’s voice sang. She looked up at the tenant.  “What are you doing, knocking on your own door?” The young woman laughed, sharpening her scissors.

Gray was sitting at a chair with his hat in his lap and an old towel around his shoulders. “I hate haircuts,” he sighed, running a comb through his damp hair.

“Hey, I do it for practically nothing!” Ann shot back, straightening his shoulders and passing him a hand mirror. “And all you ever do is complain the whole time!  Now sit up straight!”  She hardly waited for him to shift in his seat before she began clipping.  Rust colored bits of hair fell to the floor.  Ann began to hum while she snipped.

Her easygoing manner only served to make her client more nervous. “Hey, watch where you’re cutting!  Make sure you get the hair!”

Ann rolled her eyes at him; she was used to this treatment. “Hey, Cliff, you want a trim?  I could cut you shorter for summer,” She winked at him, twirling the scissors in her fingers.  When he shook his head, she frowned.  “I could at least trim out the sun bleach,” she offered with a nod.

His hair had a tendency to lighten at the tips year round, but it was admittedly exaggerated in the summer. “Ah… no, thank you,” he replied politely, protectively holding his ponytail as he took his things to the far side of the room.

She wasn’t deterred. “Well, your hair _is_ getting pretty long,” the young woman replied.  “It’s grown quite a bit since you moved here.”  Her eyes traveled across the brown locks and noticed that his ponytail now ended far past his shoulders.

“I’ve always worn it this way,” he sorted though his bundles on the table. “And I think I like it a bit longer, too…”  His voice trailed off as he could feel his face getting warm; he turned away to avoid being teased.  Cliff’s ponytail had fallen loose a few days ago when he was foraging with Claire.  Normally, he would have tied it back again right away, but he caught the young woman staring at his long tresses with interested eyes more than once.  She had even leaned in close to him to untangle a stray leaf out of his locks.  She had complimented him, saying his hair felt very healthy and it was a nice, rich color.  His cheeks burned at the memory.  Surely he was thinking into it far too much, but it almost felt as if her hands were lingering on his hair for a moment...

Ann snapped him back into reality. “Well, I don’t know how you can see.  Your bangs are getting pretty shaggy.”

“Huh.” Cliff moved his eyes upward and was suddenly aware how long they had gotten.  They were now impossible to ignore.

“Hey, keep your eyes on me, Ann!” Gray whined, fidgeting in his seat. “He said he doesn’t want his hair cut.  Stop treating him like a child!  I don’t want you to mess up my hair because you can’t bother to focus on _me_!” he scolded, folding his arms across his chest and letting out a sigh.

Cliff silently sat on his bed and sharpened his knife with his whetstone, listening to the friends argue.

“What do you care anyway?” Ann retorted with a raised eyebrow. “You always wear that hat.  I could totally butcher it and no one would notice!”

It was one thing for the apprentice to say it himself, but when the person with the blade was making comments like that… “Alright, put down the scissors!” he roared, screwing up his face into a scowl.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Yeesh,” Ann snipped at Gray’s locks.  “And stop moving so much!  You’re just asking to get cut!”

The blacksmith trainee sighed. Perhaps a distraction would be the best remedy to keep himself still.  Ann cutting his hair always put him on edge, but it was a task he didn’t trust himself to do.  “So, you do anything exciting today, Cliff?”

The young man shook his brown head. It had been too hot to hunt much.  He had flown Cain in the early morning hours and the falcon seemed grateful to go back to the coolness of his cave.  “Just got back from church…  Quiet day.  Found some blueberries and a bunch of herbs.  Two squirrels.  How about you?”

“Ingots. Lots and lots of ingots,” Gray sighed.  “Slow day at the library, too…”  Mary hadn’t produced another chapter for a while.  The young woman paced around upstairs in an attempt to relieve her writers’ block while Gray stared at the same paragraph for an hour or so before finally giving up and coming back to the inn.

“Ann?” The young man let down his hair and brushed it out as it fell across his back.

The young woman’s eyes widened a bit at the sight, and she felt a wave of guilt for suggesting cutting off any of the length. She mentally slapped herself in the face to regain her senses.  It had been months now, she needed to stop being so foolish…  He had referred to her a _sister_ , she reminded herself.  “Harris made his afternoon stop today and told me that he thought someone was sneaking around Yodel Farm the other night, but it was just a raccoon.”

“Sounds like a riveting day all around,” Gray rolled his eyes. He let out another sigh; he had been hoping for some better entertainment than his friends had been able to provide him.  His stomach began to twist again as he remembered that Ann was wielding a pair of blades inches from his scalp.

Cliff stood up from his bed and it let out a loud squeak. Everyone in the room was used to the sound by now, and Gray was grateful for this, otherwise he might be missing a chunk of hair right then.  The brunette walked up to his roommate and gave him an imploring look.  “Hey… Can I borrow that mirror for a second?”

“Uh, sure…” Gray cocked an eyebrow and handed it over. While Cliff wasn’t a slob, he hardly seemed the type to care about what his reflection looked like.

“Thanks,” he propped up the mirror on the table with one of his bundles as an anchor and took a seat in front of it, brushing his bangs forward.

“Seriously, Gray, don’t let it get this long again,” Ann sighed, working on the back of his head. “Were you trying to grow it out as long as Cliff’s or what?”

Gray snorted. “I don’t think I could pull off that look.”  He half expected a pointed glare from his roommate, but the brunette seemed distracted with his own hair at the moment.

“Well, then. Don’t wait so long until you ask me to cut it again.”  She ran her fingers through his hair to check the length.

Gray rolled his eyes. “Say it one more time so I don’t forget.”  He didn’t want to admit that this was his favorite part.  Her touch was gentle and the tension headache he had was swiftly fading.

“I think you want this to be the last time I cut your hair for you, huh?” Ann threatened. She looked up in time to see Cliff gathering his bangs with his fingers and pulling them tight with a twist.  “Oh, Goddess… he isn’t…” Ann breathed as their friend reached for his newly sharpened knife.

The young man deftly ran his blade across the hair in one stroke. He ruffled the freshly trimmed bangs with his fingers, relieved that he could see again.  Cliff checked his reflection and gave a satisfied nod.  He tossed the hair in the wastebasket as he walked back to his friend with the mirror.

“Thanks again.”

“No prob.” Gray grinned.  His roommate was a strange guy, but he could be pretty entertaining sometimes with his methods of doing things.

Ann was staring at him in shock, nearly fumbling with her scissors. “Wh-why…?  Why didn’t you let me…?  I could have…”

Cliff shrugged and sat back down on his bed. It let out a loud groan in protest.  “I’ve got a method that works for me.  I don’t like other people to cut my hair.”

“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen…” Ann was still wide-eyed.  She was half in shock that he had used a hunting knife to trim his hair, and the other half was amazed that he had done a good job of it and it required no touch-ups.

“You scare easily then,” Gray chuckled. “It’s just hair; it can grow back.”

“Ugh… You’re brave, Cliff…” The whole scene left Ann’s heart racing and she felt slightly nauseous from all of the excitement.

The young man frowned. “I’ve cut my own hair and my sister’s since we were kids.”  He gave his female friend a wounded look.

Surprise hardly described Ann’s emotions. “Your parents let you cut your own hair?  … Like _that_?!”  The idea of letting a child handle a blade seemed a little irresponsible to the young woman, but she had completely forgotten herself as a young child chopping vegetables with her father while standing on a stool in front of the kitchen counter.  Selective memory was peculiar like that.

He sighed. “They were the ones that taught me.  We were taught how to use a knife before we even learned how to read.”

“What?!” Ann stared at him in disbelief.  Surely he had to be kidding…  The redhead recalled seeing the young man work with a knife on the kills he brought back from the mountains and foraged goods; he had such a natural way of handling a blade that could only be acquired through an upbringing around them.  Cliff still had all of his fingers – Ann supposed his parents must have done _something_ right…

“It’s kind of like how you started bussing tables as soon as you could walk,” Gray laughed.

Ann forgot for a moment that she was giving Gray a haircut. She finished the last few snips and ruffled his hair.  “Hey, how do you know about that?  You weren’t ever here to see that!”

“Doug told me,” he shrugged. Surely this much was obvious.

“And what have you done since you were a child? Whine and complain when you got your hair cut?” Ann teased, brushing off his shoulders and sweeping up the floor in a fluid motion.  They had done this procedure for years now and she could have him finished in less than ten minutes.

Gray didn’t even bother to look in the mirror to see if she had done a good job or not. He threw his hat back on his head.  “Damn straight.”  He dropped a few coins in the young woman’s outstretched hand.  “Hey, Ann…”

“Huh?” She stopped and turned around to meet her friend.

He stood up and pushed the chair back near the table. “You know… your hair’s getting pretty long, too.  Why don’t you ask Cliff for a haircut?  He could have you done in a minute.”

Cliff was sharpening his knife again and looked up at her innocently, but the blade gleamed in the fading sunlight pouring through the window.

Ann’s bright blue eyes grew wide as she gripped her braid in both hands. “G-good night!”  She sheathed her scissors and hurried out the door.

“Don’t run with scissors, Ann!” Gray yelled after her with a chuckle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This chapter was inspired by me discovering my husband cutting his own beautiful long brown hair. I'm so glad I didn't actually witness it, but don't worry - he actually used scissors! I know this chapter doesn’t serve much in the way of plot progression, but I think that it helps flesh out the relationship between Ann, Cliff, and Gray. I hope you enjoyed my feeble attempts at humor. Yes, even someone like Cliff is capable of dirty thoughts, haha. Seriously, Gray always ends up with the best lines…


	38. A Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann's party is officially announced in the town square, and Claire panics as pairs are quickly formed for dates.

Mayor Thomas beamed at the group of young folk that had congregated in the village square, surely herded together by Ann. He finished hanging the flyer and turned around to give them a tip of the hat.  “I hope to see you all there.  Ann, I think that you’ve outdone yourself this time.  Good day, everyone,” he politely nodded and headed back to his house.

The crowd gathered to read the poster. The waitress stayed in the back of the group, a proud smile plastered across her face.

“So, I guess Karen’s business alone isn’t enough to keep the inn going,” Gray chuckled, “But how on earth does Doug think he is going to get enough people to make the event profitable? Especially with free admission?” he folded his arms across his chest in a nonchalant fashion, but his eyes were deceiving as they looked at the poster with great interest.

Cliff stared at the bulletin board wistfully. “A midsummer dance…” He looked up at the clouds as if deep in thought.  In truth, he had been looking forward to the event for a couple of days now.  “Kind of like home, I suppose…” he muttered to himself quietly with a nostalgic expression.

Mary smiled warmly at her companions and cast the waitress a grateful look. She twiddled her thumbs nervously as the words tumbled out of her mouth.  “I can’t think of a better time of year for a dance, with the beautiful sunset…” The librarian trailed off, but quickly caught herself, letting out a shy chuckle at her reverie.

Claire stared at the cobblestones, her stomach dropping. No doubt Mary was thinking about how romantic the whole affair would be, with that beautiful imagination of hers.  The color drained from the farmer’s face as she imagined the very thing that Mary must be dreaming up.  Claire only had a couple of days to get Gray’s attention and pray that he would be interested in attending with her…

“So I imagine you will all have dates, then?” Kai peeked over Mary’s shoulder knowingly.

Claire shot the young man a frustrated look, but he didn’t notice. Why did he have to rush everything?  The moment wasn’t right!  Claire bit her lip and nervously jammed her hands in her pockets, trying to think of something to say to Gray to catch his attention.

Mary turned a bright shade of pink at the cook’s remark. It was hardly a mystery who the librarian was wishing to spend that evening with.  “Oh, I don’t know about that…  I mean…”

“Mary?” Gray tugged on the bill of his cap.

“Y-yes?” Both the librarian and farmer’s hearts were in their throats.

The apprentice gave Mary a kind smile that shot a wave of envy through the blonde. He never looked at Claire that way, and it made her heart hurt to see that expression on his face when it wasn’t reserved for her.  “… Wanna go with me?”

Claire could see the young woman’s chest rise and fall quickly; Mary was hyperventilating in her excitement and doing a poor job of hiding it. The blonde didn’t have to guess what the answer was.  “S-Sure!  Wow, that’s really sweet of you...  I-I hope you didn’t feel obligated to ask me that,” Mary giggled a little too loudly and the farmer tried to hide the sour look on her face.

He shyly took a step closer toward her and shook his head. “Not at all.  We’ll have a lot of fun,” the blacksmith responded happily, relief washing over his facial features.

Claire was numb. She now realized the scene had been inevitable, but she didn’t expect it to play out right in front of her.  The fact that Kai had rushed along the situation had made Claire miss her slim chance with the apprentice.  The young woman frowned as she looked at the summer resident – he was busy laughing with Cliff about something and Claire almost wanted to slap him out of annoyance.  Did Kai not realize what he had done to her?  And the way Gray asked Mary so casually!  The fact that he was so comfortable around her made the whole situation hurt even worse.

“Yeah, it will be lots of fun.” Claire echoed the apprentice’s words but didn’t recognize the sound of her own voice, and she immediately hated herself for her response.  Now she had no choice but to go as well.  She slowly realized that her frustration at Kai was misguided – she was angry with herself for not being more aggressive.  Surely if she had said something first…

“I’ve yet to break you out of your shell and see you really party,” Karen’s sudden loud voice and slap of Claire’s shoulder startled the farmer.

“And you’ll be going with Rick, I assume?” Kai teased. The chicken farmer was still back at home working.

Karen turned red, and Claire wasn’t sure if it was the blush of love, or the wrath to throttle Kai. A moment ago, the farmer would have been happy to hold down the young man while her friend punched him.  “Maybe, maybe not.  I don’t need a man to have a good time at a dance.”  She quickly turned toward the farmer.  “Maybe I’ll go stag.  Or maybe I’ll bring Claire as my date.”

The blonde struggled to avoid rolling her eyes as she returned her gaze to the ground. Karen always got so touchy when the subject of Rick got brought up, and she didn’t want to be dragged into this.  However, her stunned state from Gray’s preference to escort Mary left her unable to think of a witty reply.

“But maybe she has someone else she’d like to go with,” Kai pressed his luck and winked at a particular young man.

Claire didn’t move her stare from the cobblestones. If this was some sort of attempt of Kai’s to ask her to the dance, she was conflicted in her feelings to give him an affirmative answer.  She enjoyed the young man’s company, but his eagerness to pair everyone up made her like him a little less at the moment.  “Now that I think about it, I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it,” Claire was desperate for an escape.  She longed to avoid this crowd; she yearned for a quiet place to lick her wounds…

“Come on, Claire! Don’t be such a killjoy!  When’s the last time you’ve been on a date?” Karen threw her arm around her friend’s shoulders, giving her a rough squeeze.  Claire let out a tiny involuntary cry in surprise.  “I’m a great date!   I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I’m a really good dancer.  I get it from my grandma!  Plus, I’m a ton of fun!  You can even buy me my drinks.”

The brunette had a way of mellowing out Claire. The young woman cracked a pained smile.  “My farm is doing better, but it’s not doing _that_ well, Karen,” she found herself chuckling.

0o0o0o0

“Wow, you clean up good, kid,” Karen teased as she tied the bow on the back of Claire’s lavender gingham dress. “Look at those curves you’ve been hiding under those bulky overalls!” the brunette giggled, “I know of a couple of young men that were drooling over you on Beach Day,” she gave her a wink as she zipped up the back of her own cherry red cocktail dress and gave it a twirl for good measure.

Claire ignored her and stared at her reflection glumly as she applied a thin coat of makeup, finishing off with a demure peach lip gloss she wore back in the city. “Gray’s going to the dance with Mary.  It’s not like I have anyone to impress,” she adjusted the sweetheart neckline of Karen’s borrowed garment and deflated her lungs, disappointed in the face that was looking back at her.

The brunette frowned at her friend’s gloomy reflection in the mirror. The farmer was talking herself out of having fun before the party even started.  “Who said you have to impress anyone?  If you feel the need to, then impress yourself.  You’ve already impressed me!” Karen squeezed her friend.  The brunette studied the young woman.  If they were measuring by purely physical beauty, her friend had clear skin, bright blue eyes, sleek golden locks, and feminine facial features – Claire was very pretty, and would be even more beautiful if she realized it herself.

Claire’s voice caught in her throat as her eyes shyly moved back up to the mirror. The grocer’s daughter was hugging her around the shoulders, and all the blonde could see was the fact that her friend was much more attractive than her.  The farmer was reminded of the first day they met; Karen had always possessed a particular brand of confidence and beauty that Claire knew she would never own herself.  Wasn’t the whole point of a dance to enjoy one’s date or find a new potential romance?  That was the way the girls in the city acted, anyway…

Karen held the young woman out at arm’s length when she realized that she had been unable to cheer her up. “Seriously, Claire, I want you to have a good time.  Plus, you look adorable.”  She stated this last word with a playful bop on the nose.

The blonde sighed. Her friend was merely attempting to get her to smile; _adorable_ was one of the last words Claire would use to describe herself.  If she _was_ indeed adorable, she would be on Gray’s arm tonight, or at the very least, a young man – not a sympathetic girl friend.  Karen had offered the farmer a couple of dresses that were a little too tight on herself, and Claire had selected the more conservative of the two.  The farmer looked down at her borrowed shoes and felt a flash of jealousy when she thought of how much better this dress must have looked on the grocer’s daughter.  The young woman watched as Karen brushed out her brunette locks and wistfully yearned for her friend’s unique brand of glamour.  The blonde bit her lip and swiftly remembered she had added lip gloss; she replaced her expression with a pout.  Her standards were too high – she should at least hope that someday she would be considered “adorable” and Karen wouldn’t have to lie about her friend’s attractiveness.

The brunette sensed that Claire had plunged down a deep hole – anguish and self-pity were written clearly upon her face. This simply would not do.  After all, the grocer’s daughter had given up her opportunity to attend the dance with Rick in order to make sure that Claire would allow herself to have a little fun.  The blonde hadn’t been the same since Gray came over to train with Tucker.  The farmer seemed very distracted and her emotions were much more varied.  She also seemed to get upset much more easily, and she seemed preoccupied.  Claire needed a friend who was going to talk some sense into her, she realized.  “Not everyone is going with a date, you know,” Karen continued.  “There will be plenty of people there who are going stag and they’re just looking to have a good time.  I want you to dance with at least three different people tonight,” the young woman challenged her.  “If you can do that, I will buy you dinner.”  The blonde rolled her eyes, but Karen caught her.  “Claire?”

“Y-Yes?” the farmer’s stomach twisted uncomfortably as she realized she had been seen sulking. The brunette had said her name with a very stern voice.  The blonde wrung her hands and couldn’t meet her friend’s gaze.

“Don’t…. freak out about Gray, alright?” Karen’s green gaze was surprisingly warm.

Claire was taken aback at both her friend’s facial expressions and her words. “But-”

Karen cut her off. “Okay, here’s the plan: I’m going to dance with someone else’s date tonight.  And guess what?  It’s not going to be a big deal!  We are not teenagers anymore.  It is a dance – it’s a party for people to have fun and enjoy each others’ company.  It doesn’t have to be a search for your soul mate.  Promise me that you will at least try to enjoy yourself.”

Claire attempted to release the tension she was holding in the pit of her stomach and she let out a small sigh. “Alright, I will try my best,” she relaxed her furrowed eyebrows as she smoothed out her dress.

The brunette grinned. “Ever so polite and proper as always, my sweet,” Karen clutched Claire’s arm.  “The night awaits!  Away we go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I always made waaaay too big of a deal at dance parties as a teen. Hope this strikes a chord with some you readers out there. Thank you all for taking the time to read my work; you guys are seriously awesome! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments! Feel free to write them in the box below or send me a message! I don’t bite! :D


	39. First Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire settles in at the party, planning on simply spectating. When an unexpected man asks for a dance with her, she finds herself unable to refuse.

Claire was surprised at the number of people who showed up for the event – nearly the entire town was packed into the room. To her surprise, her friend was right – it seemed a lot of people had shown up by themselves.  Harris, the local constable, was attending the party in a rather nice navy blue suit, but Claire couldn’t tell if he was attending the party or chaperoning for safety reasons.  Zack was sitting at the bar, stuffed into a dress shirt and bow tie, looking hopelessly out of place.  Mayor Thomas was doing a little jig beside the record player, and Rick seemed to be in deep conversation with Ann.  Karen’s first stop was the bar, and Claire followed closely behind, unsure of where to go.

“Lotta people here, huh?” the brunette turned to her friend with a grin as she ordered a beer.

Claire was immediately reminded of her experiences in the city at the nightclub. This was so very different yet similar at the same time.  It was similar in that the single people were all hanging around together in hopes of getting a dance, and the couples were established.  But she noticed something different - the pairs would break off and switch for a dance or two.  Manna danced with the doctor, Elli was with Harris, Duke was paired with Popuri.  The farmer noticed right away that this party had a much more open, friendly atmosphere, and she realized she wouldn’t feel too afraid to dance with anyone here.  Not that anyone would request her company, of course, and she had no intentions of asking anyone herself.  She wasn’t in the mood for embarrassing herself, after all.  All she needed was a comfy seat and she was more than happy to be a spectator for the evening.  The thought left her a little wistful, but she was content enough people-watching.  It didn’t hurt that everyone had dressed nicely for the event.

While Karen polished off her first beer, Claire spotted Mary on the opposite side of the room. She wore a floor-length mint green dress with wildflowers strewn in her hair, tucked into the twists of her long braid.  It was a simple adornment, but she looked gorgeous.  Surely her date was enjoying the view, she thought sourly to herself.  Claire suddenly felt self-conscious about her already modest neckline and the mid-calf hem of her dress.  This was one of her first public debuts in clothing other than her flannel and overalls, and she suddenly felt like a harlot.  She silently cursed herself for letting her friend dress her.  Karen was allowed to wear such things because, well, she was beautiful.  It was quite different for someone as plain as herself, Claire thought miserably.  She felt so out of place.  It took all of her willpower to stay in the room and not leave the party.

The bar was offering free punch for the night, which the farmer happily accepted. Claire decided right away to avoid alcohol.  She didn’t need to feel sleepy just yet, and her night of drinking with her male friend the other evening reminded her how low her alcohol tolerance was.

“Hi, Claire.” Cliff looked up from his glass of punch and gave her a friendly smile.  She had been so focused looking for him in the crowd that she didn’t notice he was sitting quietly beside her.  The young man was dressed in a simple clean tunic with dark blue stitching along the trim and his hair was loosely tied back with a coordinating ribbon.  It looked like traditional clothing of a culture she wasn’t familiar with, and he looked rather comfortable in it.  He looked quite formal yet he still had his characteristic rustic charm and Claire was reminded with a jolt in the stomach how handsome he was.

“Hello, Cliff.” As she silently approved his cleaned up appearance, Claire suddenly became afraid she would not pass his inspection.  The young man said nothing about the way she looked, although she could feel his eyes on her as well.

Her friend noticed her staring at him and his face reddened. He knew his attire was probably very different than what the men in the city wore.  He already dressed in stark contrast to everyone here – perhaps his clothing looked strange to her.  His gaze quickly shifted back to his drink as he let out a nervous chuckle.  “Quite a turnout, eh?  Ann and Doug are pretty happy.”

“Yeah.” Claire saw Gray among the crowd talking to Mary and the farmer felt that there were suddenly too many people at the party.  She noticed Cliff didn’t seem to have a nervous aura in this group like he did at the Cooking Festival, despite the fact that there were many more people in attendance in a smaller area.

“We used to have a lot of summer festivals in my old village,” the young man had a nostalgic smile on his face. “Lots of dancing and music… not quite like this, though,” he finished off his punch and pushed the empty glass off to the side.

Claire’s ears perked up. Her friend had been talking about his home a little bit more lately, and it was apparent he missed it dearly.  Claire was hesitant to bring up the subject herself because she had all too often caught him with a sad wistful look in his eyes when he sat alone at the church.  She figured when the time was right, he would tell her why he had moved away from a home he obviously loved so much.

“What kind of music?” Claire was intrigued. She wondered if he played his pan flute at such events; she recalled him saying his mother had taught him how to play.

“Hey, are we dancing or what?” Karen had finished her drink.  She grabbed Cliff by the wrist and dragged him out to the dance floor before the young man could answer his friend’s question.  The farmer giggled as she watched her two friends waltz together.  She was surprised at how adept a dancer Cliff was despite his initial reluctance; he moved even more gracefully than his partner.  The young woman scanned the dance floor.  Dancing in Mineral Town was a lot different than the school dances she attended in the city.  It looked a lot more involved, and they were using actual steps.  Claire was accustomed to seeing pairs slowly rotating in a circle and listening to girls whining about wanting to participate in a “slow dance”.  She realized this was just another quirk of living in a small podunk village that seemed frozen in time.

She watched the dancers more closely. Kai and Popuri were paired off, with Rick glaring at them over by the other end of the bar.  Kai was fairly skilled, and Claire wasn’t surprised at all – the outgoing young man seemed to excel in activities that would be considered romantic.  Manna and Duke, the couple that owned the winery next door to the inn, were dancing together, although it was apparent Manna was doing more talking than dancing.  Her husband quickly joined the bar, and Manna simply walked over to a dancing couple and continued her conversation with them, much to their chagrin.

“Well, you look lovely tonight, Miss Resident Farmer,” Duke nodded to Claire and motioned Doug for a drink as he took a seat in the stool beside her.

“Oh! Thank you!”  She had already forgotten she wasn’t wearing overalls.  “You do as well.”

The winery owner laughed softly. “So polite.  The town could use more young people like you.”  He accepted his brandy with a brightened grin and took a long drink.

A cough came from the other side of Claire. “Tell me about it.  Kids these days have no manners.”

Claire whirled around to see Saibara a few seats down from her in the corner. He looked so natural sitting there with his sake that he looked more like an installation of the bar rather than a patron.

Her other companion clattered his glass on the bar counter as he let out a soft chuckle. “Oh, Saibara, you know that you love your grandson dearly,” Duke chided.

The old man made no acknowledgement of this comment. He took the final sip from his sake glass, set it down carefully and turned toward Claire, bowing politely.

“May I have the honor of this dance, young miss?”

Someone wanted to dance with _her_?  The blonde’s head began to spin.  She knew she was going to make a fool of herself, but Claire was so caught off guard by the old man’s formality that she dumbly nodded and took his arm.

The music was much louder on the dance floor. The live band struck up a traditional folk song, and Claire immediately felt out of place.  She suddenly remembered she had no idea how to dance, she was from nowhere near here, and she was intimidated by her dance partner’s old-fashioned ways.  She was, surprisingly enough, overwhelmed with loneliness. 

Saibara could see that she was nervous. “City kid, huh?” he let out a playful cackle.

Claire didn’t think she could feel more embarrassed. She simply nodded again, her face feeling hot.  She looked around them nervously.  She had never seen this dance before, but everyone else in the room seemed rather familiar with it.  Claire wished she had stayed at home…

“Hey.” His voice softened and she whirled around, nervously wringing her hands.  “But you still want to learn, right?” Claire caught a mischievous glint in his grin and felt her tension release.  Someone was willing to help her try to fit in.

“Of course!”

Saibara was a good teacher and very patient with her. She nearly kicked him in the shins a couple of times, but the old man gave her a warm smile she had never seen before.  Claire’s heart lifted.  Halfway through the song, she was able to fake the dance well enough that he didn’t have to call out instructions anymore.  The song had a loud downbeat, and it was easy to move to. 

Now that they didn’t have to focus solely on coordinating their moves, Saibara moved to conversation. He was curious about this young woman who was calling on his grandson and the boy’s roommate very often as of late.  This was hardly a polite topic for conversation, however.  “Did you garden much as a kid?” the old blacksmith asked, deciding to stick to a topic he felt she would be comfortable with.

“Honestly, I bought the property on a whim, Sir. I have no farming experience,” Claire admitted sheepishly as she twirled shyly.  Her dress flared out beautifully and the old man watched her carefully – it seemed she didn’t allow herself a chance to be confident in anything.

Saibara laughed; the young woman really did come into this town without a clue, but he could hardly dislike her for that. He decided to give her a lesson for the evening.  “Well, if you have enough spirit, you can do anything.  My grandson says you came to this town with not much more than the clothes on your back.  I admire that you gave up everything to come here, even if the real estate company did trick you.”

Claire’s blood ran cold and she nearly stumbled as she missed the beat of the music. “Oh, dear…  Then you know, too-”

“That you gave Thomas a good walloping?” The old blacksmith grinned from ear to ear. “Heck, I admire you even more for it.  He’s been asking for one for years.”

She hoped that no one else in the room had heard. The subject of their conversation was in this very bar tonight.  “But, Sir-!”

The elderly blacksmith shook his head and let out a gruff chuckle. “Call me Saibara.  When you call me Sir, it makes me sound even older than I already am.”

“O-Okay, Saibara,” she blushed, giving him a polite nod.

He let out a hearty laugh as the music ended. “I like you, Claire.  You’re a good kid,” he patted her shoulder and made his way back to the bar.

Claire basked in the glow of the old man’s praise for a moment before she snapped back to reality. Karen was making her way to her, Cliff in tow.

“Look at you, Claire! You’re not half bad, you know,” Karen whistled at her.  She was relieved that her strategy to let Claire take control of her own evening, even for a few minutes, worked in the farmer’s favor.  The blonde looked looser; she was carrying herself with a little more confidence.

Her friend laughed. “You mean flailing around?  I suppose I’m not too bad at it.”

“That last song reminded me a lot of home,” Cliff was glowing.

“Well, you must be from real backwater country, because you certainly knew that dance,” Karen laughed at him. “They only play that music for the old folks here.”  She couldn’t remember the last time she danced with someone like that – the two had similar styles and she was used to being a better dancer than her partner.  The brunette saw Cliff’s skill as a challenge.  Karen was half-tempted to steal him for another song but she stopped herself.  She wanted to make sure that Claire was comfortable before she left her again, and she was certain that her male friend wanted some time with the blonde.

Claire shrugged. “It was pretty fun.  I’m not very graceful, but Saibara was pretty patient with me.”  She playfully swung back and forth, watching her skirt fan out.  The grocer’s daughter could tell that her best friend’s spirits had been lifted.

Karen was smirking at her dance partner. He was shyly watching their friend play with her dress, but the young woman decided not to call him out on it.  “Who knew you’d be such a hoot to dance with, Cliff?  Claire, you wouldn’t think it, but this guy can move!”

“W-Well, I… uh…”  The young man’s face was bright pink.  “I-I used to _lead_ the dancing and music in the festivals back home…”  His voice faded to nearly a whisper as he shyly fussed with the laces on his tunic.

The brunette woman stared at him in disbelief. Someone as shy as Cliff, instructing?  Did he really expect her to believe that?  “Whose leg are you trying to pull?  You’re in a playful mood tonight, you jokester!”

The young man looked wounded. “Wh-Why would I-?”

Karen wasn’t paying attention; she was busy scouring the dance floor. Now that her girl friend seemed to be actively participating in the party, she didn’t want to become a crutch for Claire to lean on.  She scanned the room for the poultry farmer.

Cliff took this opportunity to focus his attention on his other friend. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck and wished his cheeks didn’t feel so hot.  “S-So… uh…” He looked up at her with wide blue eyes and the farmer felt her own face flush.  The combination of her friend’s shy demeanor and seeing him dressed so nicely made her stomach feel strange.

“Y-Yes…?” She encouraged him, timidly taking a step closer to him.  Claire wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to say, but she wanted to hear it.

“Has anyone seen Rick?” Karen let out a loud sigh in exasperation.

Claire blinked in surprise and shook her head. “Not lately.  Maybe he stepped outside?”

Karen laughed. “Claire, you think you are so sneaky.  Alright, I’ll let you two be and find him myself.”  She walked away from the pair, a smug expression plastered across her face.

“Karen sure can be weird sometimes,” Cliff looked frustrated as he rolled his eyes at her.

Claire continued to survey the dance floor, unsure of what to do. Perhaps she could see if Gray was available…  After all, if other couples were switching partners, why wouldn’t Mary?

“Claire?”

Her friend’s soft voice brought her back to reality. “Yeah?”

“Want to… get something to drink?” he let out a nervous chuckle as his face flushed.

“Sure.” She was relieved and disappointed at the same time as she followed the young man to the bar.  “S-So… is it really true that you used lead the festival dancing back at home?”  She was pleasantly surprised when her friend pulled out a stool for her and helped her up before climbing on the one beside her.

He nodded shyly as Doug passed the two glasses of punch. “Yeah.  You see, Ma was-”

Claire almost spit out her drink in surprise when she heard the old blacksmith’s sudden gruff voice. “What are you doing back here already, Claire?”  Saibara already had another sake and was at his usual seat.

“Good evening, Saibara,” Cliff smiled at the old man, masking his frustration at being constantly cut off this evening. He was aware that his voice had a tendency to blend into the background as he rarely projected when he spoke anymore, and the live band was rather loud.  The young man gave the blacksmith the benefit of the doubt; Saibara probably hadn’t heard him speaking to Claire.

“Good evening, Cliff. Good to see you as always.  I hope my grandson isn’t causing you too much trouble?”  He stated this last sentence as more of a question.

“Not at all, Sir,” Cliff answered courteously, his eyes traveling across his fully-healed left forearm.

“Such a polite young man… but also a bit rude.”

The young man felt his blood run cold. Saibara wouldn’t scold him right in front of Claire, would he?  He wasn’t even sure what the old man was driving at.  “P-pardon?” Cliff stammered.

“You haven’t asked the young lady to dance yet,” the old man’s face didn’t change expression as he took a thoughtful drink from his glass.

The brunette gave the blacksmith a strained smile. If he wasn’t constantly being interrupted…

“Oh, quit teasing them,” Ann popped up as if from nowhere, clearing the empty glasses on the counter beside them. “That’s my job.  Come on, Cliff, you promised me a dance.”

He gave the blonde an apologetic bow of the head as his friend grabbed his arm with a playful giggle and pulled him toward the dance floor. “I know, b-but-!” he hesitated, but didn’t want to cause a scene.  “O-okay….  See you in a bit, Claire.”  Claire’s friend was dragged off yet again as he gave her another repentant look. 

Seeing those deep blue eyes pulled away from her caused a surge of a emotion within the blonde. She sat quietly for a moment, furrowing her brow as she tried to make sense of it.

“The young man is still a nomad in a few ways; he lacks direction,” Saibara said to no one in particular as he finished of his glass, staring into it thoughtfully. “He needs a woman who can nurture his confidence, not boss him around.”  He poured himself another sake and gave the young woman a nod as he tilted his steaming glass toward her.

Claire reddened as she was distracted from her thoughts. Gray had complained to her several times about his grandfather’s obstinacy.  Who was Saibara to talk about bossiness?  Yet, despite her slight agitation, she didn’t move from her seat.  She had never really thought of Cliff as a man looking for a mate, and her heart pounded noisily as her stomach did an odd flip at the notion.  She found herself quite unable to move from her seat at the moment.  Uncomfortable, Claire looked behind the bar and sought Doug’s gaze.  The barkeeper walked over.

“What would you like, little lady?”

The blonde shyly pointed to the flask of sake her companion was pouring from, keenly aware that her face was crimson.

He rolled up his sleeves. “Want me to heat it up for you?”

It was sweltering earlier that afternoon; Claire stared at Doug incredulously and shook her head.

The two men gave each other knowing looks and bit back chuckles. After all, Claire was trying her very best to look every part the mature adult.  “Alright.”  He swiftly filled a flask for her hand handed over a small earthenware cup.  “Here, I’ll pour the first one for you.”  He deftly filled the cup and gave her a friendly wink as she paid him.

Claire touched the alcohol to her lips and she immediately decided she didn’t like it. She couldn’t even pretend to sip at it – the fumes hit her nose and made her eyes water.

Saibara roared with laughter when he observed the young woman’s face at the first taste. He was glad that he decided not to stay in tonight; the young people were putting on quite an entertaining show.  “What are you doing here drinking, anyway?  Get out there and dance while you’re still young!  I will make sure the drink doesn’t go to waste,” The old man winked at her. 

Claire nodded numbly as she stood up, her feet carrying the unwilling farmer across the floor. As soon as she was out of earshot, the old man raised the sake glass and flask to the barkeeper.  “Doug, heat this up for me, eh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Sake (rice wine) is traditionally served in a flask that holds around a cup of liquid. A sake glass is around an ounce. There are different varieties of sake, but it is traditionally served hot as opposed to cold, and the flask keeps the beverage warm as you pour yourself small glasses. The warmth releases the flavors and takes a lot of the initial “bite” out of it, I suppose you could say. I personally can’t stand cold sake, and it looks like Claire can’t, either.
> 
> Thank you all for taking the time to read, review, follow, and favorite! You guys are the best! Let me know what you think of this chapter!


	40. Second Dance - A Little Bit Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The opportunity of a lifetime is offered to Claire, and she glady snatches it.

Flustered at the old man’s chiding, Claire stared at the sea of dancers and looked for someone in need of a partner. She felt like a fool.  Surely, she had just gotten lucky with Saibara – no one else would be willing to dance with someone as clumsy as Claire.  Sidling past an overenthusiastic Popuri and sheepish Zack waltzing, the farmer realized she was likely everyone’s last choice for a dancing partner.  Certainly, everyone had seen how long it had taken her to catch on to the dance everyone was so familiar with.  The owner of Mystic Acres was an awkward city girl with two left feet.  As if to confirm her bumbling nature, the young woman accidentally bumped into a woman in a mint colored dress.

“Oh, hi, Claire!” Mary’s eyes were sparkling as she looked at the blonde; she was obviously having the time of her life. Claire bit down her jealousy as she saw who the librarian was standing next to.  She would be having a wonderful time as well if she got to spend the entire evening at the apprentice’s side.  “I’ve been meaning to get the chance to say hello to you tonight.  I haven’t seen you at the library lately.  How have you been?”

The farmer stumbled over her words as she saw that Mary was holding Gray’s arm in a way Claire didn’t like. “The farm’s been busy…  Lots of corn.”  Claire immediately embarrassed herself and could feel her face heating up.  She must have sounded so simple and boring to someone with such an active imagination.  Quite the contrary, Mary’s face lit up at the young woman’s final sentence.

“Well, corn is Gray’s favorite, so you’ll probably get rich this summer,” she laughed. “It’s hardly a secret that he’s addicted to the stuff,” she gave the young man a gentle pat on the arm, and Claire’s heart burned when she saw the tenderness in the gesture. _She was almost touching him as if the two of them were… no… I’m being paranoid…_ Claire shook the thoughts from her head; she still had plenty of time to win over Gray’s heart.  The young man rolled his eyes at Mary’s comment, but they shared a warm smile.

She couldn’t stand the way the two were looking at each other. “So, h-how are things at the library?” Claire managed to squeak out.  Her voice had cracked and her question came out much more loudly than she meant for it to.

Mary turned her gaze back toward the farmer and gave her a warm smile. “Pretty good.  My father brought in a new load of books, so there’s plenty of organizing to do.  I haven’t gotten much of a chance to work on my story lately because of it.  I know it probably sounds like boring work, but I really enjoy it.  I also really love reading my father’s notes on the plant life and nature in this area.  Mineral Town really is a unique place….”

Claire nodded politely. Why was Mary talking so much?  The young woman bit the inside of her mouth as punishment.  Why was she being so mean?  Mary was her friend.  Just because they were rivals didn’t mean that she couldn’t be civil, and it had never stopped her from behaving in the past.  The blonde forced a strained smile on her face, upset at her own behavior; she was aware that she was being immature and she disgusted herself a bit.

“Well, I am going to get a drink and get off of my feet for a moment. I wish I had chosen more practical shoes for tonight.  Would you care to join me, Claire?” Mary asked gently.  She had let go of Gray’s arm and was nervously twiddling her thumbs as her gaze shyly moved to the floor.

Knowing she would get heckled by Saibara if she returned so soon, Claire responded with a polite, “No thank you, I just got back from resting myself. I was just getting up to dance…”  While it was the truth, she immediately regretted saying this as she saw Mary’s expression.

The librarian’s face fell, but she quickly hid it. “Oh, okay.  Hey, maybe you’d like to dance with Gray.  He’s a pretty good dancer for a blacksmith,” Mary teased, beaming at her companion as she gave him a playful pat on the arm.

The farmer was stunned. “Oh.”  Claire wasn’t sure how to reply.  Her greatest wish of the night had just come true and she was too shocked to speak.  Perhaps tonight was indeed her chance to win the favor of the apprentice.  She wasn’t about to question why Mary had just handed him over to her.  Claire attempted to hide her overexcitement at this turn in events.

Gray shrugged as his pale blue eyes traveled to his date then back at Claire. “Sure, I’ll dance with you.  I mean, if you’d like to, of course.”  He nervously looked back to the bar where his grandfather was sitting and he rolled up his sleeves of his pale blue dress shirt, muttering something about it being too warm in the bar this evening.

Claire slowed down her breathing. _Focus on the moment. Enjoy it, be yourself, and surely Gray will respond well._  

“Okay. Sounds fun,” she struggled to keep her voice casual.

“Alright, then. I guess I’ll see you around, Mary,” he called over his shoulder as the librarian waved goodbye to them and headed to the bar, stepping gingerly in her uncomfortable shoes.

She was still surprised that her rival had just given her blessing to dance with her date. Claire hoped she wouldn’t leave a sweaty handprint on Gray’s shoulder, and she prayed that he couldn’t hear her heart hammering in her chest.  She didn’t know how to waltz very well, but Gray didn’t seem to mind, although he had a somewhat concerned look on his face while they moved together.  The young woman’s mind drew a blank.  She never knew what to say when she was alone with him, and she was not about to ruin it tonight.

“So, do you dance much?” Claire tried to keep a dialogue going.

He frowned, and she noticed that it took him a moment to respond. “Not really...  Hey, do you mind if we just slow dance instead?” he mumbled.  “Trying to remember all of these steps is giving me a headache, quite frankly,” he admitted with an embarrassed smile.

She was now aware that the look on his face had been that of concentration. She was grateful that she wasn’t the only one in the room that wasn’t a seasoned dancer, but she hardly wanted to admit this aloud.  “I don’t mind.”  The young woman smiled at her good fortune; her risk of stepping on her partner’s feet or kicking him in the legs had just decreased dramatically.

Claire couldn’t help but notice that his stance was rather stilted. He put his hands on her waist and she had to admit she was a little disappointed that he didn’t take one of her hands in his; she found the hand-to-hand contact much more intimate while dancing.  However, a small part of her was grateful – she probably would have fainted if he had indeed done that.

Claire looked over Gray’s shoulder and saw Cliff dancing with Ann. The waitress was resting her head on her friend’s shoulder, staring off into the dance floor with an expressionless face.  The young woman looked deep in thought, and the blonde recalled her conversation with Ann the other day. _Could the person Ann felt she had lost her romantic chance with really be…?_ That seemed rather silly to Claire, as the two were close friends and in good standing.  But the thought of the two being a couple…?  Tonight is only a dance, Claire reminded herself once again that night with a slight chuckle.  Cliff’s eyes met Claire’s for a moment, and he gave her a warm, friendly gaze.  The farmer returned the glance and noticed his eyes flash toward his dance partner before giving the farmer an apologetic smile.  She looked away, feeling a strong pang of something she couldn’t identify. 

Karen had found Rick and they were dancing together. The young man moved in an overly stiff, formal way, but his friend didn’t seem to mind.  Quite the contrary, Karen twirled and shot him a flirty smile that caused him to stumble a bit.  She pulled him close and whispered something into his ear and Claire noticed that the poultry farmer turned a bright shade of red as he moved in a little closer.  He was so focused on his dance partner he didn’t notice Kai stealing a kiss from his sister.  Claire wasn’t sure if this was a tactical maneuver or not on her best friend’s part, but the summer resident wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.

The hardworking Elli was taking a break from her regular duties at the hospital and was dancing with Trent. Manna paired with Harris, and Zack had taken a break from dancing and joined Thomas in deep discussion beside the record player.  It seemed like nearly everyone in the town had attended the party, and Mineral Town was very serious about their public events.  Claire had never been a part of a close-knit community like this before, but she found that she didn’t mind it at all.  The city hadn’t been exactly kind to her.

“This town seems to have a lot of festivals,” She commented, but didn’t look up at Gray. She feared that if she did, she would say something stupid.  When she didn’t get an immediate response, her stomach dropped.  Perhaps she had already made a foolish comment…

She heard a soft grunt in agreement. “Yeah.  They’re alright… I guess it’s good to have a break from the grind once in a while.”  His stance was rigid as he shrugged while still holding her.

Claire bit her lip. His body language was suggesting as if dancing with her was a chore.  She was determined to make him see that he made the right choice in agreeing to accompany her for this song.  “True, the farm can be really busy sometimes…”  The conversation was going nowhere, and neither were her advances with him, she realized with a soft sigh.  Claire felt her throat tighten.  She was blowing it…

“Well, hey… you look nice tonight... I-I mean… I like your dress,” Gray said abruptly and turned away awkwardly.  “The color suits you.”  His cheeks flashed pink as his gaze turned to the ground.

“Thanks, you look great, too,” Claire responded a little too eagerly, although she wondered why he always had to wear that hat. Her cheeks burned as she turned her face away from his, too embarrassed to look him in the eye.  The only things she could think to speak of were Tucker and the fact that they both seemed out of place in this folksy setting.  She still didn’t feel comfortable talking about her horse, but she was unsure why.  It should be a natural subject for them to talk about, as Gray had mentioned himself that he moved from the city to work with his grandfather and Barley by extension.  Part of her wanted to say the reason she was hesitant to bring up the subject of Tucker was the fact that training him hadn’t gone exactly the way she had hoped, but she shoved this thought down.  After all, every relationship, romantic or otherwise, had their ups and downs, disagreements and misunderstandings.  Perhaps she could put a positive twist on her second option for conversation.  They were both from a more urban area, after all…  “Th-They don’t dance like this in the city, huh?” Claire tried to make conversation as she looked around them.

It seemed to have worked. “Not at all,” he chuckled.  “Dances in Mineral Town are like _rip-snortin’ hootenannies_.”  They both burst into laughter, and it took Claire a moment to catch her breath.  She wasn’t aware that Gray knew of such silly phrases.  The music changed, and the pair slightly picked up the pace, and he switched them back into a waltz.  Claire was a little surprised that he had returned to the more complicated dancing style.  Perhaps he was trying to impress her?  His body relaxed significantly as they moved, and Claire took a tiny step closer to him.  “This time last week, I would have been stomping on your feet.”  He gave her a sheepish hint of a smile.

She was a little surprised, but like Mary had mentioned, he wasn’t a bad dancer. His movements were much more fluid since they first started dancing together.  It was almost as if she was paired off with a completely different person in more ways than one.  She found a smile creeping across her face.  “So… who was your dance instructor, then?”  She immediately regretted asking the question, knowing the answer would likely break her heart.  She pressed her lips together into a thin line.

Gray was too busy avoiding her gaze to notice; the young man focused more on the steps. He stared over her shoulder and his face turned red.  “My roommates…  Although _one_ was more of a heckler than anything else…”  She saw him snap his gaze in the offender’s direction and shoot a poisonous look at the back of Kai’s head.

Claire stifled a giggle. The thought of the apprentice dancing with either of his roommates was a silly one, and she could easily see Kai giving Gray a hard time about it.

He cleared his throat to catch her attention. “Hey…  Gramps is finally letting me start to help with tools.  So… if you come by the forge sometime, I can help sharpen something for you.”

Her heart leapt into her throat as she moved in a little closer. “That’s great!  And my first batch of pineapples will be ready for harvest soon.  It looks like we’re both moving up in the world.” _And it seems like we’re getting closer as well_ , she silently added to herself.

“I guess you’re right,” Gray chuckled. The young man seemed to have a much looser feel to him tonight.  She wasn’t sure at what point the change had occurred with the young man, but it was almost as if he had a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.  Claire stole a glance at his face and noticed that Gray looked the happiest she had ever seen him – the stress that was normally etched in his face had all but disappeared.  She couldn’t help but wonder if she was the reason for this change in his behavior and her cheeks burned.  The music ended all too soon.

“Well, thanks for the dance,” Claire hoped he’d stay for another song, and silently cursed herself for thanking him already. In doing this, she had said that the dance was over.

“Uh-huh.” He took a couple of steps back toward the bar and paused, whirling around.  “Hey… thanks, Claire.  It feels kinda nice not being the only person from the city around here.  I’ll… uh… see you around.”  He gave her a small smile and her heart swelled.  The young man rarely treated her to such an expression, but she was surprised to see that the joy in his face was confined solely to his mouth; his eyes were not smiling.  Her stomach twisted.  Perhaps he was sad to leave her?  Maybe any moment, he would take her hand and ask for another dance…

He tipped his hat at her and walked away. Claire’s lungs deflated.  What had that expression meant?  The apprentice had looked happy and sad at the same time.  Gray truly was a mystery, and she wondered if she would ever figure out what was going on in that head of his.

Suddenly without direction, Claire instinctively looked for Karen. However, her friend seemed deep in conversation with Rick at the bar, and she didn’t want to bother them.  She thought about heading back to the bar herself, but she had been having so much fun dancing that she wondered if she should try to find another partner. 

Claire felt a hand on her shoulder and whirled around in surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Yes, Gray is an enigma. I promise there is a method to his madness and it will be revealed pretty soon.
> 
> I didn’t really have any specific songs in mind when I wrote this dance section, but I imagine a lot of folk dancing and line dancing. This ain’t your high school prom, haha!
> 
> I want to thank all the readers and active reviewers and followers. It’s exciting to see other people enjoy your work. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter as well!


	41. Third Dance - A Deeper Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an evening of cut-off conversations and being literally pulled away from her a couple of times, a good friend finally asks Claire for a dance.

“Sorry about that,” Cliff frowned; he hadn’t meant to frighten his friend. “I-I’ve been trying to get a dance with you all evening,” he stammered.

Claire beamed, bubbling with excitement. “Well, here I am.  You know, you’ve been pretty popular this evening yourself,” she giggled.  Throughout the course of the evening she had seen him dance with a few different women, and he was entertaining to watch.  Manna had stolen a dance with the young man earlier that evening for a few minutes or so, and the winery owner was too worn out to tell to her husband, let alone anyone else, much about it.  Duke had offered to buy the young man a drink next time he saw him at the inn.  People in Mineral Town sure were friendly, he realized with a grin.

Cliff scrunched up his nose as he let out a carefree laugh, but she caught a hint of color dusted across his cheeks. “Popular?  I don’t know about all that.”  Another waltz started.  As the music started and he took her hand, Claire was suddenly aware he stood much differently than Gray.  He had the posture of a trained dancer, something which seemed out of character for such a shy personality.  She hated to admit it, but a small part of her felt a bit intimidated.  After all, she was hardly experienced, she reminded herself for what seemed like the millionth time this evening.  The young man seemed to sense her unrest, and his smile put her at ease.

Cliff was very easy to dance with; he had a gentle patience about him. He seemed to be quite used to leading and the movements felt very natural, even for a novice like Claire.  “Are you ready for a spin?” he asked gently, but she could hear the touch of excitement in his voice.

“I, uh… well…” Her voice trailed off as she took a deep breath.  This was her good friend, after all, and there was no reason to be nervous about what she said to him.  “I… don’t want to step on your feet or collide with you,” she admitted with embarrassment.

“You won’t, it’ll be fine,” he gave her a reassuring smile as he held her out at arm’s length.

She found her eyes instinctively drawn to her friend and was caught off guard when he gave her a gentle twirl. She giggled in surprise and when he pulled her back in, she softly bumped into him by mistake, thinking that they were going to take one more step together.  “I warned you I was clumsy!” she laughed it off, but her cheeks burned with mortification.

He shook his head. “I didn’t give you much warning.  There’s no need to be embarrassed; this is supposed to be fun,” he gave her a hopeful smile, praying he hadn’t pushed her out of her comfort zone already.

Claire remembered her stumbling with Saibara. The old man had been tolerant with her as well.  “You’re right.  Can we try that again?  I promise I’ll do better this time!”

There was a blaze in her eyes that reminded Cliff of their rock skipping session. “Of course,” his face lit up.

Claire wanted to practice the spins so much she started to feel dizzy. Her friend encouraged them to take a break from the twirling for a while.  Once the young woman got more comfortable with the movements, Cliff started the conversation back up.  “I saw Saibara showing you some traditional steps earlier.  They’re really similar to the ones we used in my hometown.”

She was happy he still was in the mood for talking about his home. “I want to know more about Akiyama.  I want to know more about you.”  She was holding his hand and gave it a playful squeeze.

“M-more about me?” Cliff turned pink once more.

She wasn’t sure why he was suddenly so flustered. His comfortable dancing style made it easy for her to relax and she wondered why he didn’t seem to be doing the same at the moment.  “Well, sure!  We’ve been friends for quite some time now,” Claire pointed out, “and there is still so much I don’t know about you.”

A thoughtful look crossed his face. He seemed to be trying to find the right words to begin his description of home.  “Alright…  It was an amazing place, but I didn’t know it at the time.  If you were Karen, I guess you would call it a backwater village,” he added with a soft chuckle.

Claire smiled; that was hardly a secret. Nearly everything about him had given that away a long time ago, from the folksy lilt in his voice to his clothing.

 His eyes lit up as he reminisced, and Claire was relieved when she saw it didn’t pain him to talk about it for the moment.  “We lived off the land.  We fished.  We hunted.  But most of all, we danced.”  He beamed and met his friend’s gaze.  “We played music.  You see, my mother organized all of the village festivals.  Practically everyone in the village could play an instrument.  I played about…” He silently counted them off in his mind.  “Eight,” he laughed.  “Me and Ivy always led off the traditional folk dancing, and Ma was the song leader.  I was being trained to take my mother’s place.”

Claire smiled; she could easily picture a rowdy young Cliff enjoying the festivals. She realized once again that he had the air of someone who was at one point very confident and comfortable with himself, but obviously something had changed.  Claire’s heart dropped a little.  He had heavily implied that his training had not been completed.  Something must have happened…

“I’ve been to more music festivals and dances than I can count,” Claire detected a note of wistfulness in his voice. An upbeat song began to play, and Cliff quickly taught her some new steps, again with a caring, gentle guidance.  “As I traveled, I learned different dances so that I could try to fit in…” he gave her a sad smile.

Judging from his expression and the fact that he had moved so often, simply knowing a town’s customs didn’t make it home. She sincerely hoped that he felt differently about Mineral Town.  “Well, you dance so well,” she complimented him, and she was grateful that his face perked up a bit.  “I’m actually kind of surprised,” Claire admitted, hoping her comment didn’t come off as rude.

The young man’s brooding manner had dissipated. “What is that supposed to mean?” Cliff cocked an eyebrow, but his expression was playful.

The words came out before she could stop them. “You just seem so… shy around people you don’t know well.  When I think of dancing, I think of people who are more… ” Claire stopped speaking, looking at her friend in surprise; she hadn’t meant to be so blunt with him.

“Outgoing?” he finished her sentence for her as his lips curled up into a smile. To her relief, he looked more amused than anything else.

She shook her head. Surely he was going to take her comment the wrong way.  “Th-that’s not what-!”  Claire blushed violently.  That wasn’t what she intended, and yet it was exactly what she had meant all at the same time.

Cliff laughed good-naturedly. He had danced with more strangers than he could count despite his quiet nature.  Claire wasn’t the first person this evening to make a similar comment to him.  It didn’t offend him at all, but rather, it made him desire to get to know the other villagers better.  “It’s alright, Claire.  When you have been raised your whole life doing something, it eventually feels natural to you, even if it’s not something you would have picked yourself.”

“Oh…!” She recalled their conversation at the Goddess Spring.  The young woman sensed there was more to this story, but she decided not to pry.  She was already thrilled with all of the information she had been getting from him tonight.

They moved to the music for a few minutes without speaking. Claire found that she enjoyed his air of experience – the soft hand on her waist was reassuring and she felt like she was becoming more graceful just from their time together.  She found that her hand didn’t sweat in his the way it had with Gray’s.

“I really do enjoy dancing,” her friend smiled at her, “even though I was more interested in other things growing up,” he admitted with a meaningful glance.

Young boys probably didn’t rank dancing with girls high on their list of favorite things to do, especially in a village that was known for hunting and fishing. “I see.” 

“You’re pretty good yourself; you pick up the steps very quickly,” he commented as they moved together.

She was having fun, but she didn’t consider herself _good_ , as her friend put it.  “Well, I have a _good_ teacher,” Claire stammered, her face warming.

Each time a new genre of music played, the young woman begged Cliff to show her some new steps. It was like a game – he would introduce a new move to her each song and she would try to incorporate it before the next song played.  The excited young woman didn’t realize she was capable of moving so smoothly, and she burst into excited fits of delighted giggles more than once.  She was having so much fun that she forgot to keep looking for Karen.

Cliff looked like he wanted to say something for a while, but he kept looking away nervously. Claire was about to ask him what was wrong when he finally looked at her with large earnest eyes.  “I-I want to know more about you, too, Claire.”

A grin crept across the young woman’s face. She didn’t understand why her friend was so flustered to ask her, but at the same time, she often feared she was prying when she asked about Cliff’s past.  She paused as she realized this was one of the first times he openly asked her about her background.  It may not have initially seemed like a huge step to her, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized how important it was to him and to her as well.

If she was going to tell her story, she wanted to be in a good mood for it. After all, no one wanted to listen to someone whine about how hard their life had been. “Well, you may not have noticed, but I’m not from around this area either,” Claire began very matter-of-factly, bringing the playful mood back to their conversation. 

He responded well to her tone. “Oh really?  I never noticed your big city accent,” Cliff’s eyes were mischievous and his brows were raised.

She loved how open he was with her tonight; she moved in a little closer. There was that cute, endearing, energetic boy she never knew as a child.  “Ha, ha, very funny!” the farmer pretended to pout as he held her out at arm’s length.  “… but yes, I did grow up in a large city.  I am a middle child who lived in an overcrowded house and went to an overcrowded school, then upgraded for a job in an overcrowded store for a while, then an overcrowded restaurant, and finally an overcrowded office.”

Cliff spun her, and she clung on to him, laughing heartily. The music and the energy in the room were thrilling.  Enthralled that she was more comfortable with the steps, Claire’s confidence soared as she continued her story.

“I would wake up, go to work, go home, eat, and then go to bed in my tiny apartment. No variety.  No fun,” she bobbed her head to the music absentmindedly.

“No fun?” The young man beamed and spun her again. He needed to hear that laugh and see that smile again; they were intoxicating.  He longed to give her that fun and variety she craved.

“Nope. No fun!” She couldn’t stop giggling despite the conversation topic and the young man’s entire face was smiling.  A slower song began to play, and the young woman calmed down a bit, collecting her thoughts.  When she spoke again, her voice was level.  “As I sat at my lonely table eating my precooked meal, I looked at the newspaper.  There was an ad for the farm in it.  I had never grown much more than a meager herb garden on my windowsill, but I immediately fell in love with the concept of a farm – the whole idea of doing what you want when you want and being able to provide for yourself.”  She knew that the whole thing sounded rather naïve and silly when she looked back on it…

His words surprised her. “I know exactly what you mean.”  Cliff turned very serious as his eyes locked on to hers and he hugged her tightly.  He smelled like the wild herbs that grew on the mountain and fresh summer breeze.  For that brief moment, there was no one else in the room.  There was no music.  There was no party.  There were two people, so very different, yet so similar, reaching an understanding.  Cliff wasn’t sure how long he held her like that, and he didn’t care if anyone else had noticed.  He had always found a kindred spirit in Claire, and this latest bit of proof made his heart swell.  He wasn’t alone, and neither was she.

Claire was having a difficult time processing her emotions. All that she knew was that his hug was reassuring and that she didn’t want either of them to let go.  She had found someone that truly accepted her and would never see her as a bumbling city girl trying to make it on a rundown farm.  She had Cliff, and he had her.  As long as they had each other, they always would have someone to support them.  Their friendship had reached a new bond of trust and understanding.

They danced in silence for a few minutes. There were so many more things she wanted to ask him about his past, but now didn’t feel like the right time.  They had made so much progress tonight.  Claire rested her head on her friend’s shoulder and looked around her for the first time in hours.  She realized at once how much time had passed.  Many couples were resting their feet, and quite a few had left already.  Claire and Cliff were the only two on the dance floor, and she was suddenly aware that everyone may be staring at them. 

Her first instinct was the fear of judgmental stares; surely the gossip crew would have something to say about the farmer dancing with a single partner for a majority of the evening. She didn’t lift her head, but her eyes darted around the room wildly.

And to her amazement, no one seemed to care. Saibara and Duke were laughing much too loudly, Ann sat beside her father behind the bar, munching on some snacks.  The redheaded waitress have them a friendly wave when she saw Claire’s eyes focus on her.  Karen, whose fingers were discreetly laced with Rick’s, gave the farmer a loving smile.  Mary and Gray were talking together at the bar and watching the dancing pair, smiling.  Manna was waving goodbye to a yawning Elli.  It occurred to Claire that Karen was right – they weren’t children anymore, and people had better things to do than gossip and cause drama at a dance.

Claire yawned. She felt sleepy, but her mind was alert.  Her feet moved automatically to the music.  She didn’t want the evening to end.  Her heart was full to bursting with a deep joy.

“One last song!” The bandleader called out, turning off the record player as they grabbed their instruments.

Everyone shuffled out onto the dance floor.

A ballad – even Claire knew how to dance to this one. She looked up at her dance partner, who was grinning at Ann.  The waitress whispered something into her friend’s ear and he turned a violent shade of red.  Ann patted Claire on the shoulder.

“Have a good evening, sweetie.” She gave the blonde the same smile Karen had given her a minute ago. Her heart swelled.

“Thank you, you too, Ann!” she called out, but she didn’t want to be saying her goodbyes just yet.

Claire looked up around the room. These people were her neighbors, but they were also her friends.  She looked at Mr. and Mrs. Cava and smiled.  Despite the squabbles between Manna and Duke, Claire could tell how much they loved each other.  The young farmer looked out in the crowd and saw Kai and Popuri laughing together.  Claire knew that although Kai’s seasonal visit was already halfway over, she liked him a lot already.  She was happy that Popuri got to spend time with him tonight without too much grief from her brother; it looked like things had cooled down for the moment with the poultry farmer.  Claire didn’t see Karen anywhere, but she was grateful that her friend had insisted she come to the dance.  Karen was always helping Claire expand her comfort zone, the farmer realized.  She would have to thank her when she got the chance.

Finally, she looked up at Cliff. Throughout the course of their friendship, Claire had seen him with fewer worry lines on his forehead and his stuttering was now rare.  She had learned so much about him in just one evening, and she suddenly wanted to know everything about him. 

She thought of Saibara’s comment about Cliff needing a woman and knew that it would take a special person to fill that role. She looked back at Ann, a natural choice for him as her bubbly personality seemed to complement his well, but the waitress was busy clearing empty steins off of the bar.  Claire remembered with embarrassment how long the two had been dancing together exclusively.

“Are you sure there’s not someone else you’d rather be dancing with?” Claire asked shyly. If Ann really had a thing for her friend, why didn’t it seem to bother her that she had only danced for a short while with the young man?

He looked genuinely confused. “What are you talking about?”

She understood she was just making things awkward and shook her head. “Never mind.”

Cliff gave his friend a spin, and a smile returned to her face. “I’ve been having a wonderful time,” his eyes locked onto hers.

“Me, too.” She gave him a friendly grin.  She couldn’t remember ever having this much fun at a social event, let alone a dance.  Her heart was bursting with joy as they moved together.

“Good. Then let’s keep dancing together, and I’ll walk you home.”  He pulled her a little closer.

He was giving her that look again that made her feel a little disoriented: a bright, kind, wide stare with friendly eyebrows and a glitter to his eyes that she had a hard time defining. Yes, that deep blue was a beautiful color, she realized once again.  “A-alright!”  Claire was stunned by the confidence in his voice and body language, and it gave her heart an unexpected jolt of excitement.  What was with her emotions going haywire lately?  She quickly shook it off.  “But you’ll have to get permission from my date first,” she teased.

“Oh, I don’t think Karen will be walking you home tonight; she seems a bit preoccupied,” Cliff laughed. He turned her toward Karen and Rick, who were leaving the bar together hand in hand.  Rick gave Karen a swift peck on the cheek, and she returned it with a big kiss planted on his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I’m imagining a sitcom-style cheering sound effect with Cliff’s entrance in this chapter. I know a lot of you were hoping to see him, haha.
> 
> Hopefully this chapter didn’t give you too many cavities; I really tried to focus on how far both of them have come with their friendship together.
> 
> A great big hearty thank you to all of my readers – you are all awesome people! Forty-one chapters and going strong! Drop me a line and let me know what you think! :D


	42. The Meaning of Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire invites Cliff inside after the dance and they spend some time together reflecting on what it means to follow your dreams, along with enjoying each other's company, of course.

The music ended and Claire and Cliff started heading back to the farm. It was a warm night, but there was a nice breeze, and the sky was nearly clear.  The sun had fallen and there was a soft pink glow on the wispy clouds on the horizon.  The colors looked a bit surreal; the fading rose-colored sunlight in the dreamy indigo evening sky was nothing short of breathtaking.  The young woman thought how romantic it must look to Karen tonight.  It would’ve been nice to end the evening with a kiss from a loved one.  The farmer caught herself sighing wistfully at the notion, but her displeasure was short-lived. 

Claire realized with a grin that her evening had been nothing short of amazing. She had never felt like such a welcomed and accepted part of the community.  She loved Mineral Town, and she admired the people who lived there.  Her friends in this small village were so different than the ones she had back in the city.  Her thoughts naturally drifted toward her girl friend and she recalled seeing the brunette plaster her mouth over the poultry farmer’s.

“Karen’s always so… weird and defensive when it comes to Rick,” she commented as they walked along the cobblestones. She let out a small chuckle at the image of her friend hanging onto the young man; the grocer’s daughter had obviously been looking forward to an opportunity like that for a long time.

Cliff nodded as a small smile spread across his lips. There had been a period for a few years in his life where he didn’t interact with other people at all, but the language of love was instinctual and universal.  He knew Karen was a woman in love the first day he met her and saw the two friends share a wine at the bar. “True, but I could tell from the moment I saw them together that they were made for each other.” 

“Well, you sure can string together a pretty line of words!” Claire giggled, but she knew he was right. She felt silly for ever considering her friend could possibly be romantically interested in anyone else.  “And that hypocrite was busy telling me that I shouldn’t be worried about finding my soul mate tonight,” she rolled her eyes with an impish grin.

He stopped in his tracks for a brief moment. “What did she tell you that you should be doing?  Knowing Karen, she had some orders for you tonight.”  His tone of voice was playful, but Claire could see from the light of the lamp posts that his face had turned pink.

She paused as she remembered their conversation earlier that evening. It had felt like the exchange of words had happened days ago.  “She told me to have a good time tonight and enjoy my friends’ company.”  They continued walking, and the farmer added a bounce to her step.  The blonde realized with pleasure she had done just that.  Tonight had been more fun than she could have ever hoped for.  “I was really nervous at first, but I ended up having really good time once I stopped putting so much pressure on myself,” the young woman admitted with an embarrassed smile.

“Me, too.” Cliff gave his friend a slight nod and stared out at the fading sunlight on the horizon as they walked along, their steps in perfect unison.

She found it hard to believe that someone so skilled at dancing would be nervous about this evening, but perhaps he was focusing more on the socialization aspect of the party. Claire realized she had been anxious about both the dancing and conversation.  She played with the folds of her lavender gingham dress as they walked along, swinging her hips dramatically so the skirt flared out.  Both friends laughed at the sight.  “Wanna know something dumb?  I forced myself to attend school dances as a teenager, but I always kind of dreaded them because I was so self-conscious of how I looked when I danced.  I’d always wait in the corner for someone to ask me to dance, but they never did,” Claire gave him a wry smile as she stopped swinging.  Her playful mood had dissipated.  “You must think I’m pretty pathetic, huh?”  She slowed down her walking pace until she found that she was dragging her feet.

He shook his head as he focused his gaze on her. “Not at all,” he replied.  “I would have asked you.”  He gave the young woman an honest, friendly smile with kind eyes.

Claire grinned and a warm feeling spread throughout her body. It felt so nice to be genuinely cared about.  She spun on the ball of her foot and her hair and dress fanned out beautifully as she relished this joyful feeling.  The young man shyly grinned at her in return.

They arrived at the farm. Suddenly, her whole hesitation about letting a good friend who happened to be male into her house didn’t seem like such a big deal.  It had been such a big debate back in spring. 

“Please come in. I have some herbal tea that we can share,” she insisted as she unlocked the door and held it open for her companion.

He tried to contain his heart pounding in his chest. “Ah, thank you…” Cliff was surprised.

The young woman reached inside the doorway and flicked on the light for her friend, gesturing for him to go inside. Claire followed a shy Cliff into her abode and reached into her new refrigerator.  As always, she was eager to be a good hostess.  She poured a couple of glasses of chilled tea and offered her friend a seat at the table.  The young man looked around the room with wide eyes, as if trying to remember every knot of wood on her walls.

The house smelled of fresh earth, herbs, and ripe tomatoes. “You have a lovely place,” he remarked, sitting down on a floor cushion.

She looked around the room a little curiously, wondering what it was that he found _lovely_.  “Thanks.” Claire noticed his initial reaction to the interior of her home was quite different than Karen’s.  The blonde wouldn’t have used Cliff’s word for it, as she saw it as a work in progress, but she decided not to say this aloud.  Judging from the fact that her friend had lived outdoors for a while, any home would probably seem like a bit of a luxury to him.  She took a drink of the tea and her friend followed suit.

His face lit up as the liquid touched his tongue. He immediately recognized the flavor.  “Ah, this is the blend I showed you back in spring,” he remarked, his entire face beaming.  “I’m glad that you enjoy it.”

She hadn’t even thought of that, but she was glad that the beverage pleased him so much. “Thanks again for teaching me how to forage.”  Her life had truly changed that day.

“It’s something I have been doing my entire life,” he returned modestly, taking another sip from his glass.

Well, she certainly couldn’t say the same. “The more I live out here, the more I realize I had no idea what I was getting into,” Claire rested her chin on her palm.  “I knew nothing about farming, nothing about plants, and nothing about wildlife.  All I knew was my little world with my apartment and my dead-end job.  I just always thought things were going to be that way.  When I saw the ad for the farm in the paper, I saw it as a way out.  I didn’t really care that I had no idea how to run a farm.”  She absentmindedly swirled the amber liquid in her glass.

Cliff stared at the table’s surface quietly for several moments, and Claire began to wonder what was on his mind. She knew he wouldn’t judge her for saying such a thing, but she was curious as to what he had to say.  “You were just looking for your freedom,” her friend offered as he pensively stared at the condensation running down his glass.

He was absolutely right, and she had found it. Claire nodded and took another sip of her tea, deep in thought.  Freedom was something she thought that she had always possessed.  She began to think of her life in the city.  She had moved because she felt trapped.  Would she have considered herself free at the time?  Probably – after all, she didn’t know any better.  Now that she was more in control of her own life, she was starting to realize just how precious that was.  “Have you found your freedom here, too, Cliff?” she ventured.  She set her glass down on the table and watched the beads of water on her drink.

The question caught him off guard. He was silent for several moments once again.  His eyebrows furrowed as he sat, contemplating.  She noticed that he looked somewhat concerned, and it made her feel uneasy.  “I hope that I can.”  His expression was grim, his eyes not meeting hers.

Those words broke her heart; she had a feeling finding his freedom wasn’t as simple as acquiring steady income. “I know that you can if you truly want to.  I’m… not sure what happened to you in the past, Cliff, but things will get better.  We don’t have to get into that tonight, but just know that when you’re ready, you can tell me anything,” she found that she was reaching for his hand.

He accepted the offered hands and squeezed them hard; he didn’t look up at her. She could feel a slight tremor in his body as his face reddened.  “It feels very nice to hear you say that.”

Claire decided to lighten up the mood. The young woman hadn’t meant to upset her friend, and she felt a wave of guilt.  She patted his hands playfully and ran her fingers through a strand of her blonde locks.  “Look at us, coming home from a party and talking about such serious things.  Don’t you think that Ann looked pretty tonight?” She thought of the waitress in her cute yellow dress and figured the topic of their mutual friend might cheer him up – she knew that the young man was close friends with her.  Claire still was feeling high from her realization that she had been accepted into the community and she was eager to talk about all of their friends.

The young man didn’t seem to have the same feelings. He shrugged his shoulders.  Cliff didn’t look unhappy, but he seemed like he wanted to focus the conversation elsewhere.  “I suppose.  Everyone looked nice tonight.”  He took a long gulp from his glass and sighed as he set down the tea in satisfaction.

The young woman found that she was mirroring him as she set down her own drink. Moving around so much this evening had made her very thirsty.  “We’re a good-looking bunch, huh?” Claire laughed, wriggling her eyebrows playfully.  She grinned when she got a soft chuckle in return.

“All joking aside, I think that you look especially lovely tonight,” Cliff said very sincerely as he looked up at her. Claire’s eyes moved to their hands when she felt his touch and she noticed that he had reached for her and was gently holding her hands in his.  She didn’t feel awkward or flustered about it.  He had given her a very genuine compliment that had no implication behind it and it made her feel a very deep sense of joy.  The young woman wanted to say something very honest to him as well.  She found him rather attractive as well, especially with the addition of the innocent blush in his cheeks, but it didn’t seem appropriate to echo the sentiment.  The young woman was afraid it would only sound like she was parroting his compliment to be polite.

“You have a very kind, beautiful heart, Cliff,” Claire replied, “and I think you will find your happiness here in Mineral Town.” She grinned; she had spoken from the heart and it came out more eloquently than anything she would have planned out to say to him.

Her friend turned bright red at the compliment. “But I already have.  I have more friends here than I’ve had in the last six years…  Maybe even my whole life…  I just need to work on finding my freedom and my sense of purpose.”  His eyes lit up vivaciously.  He looked determined to seek just what he was looking for.

“That’s the spirit! I’m very happy for you,” Claire gave his hands one last squeeze and stood up to stretch.

Cliff took this as his cue. “Well, then, I should probably be heading back to the inn.  I know you probably have a lot of things to work on tomorrow morning.  Thank you for the tea and company.”

“You know I always have time for my friends.” She clasped her hands together and gave him a gleeful nod in response.

“Thank you.” He turned to leave but Claire caught him by the waist and gave him a big hug.  She felt like he needed it tonight.  Cliff turned his head over his shoulder, blushing violently as he was caught off guard by her sudden squeeze. 

Claire was taken aback. Maybe she was taking everything a bit too casually tonight.  “I’m sorry!  I j-just!”

His feelings weren’t hurt; he had just been surprised. “Just let me hug you properly,” he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.  “You’re my best friend, did you know that?” he softly murmured into her ear.

His words made her melt a bit, and she relaxed into him. The embrace was warm and natural, and she liked the way his arms felt around her.  “And you’re mine.  You always will be.” Claire’s smile returned to her face.

“Have a good night, and sleep well.”

Her heart was full again; it was the same way when Karen and Ann had smiled at her. There was that feeling of genuine love and friendship once more.  “You, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for their MASSIVE support on this story. I was a little nervous about putting in a dance as a social event in my story because they tend to be overdone, but I’m very glad that no one seemed to mind that, haha. I really wanted to focus on Claire becoming part of Mineral Town, and I hope that I was able to convey that in these past few chapters.
> 
> Anyway, I always try to accompany my “fluff” with deep, meaningful character development. Hopefully I was able to do that. Again, I really appreciate all of the feedback, and I’d love to hear what you think of this story so far. You know the drill – feel free to leave a review in the box below. Much appreciated, and thanks for reading!
> 
> P.S. I really wanted to make this chapter (42) called “The Meaning of Life” but it didn’t really fit. Oh, well, haha. Next best thing, right?


	43. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The human heart can only handle so much; a long overdue conversation takes place.

Claire woke up the next morning with her legs and feet aching so much she could hardly move. The young woman had never felt so sore after a dance, but then again, she had never really actively participated in one before.  She struggled to get up and dress herself, her calf muscles burning as she pulled on her socks.  The farmer opened up her curtains and looked out at her fields.  She had been overzealous in planting corn and tomatoes, and watering them had become her main job.  After experiencing heat exhaustion earlier in the season, she knew that if the plants were going to get watered, they would need to be done right away before the temperatures rose.  She was about to settle into a rushed breakfast of fresh tomatoes from her rejected and blemished pile when she heard a knock on the door.

She knew it wasn’t Karen, as the brunette would’ve shouted out a greeting by now. Claire let out a soft moan of pain as she pulled herself up from her seated position at the table and hobbled to the door.

Her heart pounded at the sight of the apprentice blacksmith. If he was here on business, it was a surprise to her; she hadn’t ordered anything lately that he would be delivering, and she wasn’t expecting him today.

“Hey,” he said the greeting as if it were perfectly natural that he would show up on her doorstep at six in the morning.

“Uh… hi!” the farmer stammered as she opened her door and let the young man inside. She led the way to her table, eager to offer him some breakfast, but he milled about nervously in the doorway.

“Ah, you still have that horse book, huh?” he laughed nervously as he glanced at the library book on Claire’s table. “I can return it to the library for you today if you want,” the young man kindly offered.

The blonde shook her head. “I wanted to visit with Mary today anyway.  Let her know I’ll be coming over later,” she grinned.  Claire had been thinking about it a lot this morning, and the librarian’s cheery and friendly demeanor last evening intrigued her.

He let out a grunt of acknowledgement and wiped his sweaty hands off on his coveralls. Gray tugged on the bill of his cap and let out a soft sigh.  He knew from the day they first met that this day would come.  “Claire, we need to talk.”  His mouth was dry, but asking for a glass of water would only complicate things.  She’d be so damned _friendly_ about it and then the words he needed to say would become impossible to get out.

The blonde’s face caught on fire as she struggled to steady her breathing. “Uh, sure.  Wh-what about?””

The apprentice’s cheeks turned a bright shade of red. How did one begin a conversation like this?  With the truth, he figured.  “W-Well… _us_ , I suppose…”

The farmer nearly flopped over and gripped the edge of the table; she felt faint. Was the young man implying what she thought and prayed he was?

The young man folded his arms across his chest. “D-Dammit!  Wh-Why can’t I ever say anything right?” he let out a groan in aggravation.  Gray shot her an apologetic look and nervously rubbed the back of his neck, turning his head to face her.  “I mean, I guess it’s about us, but… well… why don’t I start from the beginning?

“Uh, okay…” the young woman shifted uncomfortably on her floor cushion and the young man paced in front of the table, jamming his hands in his pockets. “Please, have a seat,” she offered.  His agitated pacing back and forth was making her terribly nervous.

He looked at her with an expression that suggested she was asking him to do something painful. “’Kay,” he grunted, tugging on the bill of his cap.  “Listen, Claire… I…” he stammered as the blood drained from his face, realizing he hadn’t really rehearsed what he was going to say in his mind.

The blonde could hardly hear him over the pounding in her ears. He what?  He loves me?  He wants to be with me?  He can’t stand me?  He regrets not bringing me to the dance?  Her mind swam with possible options.

He couldn’t stand stalling anymore – he dove right in. “I’m… not the type of person that attracts people.  I’m aware of that…” his voice was husky as he removed his cap and set it on the table.  “So… in that respect, I am grateful that you’ve been so kind to me.”

It became difficult for Claire to breathe and she could feel a warm sweat forming on her brow. She wished he would just spit it out already… that he was madly in love with her and couldn’t stand it anymore…

“But…” his pale blue eyes moved to the floor, abashed.

How silly it was that the simple utterance of this one little word flipped the young woman’s mood. Her blood ran cold and she found that she was trembling.

He let out a soft sigh; it was less painful to just peel off a bandage than tug at it gently. “This – you and me – well, it isn’t going anywhere.  You have got to stop making yourself miserable.”  He lacked the courage to look her in the eye as his gaze uncomfortably moved to the floor.

She blinked, the words not truly registering. “Oh.”  She had no way to cope with this, so her brain refused to accept it.  The young woman felt as if she were watching the conversation happen from outside of her own body.  She couldn’t even find the proper motivation to be frustrated at her lack of emotion.

Gray continued, his voice growing a little stronger. After all, he still had more to say.  “I realize I may have been a little… misleading…  I apologize.”

Claire sat in numbed silence. He didn’t want her.  What about all of the time they spent together?  All of the pieces of copper she had given him?  What about him training Tucker? Or that time he took her out to the inn for lunch?  Surely that had to have meant _something_ … but what it exactly meant, she was no longer sure.  Nothing made sense anymore.

He looked at the blonde uncomfortably. She was hanging her head, obviously deep in thought.  Her bangs hung in her eyes, so it was difficult to read her expression, but he could tell from her body language that it was not a happy one.  He wanted to say more, but he stopped himself.  “I’m… sorry, okay?” Gray returned his hat to his head and stood up.

He had never wanted her to begin with. She had offered him her heart, and he had no desire for it.  Her pulse began to throb in her ears as she felt her entire body get hot and cold at the same time.  “Okay…” she wasn’t sure what was expected of her to say in such circumstances, so she fed him the only line she could muster.  Claire stared at the table’s surface miserably, blinking away the tears that started to form.  She heard his boots shuffle across the floor toward the door and the young woman felt a spring of anger well up within her.  “No… it’s _not_ okay,” she stood up, her voice tremulous as she realized how truly wrong the whole situation had been.

Gray froze in his tracks, numb. He really didn’t know how Claire was going to take his words, and he hadn’t given much thought on how to respond to her.  He just knew he needed to get it off of his chest _today_.

“I liked you from the first day I moved into town. You can’t tell me that you weren’t aware of that,” her words were bitter as she stood up from her seat, ignoring the searing pain in her thigh muscles from the night before.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. Her blue eyes looked aggressive and his first instinct was to protect himself.  “I-I didn’t think it was anything too serious…” 

She glared at him in response. How dare he cheapen her feelings toward him!  She was so furious she was twitching.

Everyone had heard the story of the farmer with the short temper who beat up Mayor Thomas on her first day in town, but he wasn’t about to be intimidated by her anger and he gave her a scowl in reply. “I tried to show you I wasn’t interested - I didn’t want to be rude and say it outright.  How could _you_ not take the hint?” he bit his lip in frustration; the young woman had been selectively interpreting his actions and words to fit what she wanted them to. 

The young woman gnashed her teeth, but her rage faded a bit as she remembered the priest’s story about the child and the alarm clock. Gray’s avoidance of the uncomfortable words had made the situation worse for the both of them.  At the same time, she had to admit that there _were_ a lot of times she pushed the doubts out of her mind out of sheer stubbornness.  The most obvious of those instances had happened just the night before when she noticed his uncomfortable demeanor while they danced together.  However, she refused to see that she had any blame in this – he should have told her outright that he did not want to be with her.  Her anger turned to sadness as she pitied herself.  “You always thanked me for the ore I brought you…” she lamented, her eyes welling up with tears.  She wanted him to know that he had led her on and it had hurt.

“I appreciated the gifts, but that didn’t mean that I wanted to be your boyfriend.” It was kind of true, anyway… even if all he did was throw the small pieces of ore into the furnace when he came into work.

Claire refused to believe that he had never felt anything for her at all. “You always blush when you’re around me!” Her voice rose in volume and she forgot her manners; they hardly mattered at a time like this.

He turned red once again. “W-Well… that’s because…” his voice trailed off as his eyes moved to the floor and he clenched his jaw.  She was not making it easy for him to remain tactful, but perhaps that opportunity had passed long ago while he was not paying attention.  “You’re always embarrassing me!  How would you feel if someone you didn’t even know that well stared at you like… you were their… _lover_ or something?”

Her heart sank as a gasp of indignation escaped her body. A well of rage bubbled up within the young woman and before she knew it, she was raising a trembling hand, winding up to slap him across the face with all of her might.  Her eyes met his pale blue ones and she dropped her arm, her lungs deflating.  Stinging tears streamed down her cheeks and she impatiently wiped them away, but her emotions were too much.

“Go on, I deserve it…” he humbly removed his hat so she wouldn’t injure her hand.

She buried her face in her hands as she cried freely. She found herself unable to strike him, as much as she wanted to.  Claire was frustrated – why was she always hesitating with him?  She found that she would much rather simply hear the truth.  “No…I don’t…I just…why? Why didn’t you spell it out for me? Couldn’t you just _say_ you weren’t interested to begin with?”

She was too busy wallowing in her own pain to see the anguish reflected in his pale blue eyes. The young man swallowed the lump in his throat.  He would have much rather she just slapped him; it would have been much easier on him.  “Because…  I didn’t want to see you look the way you do right now…” his voice trailed off.  He nervously rubbed the back of his head.  She wasn’t aware, but his heart was breaking as well, in a way.  “Despite what you think, I _do_ care about you Claire…”

Those words hurt more than his initial confession that he didn’t love her. “Stop.”  She attempted to blink away the tears that were blurring her vision and she clenched her fists in frustration when they tumbled down her cheeks.  “No girl ever wants to hear that.”

“But I don’t dislike you,” he insisted. The young man wanted to make his point clear that he may not be romantically interested in her, but he didn’t think she was a bad person.

“I said ‘stop’!” her voice quavered. The more he said he did care in some way, the more it made her heart ache.  She would prefer it if he completely hated her.  She started to raise her open palm again to him, but swiftly wrung her hands instead.

He was still holding his hat. “Please, go ahead.  Honestly, it would make me feel better.”  He stared forward, bracing for impact.  A red welt on his cheek was nothing compared to what he was going through emotionally.

“If we’re being honest here, I don’t care about making _you_ feel better,” she replied bitterly.  She may have slapped him if she was the same person she was when she moved to Mineral Town, but this wasn’t the case.  She had grown since then.  “I know I’m being selfish,” her voice quavered, “but I want you to understand how it feels to hurt, too.”  Claire’s voice trailed off as she sat down miserably at her table and buried her face in her arms, her blonde locks spilling onto the furniture’s surface.

Gray fussed with the baseball cap in his hands. He was unsure if she wanted him to sit down beside him or not.  He ran his fingers through his messy locks and sat cross-legged on a floor cushion across from her.

She heard him take a seat. “Gray…?”

“Yeah?” his heart was in his throat as he swallowed.

“Please leave,” her voice broke. “I want to be alone.  This may take me a while to recover from, okay?” her words were muffled, but she didn’t look up; it was apparent from her tone and body language that she was silently crying.

He nodded even though he was well aware that she was unable to see him. “Okay.”  His voice was gentle.  He almost added an “I understand”, but that would be a lie.  He didn’t know what she was feeling and it was unfair of him to pretend to, he realized.

0o0o0o0

_How would you feel if someone you didn’t even know that well stared at you like you were their lover or something?_

She sat at the edge of the stream on the side of her farm, her pant legs rolled up and her feet dangling in the water. Claire looked down at herself in the reflective surface as a couple of tears fell from her eyes, causing ripples to spread across the water.  She stared in disgust at her wobbly image in the stream.

_Someone you don’t even know that well…_

Those words had hurt the most. She had thought that he had seen her as a friend, at the very least.  She swallowed the lump in her throat as she impatiently wiped away her tears, well aware that her face was becoming raw.

What did Gray know about her, really?

He knew she was a farmer that came from a family of five children. He knew that she came from the city and that she lacked experience with what she was doing.  Claire frowned as she struggled to think of more things.  Books!  He knew she liked fantasy novels and didn’t care for overly cheesy romance.  The young woman’s face fell.  Was that really all she had to show for over four months’ worth of pursuit?

She let out a wistful sigh. It was now painfully obvious that he had never had romantic thoughts about her.  Who did she think she had been kidding, anyway?

The only one she had been kidding was herself, she realized as she wept afresh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This chapter was hard to write, even thought I knew it was going to happen the moment I started this story. I hope I was able to convey their emotions realistically. Feel free to leave me a message or review.


	44. Double Whammy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire's nightmare deepens as she learns the full truth.

The farmer wished she hadn’t said anything to Gray about visiting Mary today; the last thing she wanted to do was socialize. It would be a simple in and out trip, she told herself.  Claire would stay longer when she was in better spirits.

“I’ve come to return a book,” the farmer handed it over and turned to leave. It had been hard enough for her to come into town.  She ached to go back home so she could wallow some more in privacy.

“How did you like it?” Mary asked.

Questions were painful, and answering them was a chore. “It was pretty good,” she admitted shortly, turning around to give the librarian a small smile that looked more like a grimace.  In truth, she had enjoyed the book immensely and it had been very helpful, but she didn’t have the heart to stay and chat today.

“I’m so glad that it was of use to you,” Mary replied, returning the book to the shelf.

The farmer found her escape; Claire turned to the door again. “Well, I don’t want to keep you-”

“Wait,” Mary’s strained voice was desperate, and Claire stopped in her tracks. “You’re not keeping me from anything at all.”  The librarian paused and bit her lip.  “Claire, can you stay a bit?  There’s… something I need to t-talk to you about.”

“O-okay.” The farmer’s legs felt weak.  Another talk.  She had a feeling she didn’t want to stay for long.

Mary straightened up a stack of papers behind her desk and stood in the lobby. The farmer felt she had no choice but to join her.

“You looked beautiful at the dance,” Mary smiled.

The conversation topic took her by surprise. “You did, too.  I loved your flowers,” Claire confessed, loosening up a bit.

“Thank you,” Mary reddened, “you know, you made a lot of the other girls jealous last night,” the librarian giggled.

Claire was hardly the kind of woman that anyone envied. She cocked an eyebrow suspiciously.  “What are you talking about?”  Her eyes abashedly drifted toward the shelves of books.

“You looked like a princess and you seemed like you were in your element,” the young woman adjusted her glasses. “You were glowing.”

She absentmindedly read the titles of the volumes that sat on the shelf. Anything was better than making contact with those mocha brown eyes.  “You were, too,” Claire didn’t recognize the sound of her own voice.

Mary blushed as she quietly pulled out a couple of chairs. The farmer sat down across from her without realizing it.  “I had a wonderful time…  It seems like you and Cliff did, too.”

“Yeah, he really is a good friend,” a small smile found its way on her face, but she couldn’t shake her ache from earlier that day.

The librarian realized it was time to drop the formalities. That look in Claire’s eyes could mean only one thing.  “I get the feeling Gray must have stopped by your place earlier,” Mary gave her companion a sympathetic gaze as she nervously wrung her hands in her lap.  “I can see it on your face.”  Of course the bloodshot eyes and raw face were a dead giveaway that she had been crying all day, but to call attention to this seemed cruel to Claire.  The farmer felt her cordiality drop away at Mary’s comment.

 _So the librarian is in on this. Maybe other people know Gray never cared for me.  Had he gone around telling everyone before he bothered to tell me?_   The blonde frowned as she felt her bitterness returning to her.

“I know that what he said must have hurt. I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Mary hesitated, “but there was a reason why he needed to tell you today.”

Claire was tired and her heart hurt. “What are you getting at?  Please stop talking in riddles and just say what you want to say.”  She was aware that she was not necessarily acting very tactful, but she had reached her threshold today.  The farmer was either going to snap a bit or start crying again, and she really didn’t want to do the latter – her face stung from the dampness of her tears throughout the day.

Mary looked taken aback for a moment, but she tried to understand how the farmer was feeling. Claire was probably very distressed and confused, she realized.  “Gray and I… we became a couple shortly before the dance last night started.”

Claire blinked. She had already been so numbed throughout the course of the day that this new piece of information didn’t hurt as much as she expected.  Instead, it baffled her a bit.  “Why didn’t he tell me when he stopped by my place earlier?” her voice weakened. _Why is this information being fed to me in small doses, and by different people?_ She found herself clenching her fists as her anger returned.

Mary furrowed her brows. “He wanted to tell you how he felt without mentioning me so that you wouldn’t think I stole him from you; so that you would be angry with him instead of me.  He wanted to focus just on the things that have happened between the two of you.  And… I made him promise that I could be the one to tell you we’re together now,” she added carefully.

“Why?” _So she could rub it in my face,_ she thought bitterly. 

The librarian caught the look on the farmer’s face. She understood that Claire was in pain, and her frustration made Mary feel she needed to be very careful with her choice of words.  “You know how fast news travels in a small town like this.  I didn’t want you to find out about us from Manna and leave you wondering why Gray didn’t say anything about it in the first place.  I also thought you should know why he chose today to tell you.  I know that you don’t like him very much right now, but I don’t want you to completely hate-”

“Well, it’s too late for that,” Claire spat as her anger returned. “He led me on for far too long.  He’s a coward!  He should have told me this stuff ages ago!” she cried in exasperation as she gripped her fingers on her long blonde hair, scraping her scalp in frustration.  If Mary was trying to explain things clearly, she had failed miserably, the farmer grumbled to herself.  She partly wished Gray told her so she would have a good enough excuse for punching him.  The blonde bit her tongue both as punishment and to prevent herself from saying something she would regret.  Those kinds of thoughts didn’t help and she knew it.  Claire was determined to remain mature throughout this situation.  She had done so well earlier, but she was getting emotionally burnt out.  It was hard remaining strong…

Mary folded her hands in her lap. “I won’t defend his actions, but he does feel badly about it.”

Claire clenched her jaw. The farmer knew it wasn’t the librarian’s fault, but she wanted to be angry at someone other than herself; it hurt too much to view the situation as entirely her fault.

“He didn’t treat you right… This whole thing turned out to be such a mess…  It should have never come to this in the first place, like you mentioned.  I… I wish you could apologize for other people,” she muttered softly, wringing her hands.

Claire realized that her companion was trying to handle the situation in the best way she knew how, and she could hardly blame her for any of this. “I… can’t be mad at you, Mary.  You won, fair and square.  He… liked you better,” her throated tightened as she felt her eyes well up with tears.  The anger faded and was replaced with sadness once more.  She blinked and the tears tumbled down her cheeks.  The old Claire would have been ashamed at weeping in front of her rival.

She wasn’t sure when she had gone to Mary’s arms, but a light hand was rubbing her back in a soothing manner. “It’s okay to be upset.  He should have been more honest with you,” she murmured.  “I’m sorry you got wrapped up in all of this.  You deserve to be happy, too, Claire…”

Even with her congested sinuses, Claire could tell that Mary’s hair smelled of rosewater.  It was strangely comforting.  She buried her face in the young woman’s shoulder.  Part of her wanted to say the only way she would be content was if she had Gray, too, but she knew that wasn’t the truth.  What was the point of pursuing someone who had no interest?  She let out a breathy sigh into Mary’s forearm and wiped her eyes.  “Sorry I got you all wet,” she looked at the young woman apologetically.

Mary shook her head to let her know that no harm had been done. She almost said that someday Claire would find someone that would make her happy, too, but it didn’t feel right.  She was afraid the young woman would take it as gloating.  It was probably going to take the farmer time to heal and the librarian realized that she needed to respect that.  Sometimes the most comforting words were none at all, but a simple embrace and the company of another.

The pair stood in silence for a long time.

The anger and pent-up rage wore off and Claire’s heart began to ache. She now understood that the young woman didn’t relish in telling the farmer that her love interest had been taken.  However, she knew that it would take her some time to want to spend any time with Mary.  “Please forgive me; this will take me some time to get over,” Claire murmured quietly.  She surprised herself at how honest and reasonable she was being.  They almost didn’t sound like her own words.  “It might be a while before I come over to read more of your story, but please don’t take it personally.  I… need time.”

“I understand. You’ve matured so much from when we first met.”  There was no judgment in Mary’s voice.

She felt ready to begin sobbing again; her emotions were raw. She needed a place that was quiet where she could be alone with her thoughts.  “I’m going to go to the church now,” Claire’s heart was heavy.  She stood up to leave, and Mary caught her in a tight embrace.

“Be well,” Mary said quietly.

“Thank you. I honestly wish you both the best.”  This time, the words sounded a little more like Claire’s.

0o0o0o0

Claire hated that she visited the house of worship much more often when she was upset. The gods were not genies that granted wishes; she had to take the bad things with the good in life, the farmer reminded herself once again.  Even so, the young woman found a visit was necessary today.  She had never met such a friendly, open pastor like Carter and she needed to release her emotions to _someone_.  She didn’t know how she made it to the church – her head was dizzy with emotion and she lacked the will to do much of anything.  Putting one foot in front of the other felt like a monumental task.  Claire stumbled inside and sat quietly in the back row.  She spied Cliff sitting up at the front pew but she didn’t have the heart to engage him at the moment.  She needed silence; she needed to be alone while she collected her thoughts for speaking to Carter.

Deep down, she knew that it was inevitable – Gray was never hers to begin with, anyway. He was polite enough to her, but when she really thought about it, they had a hard time truly connecting.  She thought of him working at the furnace, swinging a hammer, and her heart gave a flutter.  She had been initially attracted to his physical strength, honestly, and she felt a little embarrassed of this fact.  Claire shook her head.  She was cheapening her feelings towards him.  It had turned into far more than a physical attraction; she had also been drawn to his passion and the way he was constantly struggling to better himself and earn the approval of his grandfather.  She wanted to improve herself as a farmer, but the two never really seemed to relate on the subject through conversation.  After all, Gray had never been an easy person to talk to.

 _It’s not as if he asked Mary to be his wife, she’s only his girlfriend. I can always wait things out and see if he’s still interested later…_   Claire shook her head, feeling foolish for even having that thought.  He had already said no.  She and Gray were simply not meant to be.  Besides, she could hardly be angry at Mary for the way things turned out.  The young woman had been nothing but kind to Claire.  In a way, it made the whole situation a lot harder for the farmer.

The blonde snapped back to reality for a moment as Carter came out of the confessional and greeted Cliff. The priest locked eyes with her, but didn’t say a word.  He asked his friend about the dance, and the young man immediately began to speak excitedly, standing up and bouncing to his feet.  Claire’s pain dissipated a little; it hardly surprised her that Cliff was used to dancing and he didn’t appear to be sore at all.  His happiness gave her a short moment of reprieve.  A kind smile crossed the pastor’s face.  Carter suggested they take their conversation in the confessional and he ushered the brown-haired young man behind closed doors without giving him the chance to turn around and see Claire.

_Thank you, Carter._

The farmer prayed and focused on opening her mind about today’s events. The young woman knew that whether she was happy about it or not, she was going to have to live in a world where Gray wasn’t romantically interested in her, simple as that.  Furthermore, his heart belonged to someone else.  Claire mourned this fact for a few moments before returning her thoughts to a more logical standpoint.  She had a feeling that Gray and Mary were in some sort of relationship since she first saw them together, but she had refused to believe it.  The farmer noticed that she and the other female had many similar qualities and she figured that if she could be the more outgoing of the two, Claire would be the one to win Gray over.  But it hadn’t been that simple.  She had caught Mary’s playful banter. _My red pen and I will be waiting…_ Claire would have to be a fool to not notice their blatant flirtations right in front of her.

When the farmer was honest with herself, she realized she really didn’t know that much about Gray. She thought she did at one point, but what did she really know?  He was a blacksmith’s apprentice that was trying to win the approval of his master.  He was strong and passionate; he had a short temper that made her a little nervous and excited at the same time.  Gray had a more sensitive side and enjoyed reading, but Claire never knew that part of him very well.  He had been kind and gentle with her horse, but things had gotten strange ever since that day he came over for lunging practice, as much as she hated to admit it.  There was a whole side of him that she could never get him to reveal for more than a few moments.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about this. Mournful, depressed, frustrated?  … Relieved?  The young woman shook her blonde head.  That didn’t even make sense.  But… maybe part of her never wanted to know the real Gray, only the ideal she had created of him…  and perhaps… she had pushed him away in that respect…

It was a sobering thought.

The confessional door opened, and Carter was bidding Cliff goodbye. The priest’s eyes met the farmer’s once again, and he looked a little surprised that she was still there.  Their mutual friend turned to leave and saw her sitting in the back pew.

“Hi, Claire.” He saw the anguish in her eyes and the glow from his eyes quickly faded. “Are you alright?”

She gave him a sad smile, twiddling her thumbs before staring down at her feet. “Not at the moment,” she admitted, “but it will pass.”  She hoped that she sounded more confident than she felt.  The young woman feared this feeling would _never_ pass.  The apprentice was her first love, after all…  Her only love.

She moved her eyes back up to her friend and she noticed the young man was watching her carefully. Worry lines appeared on the Cliff’s forehead as he understood.  “Gray, huh?”  His voice was soft and gentle, but not patronizing.

It occurred to Claire that the blacksmith trainee had obviously said something about his new relationship to his roommate. She had never mentioned to Cliff that she was in love with Gray; she was surprised he had picked up on it.  Had she been that obvious?  Perhaps she was to everyone.  She nodded quickly, blinking back tears as the stoic attempts she was feebly making crumbled away.

His stance changed. Cliff took a small step closer to her and tilted his head downward so that their eyes were level.  It was a comforting feeling, but a little overwhelming for Claire at the moment – she was feeling everything too much.  “Is… there anything I can do?” He put a caring hand on her shoulder, unsure of what to say.

Claire didn’t feel ready to speak with Cliff on the subject; the wounds were too fresh. She shook her head.  “I’ll be alright.”  To be honest, she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts.  The young woman actually felt like she had been making some progress.

Cliff had picked up on her body language and allowed her a little more space. He gave her shoulder a friendly pat.  “I understand.  I will pray for you.”

“Th-thank you.” Claire didn’t expect her voice to crack as her throat tightened.

“Claire, come back here and talk with me,” Carter opened the door to the confessional, smiling warmly.

Cliff looked at the priest and back at his friend. The young man understood better than anyone that not every situation required words.  He gave the clergyman a polite nod and squeezed Claire’s hand in farewell, slipping out of the church silently. 

The young woman obeyed the priest as she dragged her feet down the aisle. She never recalled the walk being so long.  Perhaps this was the way nervous young women felt when they were getting married, she thought curiously.  Too bad she would never know that feeling, now that Gray was out of the picture.  Claire’s eyes welled up with tears.  She would never be Claire Iwata.

Carter guided her into the room with a gentle hand on her back and closed the door behind them.

It was a small room, divided with a privacy screen down the middle. Both occupants of the room knew that this side would be unnecessary today.  The other side of the confessional had a pair of matching well-worn armchairs facing each other.  It was otherwise a simple room, save a wavy stained glass window that dominated the main wall.  The afternoon sunshine poured into the room, creating a patchwork of green, pink, red, and yellow across the carpet.  Claire stared at the colors in amazement.  Beautiful things did still exist, she realized vaguely.

“Tell me of your troubles, child.”

Was it that obvious to everyone? Claire stared at the rainbow of lights playing on the floor as she remembered she was in a confessional; she didn’t know how to begin other than to grab a tissue from the box sitting beside her. 

Carter filled the silence for her. “Cliff was telling me what a great time you both had at the dance party last night.  I’m really glad you got a chance to speak with him about his hometown.”  The priest folded his hands in his lap and crossed his ankles as he got more comfortable in his armchair.

As absorbed in her anguish as she was, the young woman wasn’t blind to the fact that Carter was preparing to settle in while he expected Claire to spill her heart out to him. A side of her mind rebelled.  How could anyone possibly understand what she was going through, let alone someone who had taken a vow of celibacy?  “Cliff tells you everything, huh?” she didn’t mean to sound so cold as she stared out the window.  The bright colors no longer provided her comfort; they mocked her pain.

The priest cleared this throat, drawing the young woman’s eyes to him. The colors of the windows shifted as the wind played with the branches of the trees in the church’s courtyard.  Yellow and green splotches danced across Carter’s pale brown hair.  “He was very excited to tell me about the time you two spent together.  It means a lot to him,” the clergyman smiled at her, but his expression was serious as their eyes met.  “And you know you can tell me everything, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: A huge thank you to all the support I’ve gotten in the last chapter. It was tough to write, but I’m overall very happy with the way it turned out. This chapter wasn’t a walk in the park to write, either. Hopefully it’s explained some strange behavior in the past few chapters a bit.
> 
> A cookie for anyone who caught Mary quoting Norman Bates from “Psycho”. Such a good line.
> 
> P.S. I love Carter. Hope you’re looking forward to more of our eccentric priest!
> 
> Be prepared for some Karen and Ann in the future! ;)


	45. Staggering From the Impact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fragile and heartbroken, Claire seeks comfort from the first person in Mineral Town who was able to provide that to her...

Claire found herself unable to speak the words. Saying them aloud would make them truer somehow.  And despite the fact that she had heard what both Mary and Gray had said, telling a third party seemed to hold a particular weight.  She took a deep breath as she wrung her hands nervously.  “I’ve … been in love with Gray since I moved here, but this morning he told me that he doesn’t feel the same way,” her voice cracked.  “He asked Mary to be his girlfriend last night.”

The seriousness in Carter’s face disappeared. “Ah, heartache,” his expression turned wistful.

Claire nodded. Now that he had given a word to the emotion she was feeling, it intensified and she reached for the box of tissues, dabbing at the tears that began streaming out of her eyes once more.  She was surprised she had tears left to cry.  But that word alone – heartache – hurt to hear.  A twinge of pain spread through her chest as she stifled a sob.

She was blind to the priest’s apologetic glance; he hadn’t meant to make her feel worse. The man sat in silence for a few minutes while she blew her nose and struggled to regain her composure.  She punctuated the silence with short apologies for her behavior, but he only shook his head.  “There’s nothing to apologize for, Claire.  Let it out; bottling these things in never did anyone any good.”

He was met with a loud blowing of the nose in reply. “It’s no good to keep all _this_ in either,” she let out a congested laugh that lacked humor.  “I’m sorry I’m such a disgusting, mucus-y mess.”  Claire was certain she was what her friends in the city referred to as an _ugly crier_ , but honestly, who looked _good_ when their heart was stomped on?

“Please don’t apologize,” he replied calmly. Claire was hardly the first person to sob freely in this room, and he knew better than anyone that a maiden truly crying was anything but dainty.

The young woman rubbed her raw eyes and blinked as she stared at the splotches of stained glass colors on the floor. Her breathing eventually slowed down as she cleared out her airways once more.  “I want to think it was for the best,” she murmured, “but my heart won’t let me.”

“These kinds of things take time. No one expects you to be fully healed already.  You said this just happened today.  You’re speaking very rationally, and that’s why I know you’re going to be alright.”

Claire nearly deflected his compliment, almost asking him if there was a reason why she should not be thinking logically. The young woman stared at the ground.  She knew that most of her thoughts today had started out a lot more emotionally-driven.  “Perhaps the main reason I sound rational is because I’ve exhausted my emotions,” Claire admitted, giving the priest a wry smile.  “I’m still having a hard time putting things in perspective.  I might sound calm, but I feel like a mess.  I can’t tell if I’m angry or sad…”

 _… Or relieved._ She kept this last thought to herself.

“There’s no reason why you can’t feel all those things at once. It’s natural.  You lost something today, and grieving is how we deal with it.”

The notion that she had suffered a loss caused a dagger of anguish to strike her heart. “I-I lost… m-my _hope_ …” she burst into tears, burying her face with her hands in shame at her lack of control over her emotions, “that we’d ever be happy together!” she finished with a sob, reaching for more tissues.  “I… I _hate_ … that I’m having such a hard time with this… accepting it, I mean.”

“Accepting something is the final step of the grieving process. It takes time for your heart to work through these emotions.  Again, no one is expecting you to be fine right now.”

“I… told them both… Mary and Gray… it would take time for me… to get over…”

“And that’s okay,” Carter replied, quietly waiting for her to continue.

“I wonder if he’s _always_ had a thing for her…” she mused aloud as she blew her nose.  “I wonder just how much effort and time I have wasted…”

The priest frowned; this conversation was headed in a direction that wasn’t particularly healthy. “I don’t think it helps to dwell and wonder on such things.  But, for what it is worth, Gray moved to this town a few years ago and wasn’t the most social person you’d meet.  But he started going to the library and became friends with Mary.  After that, he has seemed much happier.  He was a very angry person when he first moved into town, and spending time with her seems to have helped mellow him out quite a bit.”

Strangely enough, Carter’s story made Claire’s heart hurt a little less. Even she had to admit that the two got along well and that they were good for each other, at least as friends.  “I guess I knew that something was going on between the two when I first met them, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself.  It seems I wasn’t meant to find someone here, I suppose,” she added a little sadly with a wistful sigh as she dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a tissue.

She was in so much pain right now that she couldn’t think about the future. Carter had been there himself, after all, back in his bachelor days before becoming a priest.  A broken heart took time to mend, and getting through that period of heartache was difficult enough without planning for what was to come.  “Just because things didn’t work out with Gray doesn’t mean you will be alone forever,” Carter comforted the young woman.

Claire frowned. Her heart ached and she was so tired.  “I honestly don’t know if I have the heart for love anymore.”  The young woman’s voice cracked at the end of her sentence.  If Gray wasn’t meant for her, then no one was.

Carter smiled. The young woman had much to learn.  “But Claire, don’t you see?  You’re surrounded by love.  What about your friends?  What about Karen, Ann, and Cliff?”

The farmer recalled the smiles she had received from her friends last night, and how loved she had felt. Had that really just been yesterday?  It felt like weeks ago…  Her heart had been full to bursting at the time; today it felt empty.  She no longer had the capacity to understand anything about love, except for the fact that she wasn’t receiving any of it from Gray.

“And I know that I wasn’t the only one to check on you when you got sick earlier this season,” the priest continued. “There are a lot of people that care about you.  You are loved by a lot of people.”  Surely the farmer had to realize that she had become an important part of the community and many looked up to her.  People admired her hard work ethic and the life she brought back to the struggling village.  When Popuri stopped by on Sundays, she occasionally would mention how Karen had mellowed out due to the farmer’s influence.  Jeff, the grocery store owner, seemed less stressed out now that he had a steady paying customer.  And Cliff… well, words couldn’t do justice for the positive change the priest had seen in this parishioner – no – this good friend of his.

The young woman felt a wave of frustration wash over her. She was aware that the clergyman was attempting to comfort her, but he was taking the word _love_ too generally.  Of course she knew she was loved, but that hadn’t been what she really meant.  Claire sighed.  “I know what you’re saying, but I’m talking about romantic love,” she stammered, embarrassed she had to spell it out loud for him.  “I’ve never pictured myself with anyone other than Gray, and now that he’s taken….”  She realized how immature and ungrateful she sounded and she stopped herself.

Carter did not judge. “In the time we’ve known each other, I’ve seen you grow up a lot.  The Harvest Goddess called you to this town for a reason.  So maybe you weren’t meant to be with Gray.  That doesn’t mean that your time in Mineral Town has been wasted.  You don’t have to go looking for romantic love; it will come to you when the time is right, and now that you’ve had this experience you’ll be better able to handle it when it does.  You have accomplished so much with the support of those around you, and you shouldn’t let one sour experience ruin the whole thing for you.  Please, don’t let the news of Gray and Mary’s new relationship tarnish the wonderful memories you made last night with your friends.”

He was right. Today was a nightmare, but that didn’t mean that yesterday was… and maybe tomorrow would be a little easier, too.  Claire allowed a small smile to creep across her lips.  “I got to dance with Saibara last night.”  The strain began to fade from her voice while she remembered the old man’s cackles as he danced side by side with her the previous evening.

“You did?” The priest encouraged her with a gentle yet eager voice as he leaned forward in his chair.

“Yes. He was very kind to me,” she said, recalling the blacksmith’s patience in teaching her.  “He said that with enough spirit, you can do anything.”

The thought of the two dancing together was an entertaining one; the priest almost regretted not showing up for the social event. “He is right, you know,” Carter laughed.  “And Cliff said that you are a pretty good dancer.”

“He’s too kind,” Claire chuckled softly as she dismissed this with the wave of a hand, “I just had very patient dance partners. Now… Cliff is an _excellent_ dancer.  He told me how his family used to lead off in the music festivals at his hometown,” Claire played with a lock of her long, blonde hair in her fingers as she studied the colorful patterns on the carpet.  “It was a bit surprising to learn that about him; it seems he has a few hidden talents.”

Carter let out a friendly laugh. “Yes, he’s definitely an interesting person…”

Claire nodded. “It was fun learning new dances and hearing new songs,” she continued as she crossed her legs and got more comfortable in her armchair.  “I really enjoyed seeing everyone together having a good time.  I am very eager to meet up with Cliff again sometime and learn more about him, but today…”  Her voice faded as she uncrossed her legs and slouched a bit in her chair, the memory of her heartache crashing around her.

The priest gave her a sad smile as he studied the pain in her eyes. “You heart needs a break today, huh?  It’s okay to feel sad about it, Claire.  Give yourself the time you need to heal, but do not dwell on the pain.  Be sure to spend time with your friends; their love will help you heal faster.”  His soothing voice eased the young woman’s heart a bit.

Claire nodded, and was surprised she didn’t feel like crying. Her mind felt a little less foggy, and she mulled over the day’s events in her head.  While the farmer felt that she had been wronged, she realized that she was not exactly innocent herself.  A pang of guilt rose in her stomach as she remembered her unkind thoughts and attitude toward Mary the night before.  “I would like to make a confession while I am here as well.”

“Of course, my child.” He folded his hands in his lap and bowed his head as he was wont to do when he heard those words.

“I… I’ve been mean toward Mary…  I know that I’ve been cold toward her when she did not deserve it, and I know I’ve been unkind towards others as well,” she recalled to him the times that she brushed off Cliff when Gray was in the same room.

“We often become blinded when we are infatuated or we feel threatened. The Harvest Goddess can see that and she forgives you.  It is important though that you don’t let your desire for love cause pain to another.”  He gave her a warm, earnest gaze as he twiddled his thumbs.

 _Infatuated?_ The young woman frowned.  Surely Carter didn’t understand what her heart was going through if he was going to use that word to describe it.  This had been _love_!  Perhaps he had forgotten what it felt like since he took the vow to become a priest.  She decided to let this line slide; the young woman wanted to focus on their conversation and where it was headed.  “I… I told Mary it might take a while for me to want to hang out with her again.”

The clergyman’s face lit up as he heard this news. He straightened his posture a bit and gave Claire a smile.  “I’m impressed at how honestly and responsibly you handled the situation,” Carter commented, smoothing out the wrinkles in his robes.  “I have listened to your confessions over these past two seasons and I can see your heart maturing, Claire.  You are developing into a very sensitive and caring young lady; you feel your emotions very deeply.  I know that someday, when the time is right, you will find someone of your own that will make you very happy.”

She knew that this last remark was one that the priest probably felt obligated to say to any heartbroken person who came seeking his counsel. “I don’t want to worry about that right now,” a smile tugged at Claire’s lips as she stood up, “But I do feel a bit better after talking to you.”

“Things will get better. Remember, Claire, bad times are just times that are bad.  The Harvest Goddess has a lot in store for you here in Mineral Town.”  He gave her a nod of encouragement.

“Thank you, Carter,” she turned to leave. Her heart felt a little less empty, but it still hurt.  It seemed this problem wasn’t simply going to vanish overnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am glad that I’m getting the general consensus that the emotions in these last chapters felt very real; that was my goal. But I’ll tell you one thing – it’s exhausting to write!


	46. A Friend for Stability

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An emotional Claire struggles to keep it together during a visit from a good friend.

She found that while the trip to the church had been healing, it had also been emotionally exhausting; Claire spent the rest of the day at home resting. The young woman sat cross-legged on her bed, listening to the birds outside while she scratched a sleepy Koro's head. Part of her wanted to go over to the grocery story to talk to Karen about the dance, but she felt too preoccupied with her conflicting feelings about Gray and Mary. She didn't have to worry about whether or not the young man was interested in her; he obviously wasn't, and in a strange way this meant a major source of stress in her life was gone.

At the same time, she mourned the fact that they would likely never have a romantic relationship together and he would never be hers. That scent of machine oil and smoldering metal would never signal her lover's arrival. She'd never snatch his worn ball cap and playfully put it on her own head, demanding a kiss in exchange for the return of the headwear. She remembered the last time she had seen him without his hat. It was that very morning and she had been holding back her anger, wishing that a simple slap across the face would have sufficed for his transgressions.

She replayed the conversation in her mind over and over, absentmindedly stroking her young dog's floppy ears. Her emotions wavered between being overwhelmed with sadness and being frustrated that she cared so much. Dwelling on it didn't seem to do much than other tire her out further, and her sadness slowly faded into the background as the day went on. She left the napping Koro on her bed and tidied up her house while she thought and made herself another batch of iced herbal tea. She was finally starting to feel a little better about the whole thing.

There was a knock at the door and Claire's calm demeanor shattered. The visitor she already had today didn't exactly provide good news for her. What if it was Gray, coming to apologize again? Or maybe it was Mary? Her stomach twisted uncomfortably in knots.

"Claire, you home?"

The farmer immediately relaxed as she heard her friend's cheery voice. Now that Karen had come to her, she found that she really wanted the company. Claire reached into her refrigerator and produced her pitcher of tea and some glasses to drink from. "The door's unlocked. Come on in."

Karen held a paper sack between her teeth as she removed her shoes in the doorway, her blonde streaks falling into her eyes as she leaned forward. Claire forced a smile on her face. Now that her friend was here, she was filled with the insatiable desire to cry on Karen's shoulder and tell her how awful her day had been. Right now wasn't the proper time to tell her about Gray though, she reasoned. Her friend had probably come to talk about the dance and her budding relationship with the poultry farmer, and Claire was determined to allow her friend to bask in her happiness and tell to Karen about today's events at a later time. The farmer searched within her heart. She would be confident tonight, Claire convinced herself. Karen was not to think anything was wrong. The farmer straightened her posture and willed her eyebrows to stop furrowing.

"Hey!" Karen was in a playful mood as she looked up from the paper brown paper sack she was rustling in her hands. She had brought over a bag of sweets to share from the supermarket.

The farmer decided to start off with a cheerful demeanor. "You didn't walk your own date home last night," Claire cocked an eyebrow before pouting and folding her arms across her chest. The blonde snatched the bag of candy and boldly opened it, selecting a vanilla caramel crème with a smirk before shoving it back into the young woman's arms.

Karen turned a violent shade of red, oblivious that her friend had been acting a little out of character. She set down the bag of candies on the table, nearly knocking it over in her flustered stupor. "Well, about that-"

Claire felt her pain dissolve at the sight of Karen's blush. She carefully removed the wax paper around her piece of candy and bit into it, licking the cream from her lips. "And you were the one that told me I didn't need to find my true love last night! Have a seat, you hypocrite!" Claire popped the rest of the confection into her mouth and chewed, savoring the sweetness of the treat. She was eager to hear some good news today. Perhaps if she continued with her cheerful act, it would start to feel a little more natural and she could stop pretending to be in high spirits.

Karen took a seat next to her friend. "Hey, we both did pretty well for ourselves last night," the brunette gave her a flirty smile, shuffling through the sack and setting a few pieces of candy aside for herself.

Claire rolled her eyes in response to her friend's comment as she poured the tea. "I got one awkward dance with Gray," she let out a wry laugh, shaking her head. Why did she bring him up? Claire bit her lip and forced herself to smile. She was determined to keep the apprentice on the backburner and focus on something happy instead. However, the mere utterance of his name caused her brave front to unravel a bit.

Karen held her tongue and unwrapped a piece of candy, swallowing it in one bite. "You got a _lot_ of dances last night," she said with a chuckle and a hint of a smirk. She took a sip from her tea before she ended up saying something she was going to regret. The herbal blend tasted bitter compared to the caramel she had just eaten, but it was better than to tease her friend too far.

Claire rolled her eyes, but her cheeks felt warm as she reminisced about Cliff's gentle guidance. "Yeah, but none with my actual date!" She realized that she actually welcomed the distraction from the day's drama. But that was all it was – a diversion. The realization of this made her stomach sink. She had just been trying to forget the ugly truth that Gray didn't love her.

Karen laughed heartily and dug into the candy, lining up her favorites beside her. A caramel, a peppermint, and a licorice sat in a colorful tidy row beside her. "Once Cliff swooped in, I don't think he would have shared you even with me!" She couldn't help herself. She gave Claire a nudge and was surprised when she shrank back. "Hey…" Karen looked at her with concern.

The blonde hated that she was still so emotional. Her friend's mild teasing about boys was too much for her to handle right now. The last thing she wanted to talk about was her love life, or lack thereof.

"Huh… did something happen between you two? You both looked so happy last night..." Karen's eyebrows furrowed. Cliff was a good friend of hers, but if he hurt Claire, he was going to get an earful at the very least.

She didn't want her good friend to take the blame for her unhappiness – she was quick to defend. "Oh, no! We had a great time," Claire absentmindedly waved her hand, desperately trying to find that cheery persona once more. "The dance was great! So… how about you?" she weakly attempted to change the subject. She topped off her glass of tea out of nervousness and took a large gulp so that she wouldn't be obligated to speak again right away.

Karen cast her a suspicious glance but made no further attempts at prying for the time being. Her friend was, and always had been, terrible at hiding her emotions. The brunette wasn't blind to her companion's tearstained face and forced upbeat demeanor the moment she arrived, but she'd let her bring it up when she was ready. Claire didn't seem the type to hold these kinds of things in for very long. She kept her conversation lively. "If you're asking how I liked the dance, I had a blast! Duke can really get down when he's buzzed. Did you see him?"

Claire shook her blonde head, a little embarrassed that she hadn't focused much on her surroundings the night before. She thought of Carter's words – not to let her memories be tarnished. "I learned a lot of moves last night. I'd show you some, but my legs ache so much." She found a rueful smile make its way across her face. The memory of moving in rhythm to the music filled her heart with a warm glow. She felt like she had become so much better at dancing in just one evening, and it was kind of exciting.

Karen laughed. It was good to see the farmer relax a little bit. Once her best friends started dancing together, she hadn't seen them take a break for the rest of the evening. "I'd imagine you'd be sore. You were a regular pro by the end of the night, huh?" She started on her soft peppermint.

"Yeah, sure," her friend laughed with a smirk. "After I collided with Cliff a few times. He's a good sport, though." Claire played with the drips of condensation on the side of her glass of tea. The drink wasn't the best choice paired with confections, but the cold glass felt nice and comforting between her hands – it had been a hot day. Recalling her male friend's patience further soothed her. She took an absentminded sip.

Karen knew their mutual friend probably would've still been over the moon even if Claire stomped on his feet all night, so long as he was by her side, but the farmer's slightly defensive aura kept her from teasing any further. "The kid cleans up good," the brunette commented innocently, moving on to her piece of licorice.

"Yeah. He looked really nice," she allowed her smile to grow a little bit despite her inner thoughts. _Don't make this about another guy_ , she scolded herself.

Karen nodded her head and gave her friend a hesitant look. Claire wasn't opening up to her like she normally did. She decided to test the waters. "Cute, cute, cute. My two best friends. I'm so glad you had fun and didn't spend the evening pining over Gray."

She couldn't stand it anymore. Claire's mask shattered and she stared at the table's surface, fruitlessly attempting to blink away her tears. She clenched her fists in frustration at losing her serenity and for being so selfish. Karen had obviously been building up to talking about Rick, and the farmer had stolen her opportunity by making the evening about herself.

The brunette rose from her seat. She knew something had been bothering Claire, but for her to be moved to the point of crying in front of her? "What did he do?! I will _kill_ him!" her eyes flashed dangerously as she scowled; the black licorice had darkened her teeth and making her look all the more terrifying.

Claire shook her head, but the tears wouldn't stop as she stumbled over her words. She was frustrated that she had derailed the conversation. "He… and Mary… they're a couple now." She returned her hands to her lap and wrung them nervously, awaiting Karen's assessment of the situation.

Her friend's expression relaxed only slightly. "And how did you find out the news?" If Claire had found out by seeing the couple acting romantic together, Gray should be praying the grocer's daughter would be merciful enough to grant him death.

She wanted to say that it wasn't a big deal and that they should talk about something else, but the words came out before she could stop them. "He came over… this morning… t-to say he wasn't interested in me," Claire hiccoughed and sniffed, "and then…Mary said she wanted to be the one to tell me they're dating…" she sheepishly wiped her eyes on her sleeve, ashamed she was crying so much today.

The strain melted from Karen's features as she flew to her and put her arms around Claire. She didn't bother with making her friend explain the confusing situation to her; she was obviously upset and repeating the whole ordeal wouldn't make things any better. "Hey… he's not worth your tears. He's a damn coward." Karen stroked her friend's blonde locks. She knew this day would inevitably come, and she had already prepared the words long ago. "Don't you pay them any mind," she continued in a soothing voice, "you're too good for him anyway. You deserve someone better, and you'll _find_ someone better." It had taken him until he was actually dating Mary to spell out his feelings for Claire? Karen would be paying the apprentice a visit later this evening and having a word with him.

Claire didn't want to think about anyone else for her. She cried into her friend's shoulder for a few minutes. He never liked her and she had wasted so much time and emotion on it all. Karen held her quietly, patting her back as she let out her tears. The farmer was grateful that her friend didn't pass any judgment on her for being so emotional. As Claire began to stop shaking, Karen brushed the blonde hair out of the farmer's face.

"Hey, look at me."

Claire quietly obeyed, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"Everything will turn out alright," Karen's voice softened. "I know your heart probably feels stomped on right now, but it will pass. There are other guys in the village who would be lucky to be with you," She stroked her friend's hair.

Claire could see Karen was trying to cheer her up and the effort didn't go unnoticed. The young woman sniffed and grinned as she chuckled weakly, sniffing. "Like Rick?" Claire got up to get a handkerchief and dabbed at her raw eyes.

Karen realized that she looked a little more like herself. The brunette stuck out her tongue. "Taken." She swiftly took another swig of tea and her friend followed suit.

The farmer was the first to finish drinking. "Yes, tell me how that came to be," Claire smiled mischievously and blew her nose, apologizing as she did so.

She hesitated. "You sure?" Karen caught the glint in Claire's eye as she nodded eagerly and took it as an okay to talk about her new relationship. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. "Well, as you know, Rick and I have been friends for most of our lives. We both grew up in this town together. Last winter, I realized I liked him as more than just a friend," she casually threw her hair over her shoulder, but she let out a nervous giggle. "But I didn't say anything. I wanted to see if he felt the same way." Karen wrapped her hands around her glass, staring into the contents to avoid making eye contact.

Claire had calmed down and finished off her tea while her friend was talking. Now that she had cried a little bit, her mind felt much clearer and she was able to focus more on her friend's words. "Cliff said he noticed there was something going on between you two the moment he first saw you both together," she replied with an arched eyebrow.

Either the young man was very astute, or Karen wasn't good at hiding her affections. She didn't really care to admit either. "Well, Cliff can go… jump off a cliff," Karen dismissed this with a wave of her hand, laughing. "I noticed at the Cooking Festival when Rick congratulated me on my dish he seemed a little flustered. I got pretty hopeful."

Claire rested her arms on the table's surface and laid her chin on top of them. "So why didn't you do anything about it then?" She looked up at her companion with wide blue eyes.

"Huh?" Karen was taken by surprise. She jolted out of her relaxed posture.

The farmer tilted her head to the side; she thought that she had been blatantly obvious. "Why didn't you tell him that you loved him? Why didn't you tell him that you were learning how to cook so that you'd be able to help support him?" A smug smile played at the young woman's pink lips.

Karen took her final piece of candy, fat caramel, and raised her eyebrows at Claire as she unwrapped her treat. "You could tell that then, huh?" she took the whole caramel in one bite. "Well, you can't just say that to someone," she continued, her mouth full.

"Well, why not?" Her friend thought Karen could tell anyone anything.

She let out a sigh of exasperation at her friend's naiveté. "Because I didn't want to get rejected if he didn't feel the same way. Don't play dumb; this is basic relationship stuff, Claire," Karen chortled, but more color had come into her cheeks. "Anyway, we had been spending more time together lately, and at the dance he said that he has started to realize how much I meant to him," her eyes had a faraway look in them. "So, naturally, I played it cool and spent a lot of time talking with him."

 _Talking with him…_ That was something she and Gray never did too much of… She shook the thoughts from her mind. "Did you ever end up dancing with someone else's date like you said you would?" Claire asked in an attempt to distract herself from her thoughts of the apprentice blacksmith.

"Hmm… I danced with Duke. And see? The world didn't end!" Karen shrugged. Claire was surprised she didn't notice the two dancing together during the party. "Manna didn't care. She danced with the doc for a while. Anyway, I talked with Rick at the bar and got a few drinks into him. He loosened up a bit after that," she laughed heartily, twirling a strand of brown hair around her finger. Claire was uncomfortable; it seemed there were quite a few things she didn't pay attention to last night.

She had no doubt that this was part of her friend's plot to reel in the poultry farmer. "Oh, don't tell me you had to get him drunk first!" the farmer teased, brushing off her embarrassment.

Her companion dismissed this with a wave of the hand and rolled eyes. "He wasn't drunk, just a bit tipsy," Karen insisted with a giggle. "He just needed a little extra courage to say what he needed."

"And what did he say?"

Karen blushed and looked at the floor, debating whether or not to tell her his exact words. They were, in truth, a bit sappy, and she didn't want her friend to be reminded of her own loneliness. She stole a glance at the farmer, who was watching her friend with wide, curious eyes and a bright smile. It seemed Claire had forgotten about her own pain at the moment. The brunette continued, her cheeks burning. "We were getting ready to head out and he said, 'Karen, I've waited too long to say this: I love you. I've loved you for years, but I've been afraid to tell you. We've always been good friends, but I want us to be more.' Of course I agreed."

That must have been shortly before the kiss the farmer had witnessed. The young woman's heart felt light; she was glad that Karen and Rick had finally made their relationship official. "I'm so happy for you," Claire smiled at her friend. "You two are perfect for each other."

Karen's face was still red. "Thanks. That means a lot to me… Last night was pretty amazing, huh?" She rested her chin on the palm of her hand.

"Yeah," Claire admitted.

Karen recalled how this whole conversation had started. "Sorry I didn't walk you home." She sincerely doubted that her companion cared; the blonde had seemed quite occupied when Karen left with Rick.

"Oh, that's fine." Claire wasn't sure why she decided not to share that someone else had done that for her.

The brunette smiled. Things were going to be alright with Claire; she just needed to get past this rough patch. "You really did look cute last night dancing, Claire," Karen smiled, recalling seeing her friend giggling as she twirled. There truly was something very special about the night before – seeing Claire let her guard down in a social setting and enjoy herself completely was a refreshing change. The blonde's dancing partner had behaved in a similar way. Karen smiled; it seemed both of her friends were slowly becoming more comfortable around other people and she was genuinely happy for both of them.

Claire shyly rubbed the back of her neck, messing up her hair a bit. "You mean flailing around with Saibara?" The farmer giggled.

"You know what I mean."

The young woman's heart gave an uncomfortable jolt like it did last night. She looked into her empty glass. "Well, thank you for lending me the dress," she stammered, too embarrassed to steal a glance at Karen.

"No problem," she studied her friend's face. "Hey… I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," she offered gently.

"N-not at all!" Claire said a little too loudly. She poured herself another cup of tea and noticed her hands were trembling. She quickly shook it off; the news of Gray and Mary had made her too emotional about everything.

"Well, the fireworks festival is coming up next month," Karen changed the subject.

Claire was grateful her friend had dropped the subject of boys. While she enjoyed Cliff's company immensely, the topic of men in general made her thoughts inevitably drift to Gray. She felt like she had been reliving this morning's conversation with the young man all day, and, quite frankly, she was tiring of it. The young woman had been crushed, but it was exhausting to remain in that state. The thought of fireworks was a bittersweet one, though, as she had often spent summer holidays alone, catching up on office work when she lived in the city, trying to block out the sound of merriment and booming fireworks as she focused on her fiscal reports. Seeing the other city folk dressed up in their yukatas and festival wear made her heart throb with a vehement jealousy.

She was certain Karen would want to watch the fireworks with her new boyfriend, and she didn't want to kill the mood for them with her presence.

"You'll sit with us, right?" the brunette's words surprised Claire.

"S-Sure," she stammered, playing with her fingers. She found that she was choking back a giddiness about the event and the notion of being included.

Her friend looked up at her curiously. "What's got you so wound up?"

"Ah…" the farmer was embarrassed at being caught in such a flustered state. She felt a lump form in her throat. Her eyes drifted to the box that she kept in the corner of her room where she kept her clothing. "I'll… I'll finally get to wear my yukata," she murmured quietly, avoiding eye contact.

Her friend grinned. "Oh, that's right!" Karen's face lit up; she could tell that it meant a lot to Claire to finally be able to wear this piece of clothing that she had kept hidden away for so long.

A warm glow swelled in Claire's chest. "I'm gonna do my hair, too!" she added enthusiastically. She immediately thought of the areas along the mountain trail where the most flowers grew and which ones would look nicest with her outfit.

Karen stuck out her tongue and giggled. She could tell the farmer was thinking in depth about preparing for the event, and she wanted to encourage her to be excited about something. "We'll be the cutest ones there."

Claire gave an emphatic nod although she knew Karen would be the one attracting the lion's share of the attention. She realized with a small shrug that she didn't really care. She was eager to watch the night sky light up while being free from worries or work. "In the city they had fireworks festivals too," Claire reminisced.

Karen giggled. "Well, you're in for a treat! You'll get to attend a _real_ festival here! There are games in the square, fireworks, and bon dancing!"

A dreamy smile crossed Claire's lips as she felt a strong wave of nostalgia. "Ah, I haven't danced the bon since I was a kid. I don't know if I'd remember how."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Karen snorted. "When someone like Thomas leads the dancing…" her voice faded with a snicker. "Not many people actually dance. It's funny to watch – I'll give it that. The man has two left feet."

Claire clung to her fantasy of the fireworks. "I can't wait!"

The thought of looking forward to something gave her a glimmer of hope for the future. It was just as Carter had said – she had friends who cared about her. Mineral Town wasn't a loss. Her throat relaxed as she imagined an evening with her friends. Maybe they'd even do some traditional dancing; she found herself giggling with delight at the very idea. The notion of a group dance sounded lovely. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago she wanted to be all alone. Perhaps she was healing a bit already, she wondered. The concept left her a little baffled. Swinging from hopelessness to glee in such a short period of time made her feel a jolt of guilt. She was supposed to be mourning, after all. Still, the thought of the Fireworks Festival left a small smile on her face. She remembered the priest's words once more about the love her friends had for her. Surely she shouldn't spend all of the time focusing on the pain.

"I'm psyched for it, too! After all, there will be different alcohol vendors there!" Karen giggled.

Claire rolled her eyes before giving her friend a playful shove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cultural Note: Bon festivals are held in Japan in late summer and feature fireworks, various stalls, and traditional dancing, to name just a few activities. Bon dancing a group dance that is performed in a circle to honor the dead. Fun fact: different areas have their own bon dances and songs based on the region. I decided to write the Fireworks Festival as more of a Bon type deal. Should be fun!
> 
> Things are starting to look up for Claire! Please let me know what you think of the story so far or any questions you have! :) I truly appreciate every hit, favorite, follow, and review immensely!


	47. Playdate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected visit from an even more unexpected guest breaks Claire out of her funk.

The farmer had grown accustomed to the daily travelers that made their way through Mystic Acres to go up into the mountains. A small strip running through her land was public property and a dirt path had been worn through the grass over the years from people passing back and forth between Mother's Hill and Mineral Town. Karen had also explained to her that people from Forget-Me-Not Valley were also confined to this path if they wanted to make their way into town. The notion had made Claire a little uncomfortable at first – it left a certain lack of solitude on her farm, but over time, she hardly noticed it at all. After all, if she looked behind her barn, she could often see Rick and Popuri tending to their hens outside. The country, while more spread out, didn't have that same sense of confined privacy that the city did.

Occasionally, one of the siblings would lean on the wooden fence and Claire would approach them, engaging in small talk. She had learned that her property had been abandoned for at least twenty-five years and had once been run by a friendly old man. Of course, neither sibling had much to say about the old farmer because they hadn't yet been born when he passed away.

She never stood around to talk much to those walking along the path; most people looked pretty busy. The notion didn't bother Claire too much today as she hadn't been much in the mood for socializing. While her heart had healed a little over the past couple of days, it still hurt quite a bit. Karen, Popuri, and Ann passed through almost daily at the same time every morning. Basil and Cliff had erratic timings with their trips – the botanist often mumbling to himself about the various plant life in the area, and Cliff frequently passing through well before the heat of the day with a nod, a friendly wave, and a bunch of empty sacks strapped to his body. Earlier in the summer they'd stop and speak a while, but lately the increasing number of bundles he left in her shipping bin told the farmer that her friend was busy and had a lot of work to do. She'd never keep him for long, and they hadn't gotten a chance to speak much since the dance. Gotz would pass through around once a week to make a trip to the supermarket and head right back. He'd greet the young woman with a grunt and nod. This last Thursday morning, Claire had stayed inside while Saibara and his grandson made their weekly trip up to the mountains for their hike and meditation session.

Needless to say, Claire wasn't shocked when she saw Ann milling about on her farm when she left the house that morning, but the waitress wasn't due for her morning trip to the Goddess Spring for a while.

"Hiya, Claire!" the perky redhead gave her a playful grin. "What are the plans for today?"

The young woman dipped her watering can into her little pond and spoke over the glugging noise of the container rushing into it. "Same old, same old. Watering, then harvesting. I'd do it the other way around, but stuff starts wilting by noon if I don't water earlier." She didn't have to look up from her work to realize how carefully she was being watched. "What about you?"

The waitress thought she'd never ask. "Well, I thought that maybe you'd like some help today," Ann stretched her arms and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Dad gave me the day off, and I thought I'd see how you're doing."

She wondered if there was a specific reason why Ann wanted to check on her. Surely news must have traveled that Gray and Mary were dating, and it seemed as if everyone had known Claire had a crush on him. She was determined not to look pathetic, and she didn't want any sympathy. Karen had showered her in it that first day and even Claire knew that she would get coddled if she asked for more. "Oh, I'm doing okay," she gave the young woman a weak smile. She wondered if she really did look fine. Sometimes she felt alright, but other times, she relived that conversation with Gray in her over and over and got upset once again. She suddenly felt very depressed. "Really, you don't have to feel the need to help. I'm the one who signed up for all of this," she chuckled hollowly, setting the heavy watering can on the grass beside her feet.

"I know. You're lucky!" she beamed as she grabbed the can and eagerly began showering her crops before the farmer could stop her. Koro wandered over toward the redhead and sniffed curiously. Ann crouched down. "Hey, there, pup! Do you smell my cat on me?" The young dog wagged his tail in response. "What do you call the little guy?"

"Koro. I know, real original, right?" the blonde giggled. "But he just looks like a Koro, no?"

The puppy let out a happy yip at the sound of his name.

"Hey, little Koro!" Ann's voice unknowingly raised an octave as she patted his golden head.

A smirk crossed Claire's lips. "That dog is a glutton for attention. You have been warned."

"Oh, please," Ann rolled her eyes as the canine flopped on his back to get his belly scratched, "I bet you cuddle with him every night!"

She watched the pair play and realized that Ann was exactly right; the dog was very spoiled. "Maybe…" the young woman's face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm trying to get better about it, though. He only sleeps with me _sometimes_. I make him sleep outside if the weather's nice."

"Poor Koro!" Ann cooed. "Does that mean, nasty farmer make you sleep outside in the cold?"

"Hey, I'm doing him a favor!" Claire folded her arms across her chest. "That house is sweltering! It feels _much_ better outside!"

"Yeah, yeah… Oh, you know what would be fun? We should camp out here under the stars! I bet you'd get an awesome view!" Ann shaded her forehead with her hand as she looked up at the clear blue sky.

"Ooooh, yeah!" Claire's face lit up. "And we can set up a campfire and pretend we're roughing it!" she giggled. The blonde's eyes widened at her own statement. It hadn't been that long ago that she had actually felt like she was 'roughing it' in her own home. At what point had life gotten easier for her? She still had to bathe in the hot springs daily, and her makeshift outhouse was anything but glamorous. The clothing she had ordered from Won was due any day now, but she was still dressed in her initial set of work clothes she wore when she moved to Mineral Town. Nevertheless, this had become the norm for her somewhere along the way. A slight smile crossed the farmer's face. She had come a long way since she lived in the city.

Claire saw some movement out of the corner of her eye and noticed a familiar young man headed to the mountains. Either she and Ann were both too deep in conversation to hear his greeting, or he had quietly snuck past them, not wanting to interrupt. Claire assumed the latter; he looked focused on the task at hand. The sun's rays played at his long brown hair as he reached into a leather satchel strapped to his back to don his falconer's gauntlet. He definitely had his own unique flair, but that was what made him who he was. Claire felt a smile spread across her face as she watched his lean muscles flex as he pulled on the arm wear. She jumped when Ann stepped over toward her, crunching a stick under her sneakers with a loud snap.

She saw the way the blonde had been watching their friend and bit back a snicker. Poking fun of her helped Ann cement her own feelings about the young man. "You back from dreamland?" she asked with a smirk.

Claire's face felt hot as she inwardly punished herself for staring; it was a bad habit, and one that she had trouble shaking since she was a child. Her parents often scolded her for doing it when they were in public and someone caught her eye. She had gotten better about it as she grew older, but she still caught herself now and then staring at people.

She always found it a little strange that Ann teased her about their mutual friend. The farmer whirled toward her companion and cocked her head in the direction of Cliff. "So, are you feeling better than you were the other day?" she gave Ann a concerned look.

The farmer waited for her to speak, but Ann stretched her back, her vertebrae crackling and popping as she did so. Claire wondered if her friend was simply refusing to answer the question. Ann looked deep in thought for a moment, and Claire was surprised when she was finally met with an indifferent shrug. "If you're asking if I still have a thing for him… I thought I did once."

Ann let out a sigh as Cliff disappeared out of sight and grabbed an empty basket to collect ears of corn. Falling out of love was a new experience for her, but her emotions had gradually been changing for quite some time now. She was still becoming acquainted with the lack of tightening in her chest whenever he walked by her or when they hung out together for breakfast. Her final attempts at flirting the week before had been the nail in the coffin; she felt like she was teasing a younger sibling more than anything else, and it had embarrassed her. She'd even pushed the flirting a bit extra that day at Kai's, a little frustrated that she didn't get that flutter in her stomach like she used to. "He's cute and that accent's adorable, but all he ever gave me in return was a brotherly vibe…" she admitted sheepishly, twisting off an ear of corn and placing it in the basket. The waitress was surprised that a weight lifted from her heart as she admitted this aloud. "He's a good friend, though," she continued. Ann was learning new things about her own heart every day. "I wouldn't change that for anything," she realized.

Claire watered the plant and noticed that Ann had been going through her own personal heartbreak in a way, and she felt a wave of guilt for not really reaching out to her about it more. The farmer had been too wrapped up in her own silly love affairs to think that her friend might be going through something similar. She remembered earlier when the young woman had burst into tears over her lack of luck with romance. Ann had been very hard to read – she acted like she wanted to talk about it, but she was so guarded at the same time. The redhead hadn't really brought the subject back up ever since.

The two worked in silence for a few minutes, each focusing on the work they were doing rather than any issues regarding romance they were facing. "Well, I think you're a good friend, too," Claire pointed out kindly. "Thanks again for your help with the farm today."

Ann emptied her haul into the shipping bin and began filling another basket with corn. "No problem. I just wanted a fun day to focus on simple stuff."

Claire realized she had been craving the same thing. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I'll have to keep in mind that you think farm chores are fun," she laughed, moving down to a row of tomato plants.

"I'm a little jealous. I always thought that it would be really cool to live on a farm." Ann picked up an old dried-out cucumber vine and tossed it out on the grass. Koro barked and tore after the vine, attacking it with a playful yip. Both women laughed; it seemed the puppy hadn't quite learned the concept of fetch just yet. She returned to her harvesting. "When I was a kid, I used to play here all the time. Well, technically I wasn't supposed to because we were trespassing, but that's what made it more fun!" she beamed at her friend. "I used to pull up the weeds. They were my crops! Rick refused to eat them, though. Sometimes Karen force-fed him some dandelions that we had 'harvested'."

Claire laughed. She could easily picture this whole scenario in her mind. When she came back from refilling her watering can, she noticed Ann standing up straight, gazing out at the fields.

"… And now there actually is a _farm_ here," she murmured. She stood there silently for a moment, taking it all in. "It's kind of crazy," Ann let out a small laugh as she went back to work. "I mean, most of us younger folk have never actually seen anything other than weeds out here." She paused and stood back up, whirling around to meet the farmer. "You should be real proud of yourself, Claire."

She felt a warm glow in her chest. "Thank you…" her throat tightened. Her eyes drifted to her empty mailbox and suddenly realized how much she craved hearing those words from her parents, but she was still waiting a reply from the multiple letters she had sent. Claire swallowed the lump in her throat. Now was not the time to dwell on this. She stared at the ground to hide her embarrassment. She saw a stick lying in the dirt that had been blown into her farm – a perfect diversion. "Koro, fetch!" she tried, hurling the stick into the grass. She was surprised when her pet actually chased after it and retrieved the stick, bringing it back to her with a playful yap.

"Well, look at that!" Ann laughed in amusement. "Would you like to be pals with my kitty?" the young woman cooed at the puppy as she emptied her basket into the shipping bin again. He wagged his tail and gave an excited bark in response. "I swear he can understand us," she laughed heartily.

"So, what do you call your cat?" Claire recalled Cliff giving the feline a goofy nickname.

"Well," Ann folded her arms across her chest. "It depends on who you ask. I named her The Tabster when I was a kid, but Dad insists that her name is actually Nora. Sometimes I call her Tabs for short. It drives Dad nuts," she snorted, patting Koro on the head as she headed back to the tomato plants.

Claire had to wonder if most people avoided using the cat's name to avoid conflict with the innkeepers. "Does… The Tabster go outside?" The farmer found herself giggling when she said the name aloud.

Ann shook her head. "Nah, too much of a risk…" she carefully set a few ripe tomatoes in the woven basket and moved on to the next plant. She sniffed one of the pieces of produce in her hand. It was fresh and smelled of summer; she couldn't help but drool. "Yummy…"

Seeing someone look at her life's work like that gave her a rush. She wouldn't object if Ann ate a dozen tomatoes. "Go ahead, I don't mind," Claire grinned brightly at her.

"You sure?" Ann's blue eyes were filled with longing as she stared at the juicy red tomato.

Her friend laughed at her expression; she was flattered that Ann thought something she grew looked so delicious. The farmer's heart swelled with pride. "Go for it. Consider it a thank you for helping."

"Well, in that case…" the redhead deftly twisted off the leaves and popped the whole thing in her mouth. Claire's eyes widened in surprise, but she had heard the guys at the inn talk about her jaw that miraculously unhinged to fit ridiculous amounts of food. It seemed that they really weren't joking.

Realizing that she was staring once again, the farmer focused back on the subject of the cat. "What would be the risk in taking Nor- I mean – The Tabster outside?" she pondered aloud. She doubted Barley's dog, Hannah, would give the cat any trouble; the old dog was often napping within the livestock farm's fences. Claire thought of Cain's large wingspan. If given the opportunity, a falcon might be able to take out a cat, definitely a kitten, she realized with a strange combination of fascination and horror.

Ann swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, giving a satisfied lick of the lips. The tomato had tasted even better than it looked. She offhandedly realized that they could likely be getting more people eating at the inn due to increased food quality and the notion made her a little excited. "I can't risk The Tabster getting into Lillia's henhouses."

"Ah, I guess you're right." The farmer wondered why the most obvious reason hadn't come to her. She walked over to the pond to refill her watering can.

"My cat's too lazy to even go down the stairs most days," Ann chuckled. "I doubt she'd actually be able to catch a chicken. It's Rick I'd really be worried about. He'd be freaking out more than the hens!" she hollered over at her.

They both giggled, as they both knew Ann was telling the truth.

The blonde felt a slight twinge of guilt for laughing at the young man's expense. Judging from the way she had seen him act around his family and Karen, he seemed critical of his own high-strung nature. "Oh, we both know Rick means well," Claire smiled. The poultry farmer struck her as the type that didn't know how to relax.

Ann said nothing in reply, but the two continued to work swiftly in silence, as the heat of the day was coming upon them.

"Well, it looks like we're done." Claire wiped the sweat from her brow and looked out at her fields with a satisfied grin. They had finished the chores in less than half the time it would have taken Claire to do herself; her friend was a swift and eager worker. "Thanks again for your help, Ann."

"No prob. We make a good team," she grinned, giving the blonde a high five. Ann paused and her face fell. Claire's smile faded when her friend frowned. "Wait," Ann turned back toward her.

"Huh?" Her heart began to hammer with anxiety as she studied the concerned look on her companion's face. It was an unusual look for the carefree woman. She nearly jumped when Ann gave her a loud, sudden guffaw in response.

"That was lame! We've gotta do that again! A high five's no good unless it hurts, y'know?" The young woman gave a playful tilt to her head and held her hand back out for her friend to strike.

Claire found a smile creeping across her lips and felt a wave of relief wash over her. Eager to please her companion, she slapped Ann's hand with a little more gusto, leaving a loud clap. Ann shook her head in response, clicking her tongue as she did so. "Weak. Harder," she commanded with a smirk. "You're worse than Elli." Claire wasn't sure if this was supposed to be an insult, but the nurse was one of the gentlest people she knew. The blonde grinned and gave her another slap. Ann appraised the tingle in her hand, cocking her head and rolling her eyes. She knew Claire was capable of much more strength. "A little better, but we need sting, girl!" she chided. "I wanna feel the wrath Mayor Thomas faced!"

Color rushed to Claire's cheeks as they burned with embarrassment. Any time the subject of her violence toward the mayor was brought up she was reminded of that ugly side of herself that she hated so much. The young woman sincerely hoped that she had matured more than that by now, although it was only a half a year ago. City life was hard, but she realized that she had to depend on herself a lot more here in Mineral Town. Claire liked to think that she had changed…

"C'mon! Give me a _good_ high five!" Ann egged her on, holding out an open palm for her to hit. She noticed she had embarrassed her friend a bit. "Let's see how much stronger you've gotten since you moved here!" she tried, wiggling her hips tauntingly.

A smirk played at the blonde's lips. She had noticed her muscles developing since she first began farming. She had always been a little on the slim side, but now she was actually getting toned, and she now noticed with satisfaction that she had the beginnings of some biceps. Claire hit her friend's hand at full force. A shockwave of numbness flowed all the way from the palm of her hand to her elbow and was immediately replaced with a tingly sensation.

"Yeah!" Ann staggered, shaking out her throbbing hand. "Now _that_ was a high five!" She let out a laugh. "Dang, girl…" she blinked her eyes that were watering with pain. She couldn't complain; after all, she had gotten what she wanted.

Claire massaged her hand fruitlessly. She was a little shaken from the contact as well. She found herself laughing despite the discomfort in her arm.

"That was awesome," Ann giggled. In a way, she felt as if she and Claire had reached a level of understanding - Claire was not a prissy city girl, and Ann was not an emotionless tomboy. "I'd love to arm-wrestle you sometime… So…" she stretched her arms and waved them at her sides, "now what?"

"What do you mean?" Claire was putting away the baskets and empty watering can and looked over at her, utterly confused.

Ann thought that it was painfully obvious. Work was over, and now they could play. She was itching to do something with Claire. "I mean, let's do something fun! What do you like to do in your free time?"

She stared at her blankly, much to Ann's surprise. No ideas came to her.

The redhead let out a nervous chuckle. "Come on, _everyone_ has a hobby!"

Claire stared at the ground, deep in thought. What _did_ she do for fun? Or perhaps, what did people around here do for fun? She shook her blonde head and bit her lip for a moment, reminded once again that she was an outsider. "Uh… we could forage in the mountains for things to ship…"

Ann imitated the sound of a buzzer. "That's work! Think of a leisurely fun activity!"

Claire's eyes widened. She thought for sure that her friend would have agreed to that idea, but when she really thought about it, reaching over to gather berries and squatting down to pull up burdock roots was quite strenuous. What kinds of things did she do when she wasn't busy trying to fill her shipping bin? She concentrated, surprised that this subject was stressing her out. "Um… I read sometimes." Visiting the library was out of the question. "Or I… watch a little television…" she hoped she didn't sound as pathetic as she felt.

Ann looked at her with concern. Did her companion really not have anything she did to unwind? "Uh, anything else?" she kept her tone friendly, but her eyebrows shot up.

Claire opened her mouth to speak and immediately closed it. A few ideas had come to mind – mining for copper… _to give to Gray_ … Visiting the inn… _to see if Gray was there_ … Starting a campfire… _to roast corn for Gray_ … Her eyes welled up with tears as she realized how much her life had revolved around the young man. Now that these options had changed, she didn't know what to do with herself.

The waitress attempted to jog her friend's mind. "What kinds of things did you do for fun in the city?" Perhaps Claire had a unique hobby that she hadn't thought of because no one else around here did it. Ann beamed; she was always up for trying new things, even if she wasn't particularly good at them.

Claire shrugged, more frustrated than ever. Perhaps she was just like Rick – unable to relax and take a proper break from working. "I… didn't," her voice cracked. "I was busy working." Her heart sunk.

Ann frowned. She hadn't meant for this conversation to take so much effort. "Well, what about after hours?"

"Catching up from work," Claire admitted sadly. "I guess… a few times I went out with my friends to the club…?" This came out as a question rather than a statement. There was nowhere like that around here…

A set of blue eyes lit up as Ann tried to picture a city skyline and fluorescent lights. "A club in the big city? You mean with dancing and drinks and all that jazz?"

The farmer shrugged; judging from the look on Ann's face, the redhead was glamorizing the whole thing. "I didn't really like it. My friends always tried to set me up on dates with people. I didn't drink, and I didn't care for the music they played there." She started to wonder why she had even bothered sharing that she had gone in the first place.

Ann's voice became gentle. "Then why did you go? Why didn't you tell them what _you_ wanted to do?"

Claire could feel her friend's eyes on her and knew she had to come up with some sort of answer. It didn't come to her easily. After all, she often agreed to go along with her city friends without questioning why. "Because," her throat tightened, "I-I didn't want to be alone…" She didn't have many friends to begin with, and the thought of losing the ones she actually did have terrified her. Claire knew that she wasn't anyone's first choice as someone to hang out with, but she should humor those who actually invited her along to events when she could make them.

The redhead's tone was more confident. "When's the last time _you_ chose what you wanted to do for fun in a group?"

Claire's airways constricted further as her eyes welled up with tears. Had it really been that long…? "W-Well… when I w-was a kid… we took turns picking the games," she finished lamely, her face on fire.

Ann detected her friend's discomfort. "Alright, then, you pick the game," the redhead threw her braid over her shoulder and bounced on the balls of her feet. When she saw the farmer stare at the ground in embarrassment, she decided to encourage her further. "Come on, what were your favorites?"

Was she seriously asking about childhood games? Ann would be twenty-three next week… Still, the blonde felt obligated to reply, no matter how pathetic the answer. "I liked climbing trees…" She awaited a response, guarding her heart as she wrung her hands. She was surprised with the reply.

Her friend stared at the ground pensively. "I see… Race you to the apple tree by your house!" Ann's face suddenly lit up as she tore through the fields, giggling.

Claire's heart gave a flutter as she watched the redhead's braid stream behind her. Before the farmer knew what was happening, she was leaping over onion plants and sprinting across the loose soil, kicking it up behind her as she went. "A-Ann! There's an active beehive in that tree!" Claire chased after her.

The redhead stopped in her tracks, skidding to a halt and nearly missing a pineapple plant. She nearly expected a scolding from the farmer for her recklessness. "Uh…"

She had fallen from the bait; the farmer sped past her with a laugh. "It's not that big! Just climb up the other side of the tree!"

Ann realized she had been tricked. Her lips curled up into a smile. "Oh, you play dirty!" She ran after her, choking on her laughter.

0o0o0o0

Zack whistled a folk song he had heard at the midsummer's dance as he shifted a large burlap sack on his shoulder. The farmer was nowhere to be seen, and Ann was rifling through the cornfields. His first instinct was to think something was wrong, but the redhead giggled as she shuffled through the stalks of corn, Koro at her heels, barking excitedly. He wondered if they were playing some sort of game. While they seemed a little old for such behavior, he would be glad to see that the farmer was taking a break for a change. As much as he was enjoying the rich profits of the summer season, her bins had been surprisingly full, and he knew no one could keep up a pace like that. Claire had shared that a friend was shipping things as well, but it still seemed like a lot of work for two people. Still, Doug was happy with the produce for the inn's purposes, and Zack had even been getting some requests from the Valley folk for specific crops.

Rolling his eyes at the playful Ann, the shipper opened the crate of corn and tomatoes, filling his bag. It looked like another good haul today. Upon grabbing a few more ears of corn, he jumped and stifled a gasp.

It took him a few moments to register what he saw. The farmer was sitting silently in the wooden box, staring forward unblinkingly, still as death. In response to seeing him flinch, Claire noiselessly held a finger to her lips. Zack shrugged as the young woman passed him ears of corn. This must have been some part of the game.

"Oh, come on, Claire! Where are you?" Ann giggled, shuffling through the tomato plants.

The man looked around him cautiously to make sure the redhead was occupied before leaning into the box. "How long ya been hiding?" he asked quietly.

"Fifteen minutes," she whispered lowly as a grin crept across her face, "and she's already checked here once." She shifted her seating to get more comfortable as she handed him more produce.

Zack slapped his forehead and was met with a silent giggle in response from the blonde. He emptied the bin and noticed Claire was holding a tomato. He held out his hand for it, but she shook her head.

"I might get hungry. At this rate, it may take her a while," Claire grinned.

Zack shut the lid to the box and rolled his eyes, but he found himself having to bite back a laugh as he walked past a befuddled Ann.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: A couple of notes about the pet's names in this chapter – Koro is the default name of the dog in HM for SNES, and it is also the second most popular name for dogs in Japan. "The Tabster" was actually named after a noisy stray that lives out in the woods by our house. Maybe she's the neighbor's cat…? Anyway, the cat does have an official name of Nora in Back To Nature, so I just ended up using both.
> 
> By the way, my sister and I are the same exact way about high fives as Ann. If it hurts, you know it was a good one!
> 
> Anyway, I hoped to kind of bring the mood back up a little with this chapter, along with featuring Ann a bit. Thank you all for your support throughout these chapters – it really means a lot to me! Feel free to let me know what you think of this latest chapter as well!


	48. The Birds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eager to make some changes in her life, Claire ventures forth in keeping chickens. When looking for wood to make a new pen for them, she stumbles across a dear friend she hasn't seen for a couple of days, yet it feels like forever to her.

Claire was walking through the gate of the Poultry Farm when she saw the siblings who ran the establishment chasing down a rooster. The young man nearly tripped over his own feet tearing after the chicken, and his sister strategically came from another angle, ignoring her long skirts dragging in the dusty dirt.

"You're being too hard on him and you're scaring him!" Popuri insisted, taking a defensive stance with her feet shoulder width apart as the two came at her. Claire was surprised at the undignified posture of the young woman in such pretty clothes.

Her brother let out a loud groan as he picked up his pace, breaking into a jog. The rooster crowed as it hurried along, eluding his grasp. "Morty, you idiot! Come back here!" Rick screamed at the bird.

They were coming closer and closer to Popuri, and the young woman didn't back down. She crouched down a bit, like a catcher in a baseball game. The rooster suddenly hopped into Popuri's arms, which surprised both of them. Claire bit back a laugh at the ridiculous sight and slowly entered the gates of the property.

"You scared him," Popuri scolded her brother, stroking the chicken and putting him back into his coop before shutting the door. She saw the farmer entering the property and gave her a welcoming smile.

Claire couldn't tell if he was more irritated that his sister was the one who managed to catch the bird, or the fact that Morty had escaped him in the first place. "That stupid rooster never does what I tell him," Rick sighed.

"Maybe… I'm just really good at handling cocks," Popuri said a little too loudly and giggled, sticking out her tongue, seeing how her brother would react out of the corner of her eye. Claire held her breath as she attempted to keep from laughing at the immature joke.

Rick's face turned a deep shade of purple. "If you ever want to be allowed to leave the house, you won't speak that way again! I expect you to behave like a lady!"

"Hi, Claire," Popuri winked at the farmer, pleased to see that she had amused someone.

Rick whirled around. "Oh! Hi, Claire. Sorry you had to see and _hear_ all that," he laughed nervously and shot his sister a poisonous look. Not only was she making raunchy jokes, but she hadn't warned them that they had a guest.

"Is now a bad time?" Claire felt a little uncomfortable despite her urge to laugh at what she had seen and heard.

"Rick's just moody because we've had a busy day," Popuri laughed, picking up a bucket of chicken feed to take inside.

The blonde farmer didn't visit them too often – it was more likely that they spoke over their shared fence. His face lit up. "Did you perhaps come to… buy some hens?" Rick asked hopefully.

She could feel her heart pounding in anticipation. She was ready to take on a new project. "Yeah, I would like to buy my first chicken today!" Claire couldn't mask her excitement.

"Great! Let's go out to the main coop and I'll teach you some basics! Popuri, could you let Mom know that I'll be with Claire out here?"

"Sure!" Popuri turned toward their guest. "You know, Karen asked me to use that joke on him," she added with a whisper. "She wanted me to report to her how he reacted, and she said she'd buy me lunch if I did."

Claire snickered. It sounded like a Karen scheme, alright.

"I'm so glad you've taken an interest in chickens, Claire! Chickens are so sweet and cute and cuddly. I think people who like chickens are just good people," the young woman gave her a wink and headed to the house.

Rick rolled his eyes. "She just doesn't get it."

"Huh?"

"Despite what my sister things, chickens are anything but glamorous," he led the way to the main coop. He frowned as he remembered Claire commenting on how cute the chickens were when she watched them from her own farm. "You need to understand that, too. Let me help you take off those rose-tinted glasses." Rick closed the door behind them. Claire's nostrils and ears were once again assaulted with all that was chicken. "These are our egg laying hens!" he spoke loudly over the clucks and cackles from the birds. "I was just about to let them outside for the day." Rick opened the side door to the coop and the hens rushed outside to the pen, shoving past one another.

Claire noticed one of the hens was bullying the rest around, shoving the others away so that she could leave the door first. She was about to comment on this when he spoke up.

"There are some things you need to know before you consider buying a hen, okay?" He picked up a couple of birds to stop them from bottlenecking at the door. Rick shooed the rest of them outside and led the way out of the main door, a chicken tucked under each arm.

"Alright…?" Claire looked at him curiously as she followed him outside.

Rick walked to a smaller pen and set both of the chickens inside. "I gave Pete the same song and dance years ago when he wanted to keeping chickens. A lot of people think that raising egg laying hens is simple because they come to roost at night and they forage for their own food. While that is true, there's a lot more to them than that. How much do you know?"

She understood that Rick was just trying to make sure she was prepared, but part of her still took this as a challenge. "I read a book on them at the library," she answered proudly. "Read it cover to cover."

Rick bit back a smirk. "Oh, you mean that little pamphlet our resident botanist wrote? How about I give you a few extra tips?" The young man looked down at the pair of hens. One was already beginning to push the other one around a bit. "Chickens have a pecking order – literally. They are not very friendly birds, and they will have a go at one who is lower on the totem pole then them. That being said, they are very social creatures, and they don't do well by themselves."

Claire gave him a wry smile; she was clever enough to read between the lines. "Ah, so you want me to buy two, then…"

The young man immediately became a little defensive. He folded his arms across his chest. "Please don't think that I am tricking you. They really do better when there are more of them around," Rick quickly returned. "Anyway… you'll notice that sometimes they might look like they're bullying each other, but that's normal. However…" his voice lowered as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, "if they peck enough to draw blood, separate that hen from the rest and let me know."

"They'll hurt each other that badly?" Claire was startled. Nothing about this had been mentioned in the book she had read.

The poultry farmer gave her a solemn nod. "We try to keep them out of our flocks, but about fifteen-percent of chickens are cannibalistic."

The blonde let out a small gasp and covered her mouth with her hand. She didn't know if she could handle seeing her hens harm each other, but she remembered that they were not pets.

He caught the look on her face; Claire wasn't the best at hiding her emotions. "I didn't mean to scare you," Rick gave her an apologetic look. "I just want you to know what you're getting yourself into. If I sell you a hen that starts behaving that way, bring her back to me and I can clip her beak."

The farmer cringed in response. It seemed there was quite a bit she didn't know about raising hens. Rick was right; raising chickens was not glamorous. She recalled Karen talking about Rick castrating roosters instead of hanging out with her. It seemed the young man got stuck with a lot of the "dirty work" while his sister was blissfully unaware of what happened on their farm. Either that or she was completely unfazed by it.

"I promise it's not as bad as it sounds. I use a heated blade to cause the bird as little harm as possible, and I only do it if it's absolutely necessary."

It seemed like a lot of work for one person to manage. Claire played with her fingers shyly. "It… it must be a lot to handle all by yourself," she ventured, a little curious to see how he would respond.

"It is, but my mother is ill, so I don't want to burden her with any of it." Rick gave her a friendly smile as he picked up the two hens and returned them to the group.

He hadn't mentioned his sister doing any of this. "So… does Popuri handle any of this kind of stuff?"

She was met with a snort in response. "She thinks chickens are cuddly. I think that says it all, really." The young man brushed the dust off of his apron and focused his attention on the group of hens as he rolled his eyes. "I clip beaks, incubate eggs, castrate roosters, clean out the coops, collect the eggs, slaughter and pluck the poultry for selling…" Rick counted off the chores with his fingers, a proud look spreading across his face.

The farmer frowned as she looked back at the house. It didn't seem like the work was distributed very evenly. The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop him. "Why doesn't Popuri help you more around the farm? It seems like you've got your hands full."

His smile fell as he balled up his fists. Was Claire implying he should delegate more work to his sister? Where would she get an idea like that? A wave of indignation flowed through him; he furrowed his brows as a series of lines appeared on his forehead. "Karen put you up to this?" His voice was quiet, but that was what made it all the more terrifying to the blonde.

Claire swiftly shook her head, regretting her words. "No… I-I… I just wanted to make sure you're doing alright…" Her eyes moved to the dusty ground, her face flushing with embarrassment.

Rick's facial expressions relaxed as he listened to his companion's hesitant voice. "I'm doing okay," he answered warmly. "Sorry about that. It's just…" the young man ran his fingers through his disheveled locks. "I want to be someone my family can rely on." He didn't get a verbal reply – Claire simply gave a single nod in response, her face still pink. "Come on, Claire. I'll help you pick out a few sweet hens and we can bring them back to your farm. Today is an exciting day – you'll find that keeping chickens is really rewarding."

Her blue eyes moved back to him timidly. All aggression had moved from his expression. She let out a small sigh of relief. "Alright."

"That's the spirit. So how many do you want?"

Claire could almost see gold pieces reflecting in those eyes of his. She let out a giggle. "Let's start with two." She didn't want to start out with more than she could handle, after all.

He gave a nod of approval. "Sounds good."

0o0o0o0

Claire had to keep her new chickens indoors that day, as she had not built a pen for them just yet. Rick had left her a complimentary bag of chicken feed and agreed that it was fine for her to work on the pen while the hens got used to their new environment. She decided to head to the mountains to identify some trees that would make a good material for her new enclosure when she saw Cliff feeding something to Cain, who was perched on his gloved arm. He was speaking affectionately to his partner when he looked up and saw the farmer.

The young woman's heart pounded with a light, giddy feeling as she looked at him. It had felt like ages since she had seen him, and she was overcome with the emotions she had felt last time they hung out together. He had called her his best friend and they had shared a warm embrace. She gave the two a friendly wave. "Hi, Cliff," a kind grin spread across her face as she approached the pair.

His cheeks flushed slightly in response. The young woman's eyes were wide and bright and her beautiful smile looked so genuine. Surely she wasn't _that_ happy to see him…

"Uh, I haven't talked to you in a while," a shy smile crossed his lips as he struggled to keep his voice nonchalant. In truth, it had only been a few days, but it felt like an eternity to him. He knew she had a lot on her mind, but he was starting to become paranoid that he had said or done something to make her keep her distance.

"Yeah, it's been a long time," she commented. Time had been passing so slowly for the young woman; the Midsummer's dance felt like ages ago. The young woman was staring at his companion curiously. "What…? What is Cain _wearing_?" Her friend didn't notice the amused grin on her face. The falcon was perched on his partner's arm and was sporting a small leather cap that covered his face and had a hole for his beak. A couple of small leather straps held the headwear in place and a hide tassel adorned the top of the piece.

The bird ruffled his feathers, relaxing his stance a bit and the young man gave the falcon an affectionate glance. "Ah, this is his hood. I put this on him to calm him down so he doesn't get sensory overload. That way I get to keep the squirrels before he eats the whole thing." Cliff's eyes suddenly widened as he remembered the kill that was lying on the ground behind him, nervously stepping in front of it to obstruct her view. While he knew Claire didn't mind Cain's company, she probably wasn't too keen on seeing dead animals. Surely he had grossed her out and scared her a bit. "Uh… I… I was hoping for a rabbit today," Cliff added offhandedly. He inwardly yelled at himself for talking about hunting and killing more animals. He bit the inside of his cheek as punishment. Why would Claire have any interest in such a barbaric activity? At least that was the word he had been scolded with in the past. Even a tearful Ann asked if it was necessary, getting particularly upset when he brought a few rabbits to sell to her father at the beginning of spring. He didn't see what the difference was between what he brought and the plucked chickens Rick delivered to the inn regularly. Since that day of Ann's outburst, the hunter had made sure he skinned the animals first, and he delivered them when he knew the waitress wouldn't be around. Cliff anxiously looked over at his friend while he removed Cain's headgear. The falcon needed to leave, or else Claire surely would. The focus needed to be diverted from the fact that he was taking the lives of cute, fluffy creatures. The bird blinked a few times in the sunlight, the pupils of his deep brown eyes shrinking to adjust to the light, and gave the blonde a friendly chirp. Both Cain and Claire reacted differently than what he was expecting.

"Hi there, Cain," she smiled, her voice smooth and creamy. Cliff felt his heart throb; he longed for her to say his name that way, and he almost felt a little jealous. "Such a sweet, beautiful bird. Are you helping Cliff?" she asked, tilting her head. The bird stared at her stoically in response as if mildly offended by the implication that he was anything but the leader of the operation and Cliff's face turned pink. "I see how it is," Claire teased, giving the falcon a wink. She stepped a little closer and her voice was gentle. "You're blessed to have such a good friend, you know," she continued. The young woman held her hands behind her back and laced her fingers together, leaving ever so slightly toward Cain. She was surprised once more at how beautiful and mellow the creature was when he was resting; she had never felt so comfortable around a bird before. "Treat him well, okay?"

The young man felt a chill down his spine and a frown spread across his face. "I-I _do_ treat him well," Cliff replied a little defensively. How could she be unaware of that? "I see him like a brother…"

Claire's eyes moved to the ground as her cheeks burned with embarrassment. "I was talking to Cain about _you_ …" She wasn't sure why he was acting so guarded around her.

"Oh…!" the young man let out a shy chuckle and turned burgundy. He fumbled to come up with a reply as he kicked at the ground bashfully.

She looked past her friend's protective stance. She felt bad that he seemed so nervous. "I don't mind that you were gathering resources here, Cliff. I never do; you know that."

Gathering resources – that's what it was, really, and he was thankful she saw it that way. "Even if you have to look at it?" he asked hesitantly, looking back at the dead squirrel behind him.

Claire shrugged. "I just had a discussion about chicken cannibalism to Rick today, and I still walked home with two new hens. I can't afford to be squeamish in my line of work, either," she replied with a friendly giggle.

He had never really thought about it that way. "Huh… Well, I'm glad I didn't make you upset," he replied gratefully. The young man struggled to think of something more to say to properly thank Claire for her practicality when the bird gave him a sharp chirp and impatient stare as he stretched his wings. "Ah, he's all business today. Alright, alright, boy, calm down." Cliff grinned as he pushed his arm skyward and the falcon eagerly took off. The large bird's powerful wings beat against the clear blue sky and Claire could hear the dissonant tinkling of the bells tied to his anklets as he rose higher into the air.

She observed Cain slowly adjusting his wings so he could glide smoothly through the air. Her eyes wandered to her friend. He was intently watching his animal companion, eager to see if he had spotted anything yet, but there was a soft kindness and affection in those deep blue eyes. He was a mature adult, but at the same time, she saw that kid in him again, slightly giddy at seeing the bird up in the sky. The man and falcon were fascinating to watch, and she felt privileged just to be part of the experience.

"Beautiful," she murmured, her gaze returning to the heavens and the solitary falcon. She wasn't sure if she was referring to Cliff or Cain, or perhaps the relationship they shared. She decided on the last choice with a smile.

"He was Papa's," his eyes locked onto the bird. "We've been together for a _long_ time…"

Claire thought of the last real conversation the two had. "Is Cain your freedom?" she asked softly as the bird circled a tree before gaining altitude.

She was surprised to see the carefree light behind his eyes fade. "For a while, I used to think a life with just the two of us was all I needed. I was naïve. Either that, or I've grown soft," he gave her a sad smile.

Her heart felt a sharp pang of loneliness at his words. "If growing soft means that you realize how miserable it is to be completely alone, then I suppose I've grown soft as well," Claire murmured, her gaze directed on the sky.

Her friend moved his attention back to her, admiring the way the sun's rays and summer breeze played with her golden tresses. She had a way about taking in the scenery that made him wonder just how different the city was from here. Her breaths were deep and savoring, her blue eyes drinking in the greenery surrounding them. Seeing her like that filled him with a strange emotion he had forgotten existed. He felt it when he was a child, sitting with Ray on a lazy afternoon, ignoring his bobbing lure because a frog had caught his eye… Grumbling as his sister hornswoggled him into doing the family laundry yet again, but secretly not minding too much, as his mother would tell him childhood stories while she started a campfire for cooking the midday meal… Sending off a young Cain and feeling an overwhelming sense of pride and belonging when they caught their first rabbit as a team. And now, these talks with Claire reaffirmed how similar the two of them were despite their differences. All of these things gave him hope for the future. For someone who had lived for years not knowing where he'd sleep that evening, the concept of a steady future was one that took some getting used to.

He was startled from his reverie as he felt a light touch on his forearm. Claire had intertwined her arm with his as she was wont to do when in deep thought or attempting to console him. He stole a glance at her face and noticed a slight pain in her eyes despite the fact that she was enjoying the atmosphere; perhaps she was trying to soothe herself this time.

He had stayed downstairs the other night with Ann in the kitchen, trying his best to ignore Karen's livid yelling from the shared room above them. Ann had ruffled Cliff's hair, promising that his roommate would not be killed and tried her best to distract her friend with one of her cooking experiments, enlisting him in chopping duty for the stir fry she was making. It only halfway worked. While he didn't mind someone telling Gray exactly what they thought of the way he handled things, he couldn't help but recall the anguish he saw on Claire's face earlier that day.

He had been waiting for and somewhat expecting the farmer to initiate conversation on the topic of Gray, giving her time and space to bring it up. She said nothing about it and he had to admit to himself that he wasn't surprised; it wasn't as if she had openly talked with him about her feelings for Gray in the past. Cliff yearned to comfort her, but for some reason Claire's crush was simply a topic the two of them never discussed. The young man frowned. He wondered if she didn't feel comfortable enough around him.

He stole a glance at her face and the young woman's eyes were shiny as they remained glued to the sky. "Do… do you mind if I stay here for a while?" There was a tremor in her voice and he knew exactly what she was thinking about. He was curious if he had somehow telepathically brought up the subject of his roommate to her mind.

"Not at all," he replied gently, taking note that she was forcing a weak smile on her lips. The corners of her mouth twitched in protest as she blinked her misty eyes.

She gave his arm a hug, burying her face into his upper arm. The young woman scolded herself for getting emotional in front of her friend; Karen had already offered her a shoulder to cry on and she was being weak. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head, watching his avian companion circle above out of the corner of his eye. "Don't be." He swallowed the lump in his throat as he struggled to find the right words. He felt dampness against his arm and knew that she was trying her best to hide the fact that she was silently crying. "You're a strong woman…" Cliff's mouth suddenly felt very dry and he discovered that he wanted nothing more than to hold her close and comfort her. He was a little embarrassed that part of him wanted to cry right along with his friend. "Hearts don't heal overnight, after all…" Cliff's voice faded; perhaps he had assumed too much and she wasn't thinking about Gray at all.

Claire let out a sheepish chuckle, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "I… I suppose you're right." Her friend was surprised when she hugged his arm once more, moving in a little closer. "Thank you."

He loosened himself from her hold and she looked up at him curiously. "Um… h-here." The young man placed his trembling arm around her waist and gave her a shy hug. He knew that he was just comforting her, but he couldn't slow down his throbbing heart. He inwardly scolded himself. Now wasn't the time to get excited…

His face burned as she let out a comfortable sigh and put her arm around him in response. "Thanks…"

The pair didn't say anything for a few minutes, but they savored each other's company instead, their minds going completely blank. Sometimes it was nice to just focus on the present moment and the closeness of someone she cared about, the farmer realized.

Claire gave him a light squeeze and was reminded how slim he was. "Hey… when you're done with Cain, let's go to my farm. I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with. I'll give you a bunch if you promise you'll save them for feeding yourself." She reasoned she could look for the trees later; being able to spend some more time with Cliff felt very important to her today.

He knew she was trying to be kind, but his stomach dropped at her suggestion. "Oh, that's not necessary…" Cliff's cheeks burned with mortification; he wasn't aware that others had noticed he wasn't eating much. It just reminded him how unsuccessful he was and how surprisingly unreliable the quarry was out in the mountains. The young man bit his lip; an attitude like that would not help at all.

"I'm offering because I _want_ you to have them," Claire replied, resting her head on his shoulder. She took in his scent a let out a happy sigh. Cliff always smelled like the outdoors and it soothed her. "Friends help each other."

He shook his head. "Well, I want to be able to help you more," he admitted, staring at the sky. Cain was still searching for prey. Cliff would typically be helping his partner by rustling the brush to scare out something, but his female friend took priority at the moment. Besides, he wasn't about to break off a hug from the woman he cared so much about; he wanted to relish in every moment of it, even it was just a friendly embrace to comfort her.

"But you _are_ helping just by being here," she murmured. Her heart was still broken, but feeling the closeness of a friend had a healing quality to it. She knew that they never talked much on the subject, but his desire to be there for her did not go unnoticed. "You're a good friend, Cliff."

Her words were simple, but he heard the warmth behind them. Her voice was soothing and sweet, as if she was trying to console him as well. His heart pounded at her tone and he felt the heat come to his face as he stared up at the sky so she couldn't catch his expression. He silently scolded himself; he was getting too excited over her kind words and being this close to her. "Thank you. You are a good friend, too, you know," he replied, unable to push back the silly smile that spread across his entire face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Yes, I named Rick's rooster as homage to one of my favorite shows, Rick and Morty. Also, I don't know why, but I have crazy fun writing Cain. I feel like his stoic expressions and mannerisms make him come across as the straight man in a comedy duo with Cliff sometimes, haha. I'd love to hear what you think of this latest bit; feel free to leave me a review!


	49. Colorful Swirls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire muses on her childhood as she works on a handmade gift for Ann's birthday.

Claire pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail as she held her paintbrush between her teeth. Perhaps she had taken on a bigger project than she could manage, but she was still having a lot more fun that she cared to admit.  Tucking a few loose blonde strands behind her ear, the young woman blended the colors in front of her to make a soft hue of lavender.  A smile spread across her face.  Playing with the palette of colors made her feel like a child again.  The various shades of blue were the spring sky she wistfully stared at from her classroom window.  Sometimes it felt like three-thirty would never come soon enough, especially in the warmer months.  Claire had wanted to do nothing more than stand outside and drink in the colors of the sky, admire the clouds, and breathe in the fresh air.  She now knew what real fresh air felt and smelled like, she realized with a smile.  Mineral Town had much more to offer in scenery than she could have ever hoped for in the city.

Claire looked back down at her palette. A gentle pink was the color of her raincoat in second grade that she had torn when she tripped down the stairs in front of the school.  Claire had cried in fear that her parents would be upset at the damaged garment.  She had snuck into her parent’s room, retrieved her mother’s sewing box and attempted to repair the coat to the best of her ability, her vision blurred with nervous tears.  She remembered jumping in guilt and jugging her finger with the needle when her mother came home from work, asking what she was working on.  Claire had burst into tears and confessed what had happened, asking for her mother’s critique of her handiwork, apologizing for ripping the coat all at the same time.  To her surprise, her mother had set the jacket off to the side and wrapped her daughter in a warm hug, inspecting her for cuts and bruises.  Claire decided she liked that soft pink color.

The sensation of damp tears streaming down her face snapped the young woman out of her reminiscing and she realized how constricted her throat was. After swallowing a few times, her gaze moved toward the small stack of mail beside her bed.  She had still heard no word from her parents.  Thinking of them as overworked businesspeople had always helped alleviate her frustration at their lack of communication.  She knew that they had more important things to do, but she still had that empty feeling inside when she thought about it too much.

Claire felt a lump in her throat and stared back at her project. Ann’s birthday party was tomorrow, and her creation needed to dry overnight; she needed to get back to work.  She looked back at her mixed colors, hoping to have a more lighthearted memory from another color.

Gray. She hated that the very sight of the hue made her think of the young man that shared the same name.  Claire realized with a small bit of pride that her tearful memory a moment ago was the first time she had cried today, and she hadn’t cried at all the day before.  Each day got a little easier and she found that the whole situation no longer angered her.  She had to admit that she still felt a little sad about her unrequited love, but distractions seemed to keep her from dwelling too much on the heartache.

The young woman studied the pale shade of paint. She wanted to associate something different with it.  She emptied her mind as she stared at the blob of color, letting thoughts come and go as they pleased.  It wasn’t long until a strong memory of this hue resurfaced.  The soft gray was the worn and cracked pavement where hours were spent playing hopscotch or observing trails of ants.  Claire often played alone, so she had to be creative with her games.  She imagined the ants as a formation of knights marching home to their queen or going on quests to bring her treasures and snacks.  The girl made voices for the insects, often crouching low to the ground to get a better look at them, speaking in a high pitched squeak for them.  Once she leaned in so close to the ground that she fell forward, her cheek gently bumping the asphalt.  It hadn’t hurt, but she found herself crying nevertheless in fear that she had crushed her playmates.  She had searched the pavement and found, to her surprise, the tidy row of ants stoically continuing on their way.

Claire swirled the light gray in with the soft pink and looked curiously at her project. She enjoyed what she referred to as playing with colors as opposed to painting an actual image.  Different shades and hues had so much potential, so many combinations.  Experimenting with the way colors looked together was hardly something that could be messed up, and she found it very relaxing.

Her heart throbbed with pleasure as she mixed the colors together, leaving thick streaks of pigment behind. At some point she had forgotten that she was working on a gift for her friend and she had immersed herself in her painting, singing as she relished the way the different hues blended.  Claire’s spirit hadn’t felt this free since she was very young.  She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to choose this particular project, let alone decide to paint it, but she was grateful for it.  Her childhood lay before her, a cheerful mix of soft blues and pinks blending into a comforting shade of lavender.  Upon seeing the color, she took a short break to apply some essential oil to her neck, breathing the fragrance in deeply as she sat back down on her floor cushion. 

She broke into song as she played with the paints a bit more, a sunny yellow – her older sister’s hair in the summer sunlight – and mellow blue – her favorite flavor of popsicle sold at the convenience store back in the city – transitioning into a cheery green that reminded the woman of her pathetic little herb garden back at her apartment before it had started to wilt. Not too long ago, she had sat in her drab apartment, wondering if there was something exciting that the world had to offer her.  She had looked at the sickly looking basil plant and wonder if she, too, was dying.  That green – that happy, rich color – had represented hope for the future.  Her heart swelled once more as she realized that she had already done so much here at Mystic Acres, and that there _was_ a future for her here, whether or not it involved Gray, or any man for that matter.

_And maybe that’s okay._

She carefully dabbed on the paint and admired her handiwork, stifling a delighted giggle. The rainbow of colors she had painted were a reflection of her inner thoughts and her heart.  Claire suddenly remembered that this was a gift to be given to Ann and her smile and laughter faded.  The swirls she had created felt very personal and intimate.  What if Ann looked at the offering with confusion and this whole soul-bearing creation was thrown in the garbage the next day?  Moreover, she knew she was being silly with such a childish project and there was a good chance Ann would give her birthday gift a strange look.  Claire bit her lip as she looked at blended colors in front of her.  Maybe the whole thing was foolish and she would be the laughingstock of the birthday party.  Ann would be left in the uncomfortable position of scraping together a compliment for the gift amidst the stares.  Claire’s confidence deflated as she twirled the paintbrush in her fingers.

She was distracted from her thoughts when Koro padded across the room to the table, his nails gently tapping on the hardwood floor as he did so.

“What do you think, Koro? Do you think she’s gonna find this stupid?” the blonde held up a piece of her project to show her pet.

The puppy curiously tilted his head and wagged his tail in response.

She let out a delighted giggle. “Ah, you think she’ll appreciate it?” Claire asked hopefully, forgetting that she was asking a dog for his opinion on her artwork.

Koro flopped on his side, rolling on his back as he looked up at her imploringly for a belly rub.

The young woman took a break from her work and complied with his request, giggling as she did so. “You’ll tell me anything so that you get pampered, huh?”

0o0o0o0

Ann tore through the paper like an eager child and tossed the balled up wrapper over her shoulder, giggling as she did so. Her eyes glowed like a pair of sapphires as she opened the small box.  She pulled out a pristine satin ribbon.  “Ah, how pretty!  How did you know blue was my favorite color?”  She turned her head to meet Popuri, nearly smacking Karen in the face with her braid as she did so.  The grocer’s daughter let out a loud exclamation in surprise and scowled as Claire giggled at her.

“A little birdy told me,” Popuri winked, giving Karen a rough nudge that caused her to choke on her beer.

The brunette groaned in frustration at the rough treatment. “Ann, how about you use that ribbon to tie your hair into a bun so you don’t smack me?”  She turned toward Popuri.  “And enough with the roughhousing!  We’re at a lady’s birthday party, not a backyard brawl!”  Ann finished off her soda and let out a loud belch that shook the room.  Karen rolled her eyes and pretended to look offended.  “What _was_ I thinking?”

Claire let out a snort. “You were thinking that you can burp louder than that!  I’ve heard you before!”  She had surprised herself that she had chosen such bold words, but the snickers around her confirmed that she hadn’t stepped out of line.

Her friend was glad that she was loosening up a little. Perhaps she could lighten up the mood a bit more.  A sly smile crossed Karen’s lips as she raised her eyebrows.  “Hello, pot.  My name is kettle.”

The farmer turned a bright shade of red and pouted. “That was _one_ time!”  When they had their _My Dear Princess_ marathon back at the end of spring, Karen had brought over some fizzy drinks to share.  Needless to say, her friend had learned about one of Claire’s hidden “talents”.  The farmer had always tried her best to remain well-mannered in front of her friends, but now that Karen had seen a chip in her armor, she was sure that she would never live it down.

Ann snapped open another soda and shoved it in front of Claire’s face. “This sounds like a challenge!” A huge grin spread across the redhead’s mouth.  “Come on.  Me and you!  Wanna go for volume or length?”

Claire shyly reached for the burlap sack she brought with her instead of rejecting the drink. “How about you open my gift instead?”  The blonde politely held out the bag and Karen nodded in approval; it seemed her best friend was getting more comfortable being in a group and she was slowly but surely getting a little more used to speaking up.

“Well, I guess I can’t argue with that!” Ann tied the blue ribbon on top of her usual white bow and eagerly reached for the bag.  It was an irregular shape and she was very curious to see what her present was – based on the appearance of the bag alone, she had no idea what the bag was concealing.  She thought of possible things her friend could have offered.  “Did you bring me a sack of tomatoes from your farm?”  She didn’t wait for a response as she stuck her hand inside.

Claire could feel her heart pounding in anticipation. She hoped that the gift went over well, and that Ann appreciated the hard work she put into it.  She tried her best to shove down her fears about how her friend may negatively react.

“Well, what is it?” Popuri asked impatiently, squirming a bit in her seat. It was difficult pretending to remain a polite lady when Ann was being, well, herself.  She gave the whole room a casual vibe.  Popuri longed to let go and relax like Karen and Ann, but she didn’t want to embarrass herself.  She would just wait until the gossiping and girl talk started – she was eager to hear about crushes, rank the boys next door on cuteness, and gush about Kai.  He wasn’t her boyfriend, but things were certainly looking promising.  Maybe she could ask them for advice on how to talk to her brother about him, and maybe how to seal the deal with Kai.

Ann’s bright blue eyes widened. “Whoa… it’s a huge pinwheel!”  She finished pulling the gift out of the bag and inspected it closely.  The stick was almost the full length of her arm and the pinwheel itself was the size of a serving tray.  “Did you make this yourself?” she breathed.

Claire heard small gasps from Popuri and Karen and felt her face turn hot. The farmer stared at the floor.  Maybe she had made a poor choice in gift after all.  “Uh… yeah.  I painted it myself,” the young woman nervously twisted a strand of her hair around her finger.  When she gathered the courage to look back up, the three other women were huddled around the gift.

“I was wondering what you were doing to do with those paints you bought at the shop,” Karen grinned. “My dad would be happy to know there’s another artistic soul out here.”

Claire rolled her eyes. She never thought of herself as very creative.  The young woman had a hard time making any eye contact with anyone as her cheeks burned.  Surely they were just trying to be polite to her about her feeble attempts at creativity.  “I’m not exactly an artistic person.  I worked with numbers all day back in the city.”

“Well, I’d call _this_ artistic,” Popuri smiled at her as she gently turned the blades on the pinwheel.  The colors blended together to make a lovely rainbow.  The friends all watched it in fascination, and even the farmer had to admit that the bright hues made it fun to watch.

The pinwheel reminded the redhead of lighthearted childhood days, and the bright paintjob on the blades had a very personal touch. “I wish I could make something this beautiful.  Thanks a ton for this, Claire.  I mean it,” Ann looked over at the farmer and gave her a sincere smile.

Now that she had the gift recipient’s words of approval, Claire felt a rush of pride that she was able to make something that brought joy to others. Perhaps she was capable of something creative, she realized.  She studied the expressions on her friends’ faces, looking for a false smile or a smirk and was surprised when she didn’t see one.

“You’ll have to take it up to the mountain peak to see what that thing can really do,” Karen suggested, gathering up the shreds of colorful wrapping paper that littered the floor.

Ann let out a chuckle. “All the way up to the peak of Mother’s Hill?  I don’t know if I’m that adventurous – that’s really high up!”  Claire curiously tilted her head as she looked at her friend in surprise.  She thought that if anyone in this room had gone up to the mountain peak often, it would be Ann, due to her outgoing, playful nature.  “Maybe I’ll have to go with you, Claire.  You can be my guide.  I know Cliff takes you there a lot.”  Ann found that this fact no longer caused a wave of jealousy to surge within her.  There had been times when she saw the tenant bound downstairs eagerly with rosy cheeks and immediately regretted asking who he had plans with.  The redhead spun the blades of the pinwheel lazily, admiring the colors.  A smile spread across her face.  The gift had a sweet innocence about it.  She remembered the time she spent with Claire the other day and the carefree fun they shared.  Ann pushed away the guilt she had for avoiding the young woman in the past.  Claire wasn’t a rival, she was a friend.  The farmer was a kindhearted person, if a little bit quiet, and she was glad that they were spending time together now.  The more she was in the company of Claire, the more she liked her and realized why her other friends enjoyed spending time with the blonde.

Claire mulled over Ann’s words. She had gone with her male friend pretty far up the mountain a few times to forage for herbs and wild fruits.  She always had a lot of fun on their outings and it was easy to lose track of time.  “We could go there sometime if you want.  It’s really pretty up there, and there’s so much to see.  You could probably get a good breeze at the ocean, too.”

“Oh, you’re right!” Popuri piped up. “The view at the beach is so pretty!  I go there every afternoon!”  The young woman let out an excited giggle and a pleased grin spread across her lips.

Ann rolled her eyes. She knew where this conversation was headed and she was determined to steer it away from gossip about boys.  “Oh, I know you do, Popuri.  We all do.  And I have a hunch that the view you like so much isn’t of the ocean,” she added as a joke and immediately regretted it.

The young woman laughed a little too loudly as she turned pink. “Oh, Ann, you’re so _baaad_!” She gave her friend a playful shove that practically begged the redhead to inquire about what she enjoyed looking at so much.

Ann ignored this silent request as she absentmindedly shuffled through the records that Karen had brought over. She had borrowed the record player from Kai, but she didn’t dare to mention this to Popuri for fear of her gushing about the young man and inevitably turning this into a girly party.  Ann shuddered at the very thought.  She could see it now, them all painting their nails and styling their hair while they talked about their breast sizes and boys they thought were cute.  A chill ran down her spine.  Still, she supposed they could settle for a happy medium.  “Who’s up for listening to some music?  Maybe some karaoke?” she suggested.

Karen cracked open a beer and drank deeply. “Yes, that sounds awesome.”  She popped a few sweets into her mouth.

The birthday girl stared indignantly at her. “Hey, are you digging into the gift _you_ gave _me_?” Ann pretended to sulk at the snack basket that the brunette was breaking into.

Her friend seemed unfazed by her friend’s displeasure. They had, after all, been friends for years and she knew it took much more than that for Ann to be truly upset.  “Deal with it,” Karen tore open a bag of chips and crunched them loudly, daring her friend to complain.  Ann shrugged and opened another bag of chips, offering some to a protesting Claire.

The redhead didn’t take refusal for an acceptable answer. It seemed the farmer had taken her playful scolding of Karen a bit too seriously.  “Really, I don’t mind – help yourself!  Chances are this basket will be empty by the end of the night,” Ann laughed, tossing a handful of chips into her mouth.  “May as well pick your favorites before they’re gone!”

Claire felt bad taking snacks when she didn’t bring any food of her own to share. She shyly helped herself to some crackers while she observed Popuri turning on the record player and deciding with Karen which record to put on first.  It wasn’t long until the pair was singing a duet together. 

Ann crunched into some snacks pensively. “I can’t believe I’m 23…  I guess I’ve officially been an adult for a while now…  Next year I’ll be two dozen years old…”  The thought was a bit sobering – she felt in many ways that she was still a child and the thought of getting older made her a little uncomfortable.  She looked at her companion.  Claire was around her age and she was running a farm by herself.  Ann bit her lip.  Perhaps she was lagging behind and needed to act more like a grownup.  The idea made her heart hurt.

The blonde caught the expression on her face and gave Ann a consoling smile. Her friends in the city seemed quite nervous about aging and she was a little startled to see that her friend felt the same way.  “There’s nothing wrong with being an adult, and it’s not like we’re old by any means.  I’ll be joining you at the end of fall.”

The redhead let out a sigh. Maybe change would be good; perhaps she should start making some changes to be a little more responsible at the inn.  She could start small – learning a few new recipes couldn’t hurt things, but she wasn’t ready to give up smacking misbehaving tenants with her broom just yet.  “I guess you’re right.  I mean, Kai will be turning 25 in a couple of weeks and Gray will be 27 in the winter-”

She was cut off by a loud high-pitched squeak that Claire could only assume was Popuri’s attempt at hitting a high note in the song. Everyone in the room burst into giggles.

“Drop it an octave, girl, or you’re going to kill us all,” Karen laughed, ruffling Popuri’s pink locks. At this rate, the young woman was going to make all the animals in Mineral Town go insane with her loud, squeaky song.

She stopped singing and looked at her friend curiously. “What’s an octave?”

Karen let out an exasperated sigh. “Never mind.”  The young woman just turned up the volume of the music instead to drown out Popuri’s less-than-stellar singing voice.

Claire focused back on her conversation with Ann. She didn’t realize that Gray was four years older than herself.  Maybe he saw her as a child and never thought of her as girlfriend material.  Still, they were getting to the age where four years hardly seemed like a difference.  Maybe when they were teenagers the age gap would have seemed more significant.  Claire was indeed an adult now, she realized again.  She remembered her conversation with Cliff on his birthday – she was at the point in her life where she was becoming more comfortable with the woman she was and the changes in personality year to year were becoming less dramatic.  She hoped that someday she would be completely satisfied with the person she was and not be swayed by outside forces so much.  She thought of her dance with the old blacksmith last week and felt a small ray of hope.  “When I get older, I pray that I can be strong and wise like Saibara.” Claire popped a few chips into her mouth and crunched thoughtfully.  “He’s the goal of what I’d like to be.”

The young woman found that she had to agree. “He is a lot sweeter than most people give him credit for,” Ann replied, smiling.  Both friends hadn’t noticed that the squeaky song ceased for the moment.  “He really has a good heart.  He’s always looking out for others, whether they realize it or not.  Sometimes I sit with him in the bar and we just talk about life.”

“That sounds really nice,” the blonde replied, smoothing out the wrinkles in her brand new nightgown. “I got to dance with him at the party and it was a lot of fun.”

Popuri had popped her head between the two friends and they jumped with surprise. “Who are we talking about?  Are you crushing on someone, Claire?”

Ann and Claire simply laughed in response. The farmer’s heart felt so light.  A week ago, she would have turned red at the question, preoccupied with her feelings about the blacksmith’s apprentice.  Tonight she didn’t care.  Either it was the wine cooler she drank earlier, or she was actually starting to heal.  A little part of her was afraid of this notion, but she pushed it out of her mind.  It felt so good not to dwell on it, and she intended on enjoying herself tonight.

Their friend wasn’t satisfied with this reply. “Hey, I wanna know!  It’s Cliff, isn’t it?  Or maybe the doctor?  Trent’s really handsome and classy, don’t you think?  Cliff’s a little more – how do you say it – rough around the edges, but he’s still pretty cute.  So who is it?” she eagerly asked.  Popuri’s face lit up.  Finally, the party was going to start getting a little more interesting…

The farmer laughed harder at Popuri’s insistence on the topic of conversation. “We’re talking about _Saibara_!”  Claire and Ann burst into fits of giggles.

Popuri rolled her eyes and walked back over to the record player in a huff, frustrated that they weren’t interested in talking about crushes or men around their age. Their laughter had attracted the brunette.  “So, you like those silver foxes, huh, Claire?” she asked, casually twirling a strand of brown hair around her finger as she reached for another beer.

The three laughed heartily, and Popuri attempted to sing over them, causing the yellow tabby in the hallway to begin yowling through the door. There was a thud on the shared wall; no doubt it was a thrown work boot.  The redhead already knew who it was.

“Dammit, Ann! I have work in the morning!”  Gray’s voice was muffled.

Ann stopped her laughter to yell back at him. “Well, I have a party _tonight_!” she retorted, beaming at her friends.  The two women snickered in response.

A second voice could be heard on the other side of the wall. “Hey, ladies, _I’ll_ hang out with you,” Kai’s voice was flirty.

Popuri’s voice halted as she heard the voice and her face turned rather red. She bounced on the balls of her feet in excitement, fidgeting with the bow on her nightgown.  The young woman tried not to look too excited, but she failed miserably.  “Um… Ann… _C-Can_ he? _Please_?”

The birthday girl smirked and reached into her pajama shorts pocket, producing a key ring, which she swung around her finger. “I’ll do you one better – I’ll go drag them all over here.  Let’s get some group games going, eh?”

The room erupted in giggles, but Claire felt her cheeks grow warm as she pulled her nightgown over her knees, noticing it had crept up a little. Her nightgown was modest, but the thought of men seeing her in her pajamas embarrassed her a bit.

Popuri’s dreams were finally coming true. “What kinds of games?” Her eyes shined like two large garnets as she played with a pink curl.

Ann snorted. No doubt she had been hoping to get cozy with Kai during some of the activities.  “Ann games,” she replied simply, as if that explained everything.

The farmer almost laughed aloud at the absurdity of her friend’s words. “What are ‘Ann games’?” Claire asked curiously.

“You’ll see,” the redhead winked at her as she stood up. “We’ll be remembering this party for years to come!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Writing more about Claire’s past just kind of came out, but I’m glad it did. It gives her a little more depth and insight into her character.
> 
> By the way, pinwheels symbolize turning your luck around and innocence. I felt that this theme was appropriate for Ann as she is at a turning point in her life – getting over a crush and learning more about herself in the process.
> 
> I hope y’all are looking forward to the Ann games. So what are “Ann games”? You’ll just have to read to find out! I hope you enjoyed! :)


	50. The Opening Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos ensues as Ann and Karen drag the boys next door to join in their slumber party games.

Ann grabbed a handful of pretzels and munched them noisily as she stood up and cracked her back. “Alright, so I’m enlisting three more players for the Ann games.”  She finished chewing and swallowed, washing down the snack with a gulp of soda.  “Knowing those guys, I may need a little help convincing them.  Karen, you’re recruited.”  She gave her friend a wink as she brushed the pretzel crumbs off of her pajamas.

“Done!” The brunette took a large swig of wine straight from the bottle, and Claire wasn’t sure if she was mentally preparing herself for dragging three more people into the room or if she just wanted another drink.  Claire figured it was the second reason due to her friend’s sigh of satisfaction and smacking of the lips.  “We’ll be back soon, girls.”  She got up and followed Ann out of the room.

The two remaining women sat together in silence for a moment. The blonde never spent much time with her companion, and she had never been solely in her company before. 

“So, Claire… Kai’s pretty cute, huh?” she fussed with the ruffles on her nightgown.

The farmer was suddenly aware of how far out of her element Popuri was at this party. It couldn’t be more obvious that she wanted to gossip and talk about boys tonight, and Ann had dashed those hopes for her.  She wondered if Popuri knew about Claire’s crush on Gray, and, additionally, of his rejection of her affections.  She really wasn’t in the mood for talking about men in general tonight, as her thoughts immediately shifted toward her unrequited love, although she had to admit that the pain was lessening a bit each day.  However, she felt bad for Popuri; she was trying her best to fit in at the party, and Claire wasn’t a stranger to feeling like an outsider.

“Yeah, he is pretty cute,” she indulged her. “He actually has really nice hair when he takes off that bandana.”  While her statements weren’t lies by any means, but she braced herself for what was to come. 

Popuri’s eyes lit up and she opened her mouth to gush about the man, but her ears perked up with the jingling of the keys as Ann attempted to unlock the next door over. The young woman eagerly lifted the needle off of the record player and put her ear against the shared wall, motioning for Claire to join her.  She was surprised at Popuri’s behavior.  While she knew that her friends were going in there to simply bring them over, listening in on them felt a little intrusive.  Unsure of why she was obeying, the blonde sprung up and carefully held her head close to the wall.

They heard a couple of groans of protest as Claire could only assume the lights were flicked on and Kai let out a happy cheer.

“Wh-What the-?” Gray’s voice grumbled. “Ann!  Why can’t you knock like a normal person?”  Claire could hear the frustration in his voice and she wondered if the innkeeper’s daughter barged into their living space on a regular basis.  This was no stretch of the imagination by any means.  While living with Ann could be a lot of fun, she also was aware of the possible downsides to the arrangement – lack of privacy being a big one.

The waitress giggled. “Oh, please!  Like I’ve never seen you in your boxers before, you whiner!  Come on, we’re partying!”  Her voice had a tone of stubborn finality to it and Claire doubted anyone in the room would try to resist.  The blonde pressed her ear a little closer to the wall and she was startled by a sigh from her companion.  She snapped back to reality.

“Dang, we should’ve volunteered to help, huh?” Popuri pouted, puffing out her cheeks and folding her arms across her chest, her face flushing with crimson. “We don’t get to see _any_ of the action!”

Claire raised her eyebrows in surprise and felt the heat coming to her own cheeks. While she knew that Popuri was interested in boys, she hadn’t expected her curiosity to be so forthright.  Perhaps Claire had just been assuming she was a child because she was the youngest in the room.  It seemed now that her brother wasn’t around, she was eager to experience all of the things that were denied to her on a regular basis.  The blonde let out an innocent giggle, but felt a wave of guilt.  She found she was a little interested to see what was going on next door as well, her heartbreak forgotten for the moment.  She found that she was more interested in seeing the humor next door rather than the thought of Gray in his underwear and the notion confused her.

“I was waiting for you to invite us,” Kai laughed. “I’m all ready to party, see?  I know better than to go to a party of Ann’s and not have snacks prepared,” he laughed, and Claire could hear the shuffling of goods.

“Alright! Kai, you earned yourself some bonus points!” Ann giggled.

“Uh… Karen... Ann… n-nice to see you…” Claire could hear the blush in the brunette’s voice.  “I-I’ll join y’all next door once I get decent, okay…?” he let out a nervous chuckle.

Claire could only imagine her best friend was hiding under the covers, ashamed of something she could not identify. She could only assume it was his attire.  Perhaps he slept in his underwear as well – it was a hot summer night, after all.  She felt bad that Ann and Karen had just barged in without knocking, especially since Cliff had agreed to participate in the party.  Popuri giggled, and Claire was aware that she was the one being laughed at.  Perhaps she was making a strange expression.  She hoped Popuri couldn’t tell what had been on her mind; her face was on fire as she was overcome with embarrassment.  The blonde preferred not to attempt processing her thoughts at the moment.  She felt as immature as Popuri.  She was about to head back to the center of the room when Ann spoke up.

“Well, what do you think, Karen? Boxers or briefs?” she heckled.  “Cliff doesn’t let me do his laundry – he does it all himself.”

It seemed her thoughts weren’t too far off. The farmer could hardly hear anything over the throbbing in her ears.  Popuri shot her a threatening look, daring her to remove her ear from the wall.

Claire could hear the shuffling of blankets and she was surprised how thin the walls were in this building.   It was likely that the two guest rooms had once been one large one and the partition between the two rooms did a poor job of muffling noise.  “I said I’d come…  I-I’ll join you after you go back to the other room…” his voice was laced with shame and desperation.

A snort came from Gray’s side of the room. “Goddess, you’re embarrassed _now_?  Why couldn’t you have been this modest during Beach Day?”

The room fell silent. Popuri and Claire looked at each other curiously.  They had no idea what they were talking about, but there seemed to be a silent argument going on next door.  The farmer wasn’t all that surprised; she knew that they had their disagreements before, but she was a little uncomfortable with the tension in the other room.

Ann seemed to be the perfect diffuser. Her voice was gentle.  “C’mon, Cliff.  We’re just having a little fun.  Get dressed and we’ll see you next door, okay?  We’re going to play some games.  I’ll make you a free breakfast tomorrow in exchange.  You’ve been looking skinny!”

So Claire wasn’t the only one that seemed to notice he was losing weight. The farmer felt a wave of gratitude toward Ann.  It was good to know that she wasn’t the only one that was becoming concerned about her friend; Cliff had someone watching out for him at the inn.  “A-Alright…” she could tell from his tone of voice that he had forced a smile on his face.

“Hey! You said _nothing_ about free food!” Gray grumbled, and Claire could hear Popuri sniggering.

“Men and food, am I right?” she whispered with a giggle.

The farmer remembered early in their friendship luring Cliff into a conversation with the promise of a chocolate bar. He had been a little reluctant to approach her, but at the sight of food he eagerly took a seat.  Back on the day that they met, she had offered him an apple, and while he ate politely, his speed had suggested he hadn’t eaten anything all day.  She had gobbled down her own apple in her famished state, and she was surprised to see that he had matched her pace.  Claire was reminded once again that her friend didn’t have a steady job and her heart gave an anxious pang.  He was a little stubborn about receiving any produce she offered him – it had to come from her rejected and blemished bin that she ate from herself, and even then he insisted that he didn’t need anything.  Sometimes she snuck packets of food into his pack while he wasn’t looking.  He never said anything about these little gifts, and she suddenly wondered if she was embarrassing him by doing this.

Popuri was looking at her curiously, and Claire tried to remember if she had asked her a question. The farmer had trouble focusing her thoughts recently and she wracked her brain.  She was interrupted from her ponderings when she heard Ann’s loud voice.

“Fine! _Everyone_ gets free breakfast tomorrow; just don’t tell Dad!” Ann sighed, and Claire was sure that her father had been able to hear everything she was saying downstairs in the bar.  “Yeesh, you’d think I was torturing you all!”

“Because you are…” Gray grumbled.

The unmistakable dull thud of a feather pillow could be heard as he was silenced and Popuri stifled a giggle. “You guys have three minutes.  Remember, I have the keys to this room,” Claire could hear Ann jingling the keys tauntingly.

She could hear the sound of a door being closed and footsteps coming their way down the hall. The farmer removed her ear from the wall and she exchanged a guilty smile with her companion.  Claire definitely wouldn’t have listened in on them if she had been alone, and she felt a wave of guilty pleasure for being naughty, much like a child who had stolen a piece of candy from the pantry.

“I would get in so much trouble with Rick if he found out about this…” Popuri’s face was pink. “You won’t say anything, will you?”

Claire wondered if she was asking about their listening in on the men’s quarters or the fact that this was turning into a coed party. The farmer stared at the young woman incredulously; either way, she had no intention of being a snitch.  “O-Of course not!”

She looked relieved. “Thanks…  It’s just…  Rick never lets me do anything fun.  What happens in this room stays in this room, alright?”  Color bloomed in her cheeks until they were burgundy.  Neither of them had any idea what “Ann games” were, but they were both eager to find out.  Popuri hurried to her bag and applied a thin coat of lip balm.  With the addition of three handsome men as guests, she wanted to make sure she looked her best, especially for Kai.

“Of course…” Claire’s heart began to pound. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but didn’t remember sleepover parties being as scandalous as the young woman was implying.  Her eyes traveled to Popuri.  It had been a few months since Claire mostly stopped wearing makeup regularly, although she would wear a bit to the inn for her evening visits.  The blonde ran her fingers through her hair and stopped herself in surprise.  Her instinct was to attempt to look cute, but she suddenly realized she didn’t have anyone to impress like Popuri did.  The thought made her heart drop a bit, but she quickly pushed the thought away.  This was a birthday party for Ann, not a singles mixer.  Still, she had to fight the urge to primp herself at the knowledge that Gray was coming into the room.  Claire swallowed the lump in her throat.  There was no need to try to woo him anymore; he wasn’t interested.

The door creaked open with a trio of grinning faces. Claire looked over at Popuri and she sat in one of the chairs with her hands demurely folded in her lap.  She couldn’t have looked guiltier of wrongdoing if she tried.  Kai let out a playful laugh as he saw her.  He set a sack of snacks on the table and gave the girls a friendly grin.

Karen and Ann followed him through the doorway and dug through the bag Kai had set down. “The two losers will be here shortly,” Ann explained, slipping her keys in her pocket and pulling a batch of cookies out of the bag.  “Kai’s the only guy here who has any sense of adventure.  We had to bribe the others with food.”  She popped the entire sugar cookie into her mouth and chewed, her cheeks bulging out comically as she did so.

Claire and Popuri helped Kai unload all of the snacks. Cookies, popcorn, riceballs, and sandwiches covered the table, along with a cake.  Claire almost commented on the sheer amount of food, but with so many people plus Ann, it would probably all be eaten; the farmer had watched in surprise as Ann ate nearly half of her birthday cake earlier.  “I made extras at work today.  If Ann didn’t come over and invite me, I was going to come over myself,” he confessed with a grin.

Karen’s eyes lit up at the large sack of popcorn and she pounced on it. As Claire knew, it was one of her favorite guilty pleasure snacks.  “Mine!”

Kai laughed. “I’ve got two more in there.  It’s all yours if you want.  But don’t touch the cake – that’s my gift for Ann.”

The redhead unwrapped the sweet garnished generously with chocolate shavings. “I was wondering if I was going to get anything from you this year.  The guys all gave me their gifts at breakfast.  Thanks!  We can all share!”  She cut herself a slice and shoved it into her mouth with such fluidity that Claire was surprised she was still astounded by her friend’s large appetite.

“So, I can’t help but notice you’re not in your pajamas,” Popuri stared at the young man, playing with the ruffles on her nightgown. Her eyes were drawn to his unruly dark hair; Kai wasn’t wearing his usual bandana tonight.  She shot Claire a smirk; surely she was remembering a few minutes ago when the farmer mentioned he had nice hair.

Kai shrugged. “That’s because I had intentions on crashing the party,” he thought his much was obvious.  “I never bothered to change.”

“It’s true. He was lying in bed fully clothed with that bag of snacks waiting at his bedside, ready to come and party with us,” Karen giggled.  “He was even still wearing his shoes!”

Popuri was tickled that he was so eager to spend time with them. She knew there was a strong likelihood he was excited to see her and get to spend time with her without Rick’s supervision.  “Your roommates do the same?” the young woman asked innocently.

Ann shook her head, snagging a few kernels of popcorn from the bag Karen had torn into. “Gray got all mad because we walked in on him in his boxer shorts.  He acts like it doesn’t happen every month or so.  Honestly, I don’t know why he’s still embarrassed,” she snorted, unhinging her jaw to fit an entire handful of popcorn into her mouth.

“So… what about the other roommate? Boxers or briefs?” Popuri pressed, giving Kai a playful wink as she casually cocked her head toward the rapidly reddening farmer.

Claire was surprised that she was asking such questions, especially in front of the man she was so interested in. The blonde shoved this logic off to the side as she found she was keenly listening for Kai’s answer.  Her cheeks burned as she decided to unpack more snacks.  What her best friend wore underneath his clothing was really none of her business, and she was ashamed at the tiny part of her that wanted to know the answer.  Claire silently punished herself.  How would she feel if Kai asked what style of panties _she_ wore?  The young woman felt a wave of guilt as she sorted through the snacks and opened them noisily, her blonde hair falling into her flushed face.  She wished Popuri would stop being so rude, and she was surprised to see that neither Ann nor Karen had reprimanded her for her intrusive question; rather they both looked at Kai, curious for his reply.

The cook let out a good-natured laugh and shook his head, taking note of Claire’s obvious discomfort. “You’re too inquisitive for your own good, Poppy.  Two words – old school.  V _ery_ old school,” Kai roared with laughter.

She was counting on her fingers. “That was five words, Kai.”

The young man ruffled her cotton candy hair. She was rather bold when Rick wasn’t around, and he couldn’t say that he disliked it.  However, he wasn’t going to let the subject continue; he didn’t want anyone to feel unwelcome, and Claire looked embarrassed and confused.  “You silly thing – are you going to ask me what _I_ wear next?”  He laughed it off, knowing she wouldn’t press further, but his cheeks reddened regardless.

Ann and Karen began to laugh, and she was aware at how bold she was being. “N-no…” Popuri moved her gaze to the floor.

There was a soft knock at the door. “Uh, hello…”

“Open the damn door already.”

Ann rolled her eyes and complied.

“Yo.” Gray dragged his feet into the room wearing some blue cotton pajama pants and a white tee shirt and, surprisingly enough, he wasn’t wearing his baseball cap.  Claire found herself studying him and thought he looked pretty cute with this change in attire, but her eyes didn’t linger; part of her didn’t want to see at him at all.  “There had better be some good drinks and snacks here.  If I’m not going to get to sleep, I might as well enjoy it.”  There was a grouchy yet playful tone to his voice that Claire rarely got to hear. 

She took a seat on the oaken floorboards on the other end of the room, hoping that she wasn’t making it painfully obvious that she suddenly felt very alone. She smoothed out her nightgown and found her gaze was immediately drawn to him once again.  She silently cursed herself for her behavior and wondered how she was going to survive the evening.

Karen took another swig from her wine bottle and handed it to Gray who, to Claire’s surprise, drank deeply. The farmer’s eyes drifted to the floor; she wasn’t sure how she felt about spending time with the apprentice just yet.  She knew that she should act like a mature adult and tolerate his company, but her heart still ached when she looked at him.  She wished Gray would have stayed next door, but he was Ann’s friend – Claire knew she was being selfish.

“H-Hey, y’all…” Cliff gave the group a shy wave as he stepped in the doorway and the yellow tabby cat was rubbing her face on his bare ankles, purring loudly and letting out sharp, needy meows.  He looked over at Ann.  “You want Tabs in or out?”

“She can come in,” his friend replied with a grin and a wink, “so long as she doesn’t tell Dad.”

“You got that, girl?” the young man looked down at the cat with an overly serious face. The feline flopped on the floor in response, stretching her paws up at him playfully.  Cliff smirked at her as he pulled the door closed behind him.  His hair was pulled back loosely and he had a groggy look to his eyes.  He looked a little tired, but cozy – his lightweight pants were rolled up to the middle of his calves and he wore his simple brown sleeveless undershirt.  With the lighter layers of clothing, Claire was reminded that he was indeed losing weight.  He gave her a friendly smile and took a seat beside her on the floor.  The cat gave him an indignant meow for ignoring her and she began washing her face.  The young woman noticed he smelled like fresh rosemary and clean laundry.  He had no doubt been lying on a pillow stuffed with the herb; he smelled of comfort.  Claire’s uneasiness about Gray’s presence in the room melted away as she instinctively scooted a little closer to her friend.  “I hope Doug doesn’t find out about us being in here and get mad,” he let out a nervous chuckle.

Ann shot him a stern look. “No one’s telling _anyone_ about tonight.  We’re just going to have fun, okay?  We needed some more players for our games; don’t be a spoilsport!”

“ _Games_?” Kai raised his eyebrows in curiosity.  He personally had attended many parties where _Spin the Bottle_ or other various kissing games were played, but Ann didn’t strike him as the type to be into this sort of thing.  “Did you have some kind of agenda in mind?”

“Of course I do!” she replied, biting into a cookie. “Believe it or not, I’ve _always_ wanted to invite boys to my party, but I didn’t want to tell Dad; he’d make it weird.  So I’m doing it now!” she stated with authority.  “Consider this the official opening ceremony for the twenty-third annual Ann Games!”  Ann reached into the cooler and produced several bottles of soda, which she passed around.  Claire was rather pleased to receive a melon flavored bottle as she handed an orange soda to Cliff.

Gray cocked an eyebrow as he eyed his root beer suspiciously. “Twenty-third annual?  I’ve lived here for years and we’ve _never_ had-”

Ann swiftly smacked him with a pillow, knocking a few down feathers out of it. She continued as if she hadn’t been interrupted.  “Yep, twenty-three years of tradition and sportsmanship!  So who is ready for the opening ceremony?”

“Alright, let’s toast!” Karen had already popped open her cola and thrust it into the air, oblivious to the brown liquid that splashed onto her arm. Claire realized her girl friend already had a few drinks in her. The farmer clattered her bottle against her friends’ and wondered with loads of excitement and a twinge of fear what she had gotten herself into this evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So not a lot of actual action in this chapter, but the Ann games will be featured next chapter. I wanted to focus on a lot of the conflicts going through Claire’s mind and subconscious. I hope I was able to get a few chuckles out of you guys. Hope you liked the fanservice, haha!


	51. Wrestling with Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ann Games begin! Attending a social event with Gray present causes a bit of anxiety in Claire, who wonders if she is acting appropriately around him.

Claire sipped at her bottle of soda and glanced around the room. Everyone seemed to be actively engaged in something, and she was content observing the noise and interactions.  Kai and Gray were laughing heartily about something between sips of alcohol and Karen and Popuri were chattering on about what possible games to play.  Ann was busily sifting through a basket of candy, meaningfully removing larger pieces and chocolate bars from the mix.  Surprisingly enough, she wasn’t eating any of the sweets.  From what Claire could gather, Ann already had an itinerary with games to play, and they were all to be a surprise.

“This is going to remind me of being a kid,” Claire smiled as she played with the beads of condensation on the outside of her glass bottle. She hadn’t been to many birthday parties as a child, but group games made her think of her elementary school days.  The farmer had to admit that she was eager to be part of the group; she had spent the last few years in the city in her lonely apartment, only going out when begged to.  Her friends had a different idea of fun than she did, and the only reason she agreed to go out was her fear of losing contact with everyone and being completely alone.  She wondered what kinds of antics they would get into tonight; Claire had learned from their play date recently that Ann was creative with her games.

“Yeah… Ann definitely reminds me of my childhood,” Cliff’s voice had a nostalgic tone to it as he looked over at the redhead.  Claire noticed there was that distinct sadness in his eyes that was reminiscent of their time at the beach together when he talked about Ivy.  She could tell that he was intent on not brooding tonight, as his gaze turned toward Claire’s beverage.  “So… what does green soda taste like?”  The corners of his lips turned upward ever so slightly.

His friend was eager to keep that smile on his face. Tonight they would be each others’ support, just as they often did.  Her heart swelled at this thought – she never had to worry about feeling out of place as long as he was around.  Karen was also a good pillar of strength for her, but she had to admit that there was a certain intimacy she shared with Cliff and no one else.  She pointed at the picture of fruit on the label.  “It’s melon.  One of my favorites – I’d pick up a bottle or two on the weekends back in the city.  Here, give it a try.”  She passed the bottle to him, the glass marble in the neck of the bottle rolling noisily as she did so.  She became aware of Gray’s presence on the opposite side of the room once again and began to realize just how grateful she was that Cliff was here tonight.  They always kept each other grounded and she appreciated that about him.  She fought the urge to hug his arm; she had become so very emotional over her situation with Gray, but surely it didn’t warrant her embarrassing the both of them in front of their friends.

Cliff gave the beverage a taste and his face lit up. He didn’t drink soda very often, but there was a merchant that used to travel to his home village with goods for trade.  A young Cliff would occasionally buy some soda with his allowance, but Ivy often stole it from him when he wasn’t looking.  Lychee soda was his personal favorite, and unfortunately, it was his sister’s as well.  She would wait until he opened it and if he set the beverage down, he would return to the bottle and find it half gone.  If getting her to return to him now would be as simple as opening his bottle of soda, he would buy as many cases as he could afford.  Cliff pushed the depressing thoughts from his head; it did no good to dwell on these things in a crowded room tonight.  The last thing he wanted was people asking him what was wrong on a night when he was supposed to be celebrating his friend’s birthday.  His thoughts drifted back to beverage in his hands.  He enjoyed the melon flavor as much as he did lychee.  It never took long for him and his sibling to finish the bottle together, and the two would inevitably have a belching contest when the drink was gone.  Ivy won more often than he did, and the loser often got stuck with folding laundry.  She was a girl of many talents, and one of her greatest skills was getting out of chores.

He allowed a smile to come back to his face as he looked over at Claire. She was watching him curiously, those sapphire eyes twinkling at him with a hint of playfulness.  Her hands were resting in her lap and her head was slightly tilted, her gaze focused on him.  She didn’t seem to mind that he had been daydreaming with her drink in his hand – quite the contrary, she looked fascinated at what he was doing.  “How is it?” she asked, flashing him a grin.

It was so encouraging to see her look so happy after the last time they spent time together. He could only imagine what her heart had been going through for the past week or so.  He tried his best not to stare at her, but Claire’s relaxed facial expressions coupled with her cute pink nightgown made it difficult not to.  He was reminded once again how beautiful she was.  He focused back on the bottle in his left hand.  “It’s really good.  I can see why you bought it a lot.”

“Well, have some more then. We can trade for a while,” Claire gave him a friendly smile as she unwrapped his fingers from the orange soda in his other hand and took a drink.

“Okay, but don’t drink it all,” he teased. Cliff felt the heat rise in his cheeks at the notion of sharing a bottle with her, but he quickly brushed away his embarrassment.  This was hardly the time for him to behave like an awkward adolescent.

“Alright, ya chumps! The first event of the Ann games is about to begin!”  Ann slammed the basket of individually wrapped candies and loose jellybeans onto the middle of the table.  A couple of sweets bounced out of the container and threatened to fall onto the floor.

Popuri fidgeted on her chair. “Is it a coed game?” she asked innocently, playing with a lock of her hair as her face lit up.

Ann cocked an eyebrow. Why would she invite the guys over if they weren’t going to play the games with them?  She gave Popuri such an incredulous stare that she wasn’t sure whether she should laugh or duck down in her chair.  This elicited a giggle from Karen, who ruffled Popuri’s hair.  “Of course it is!  All of them are!  Ann games are about inclusion!”  The redhead let out a snort in reply as she leaned on the edge of the table.  “First things first.  We’re having an arm wrestling competition, tournament style!”  She hastily drew a bracket on a scrap of paper as a smug look spread across her mouth.  “We’ll start by gender and then there will be an ultimate showdown for first place!”

Popuri’s face fell. She had obviously had a different tone to the party in mind.  “Alright…”

Ann was surprised that no one had asked about the candy. It seemed a few of them had already had a bit of alcohol, but she was about to push them into a more alert state.  “But that’s not all!” Ann shouted so loudly that everyone jumped a little.  She tilted the basket onto the table’s surface and gestured toward the sweets in a flourish.  “Tadaaaaaa!”

She was met with confused stares.

Ann rolled her eyes; her friends were staring at her like she was crazy. “We’re gonna bet with candy!  When I say ‘go’, grab as much as you can.  We’ll use it to place bets on the arm wrestling matches.  The only rules are that you can’t bet on yourself, and whoever wins the whole shebang gets poaching rights and can steal one piece of candy from everyone else.  And no eating the candy until the end of the finals!”  She wagged her finger.

Gray’s sudden deep voice made Claire jump. “What about a standard exchange rate?”

Ann stroked her chin thoughtfully, considering this practical question. “Well…  I guess people will have to trade and barter what they think is a fair deal.”  She was met with a sigh in response; apparently Gray had expected an entire system planned out, but she didn’t care.  If he wanted a complex betting system, he could figure it out for his own birthday party.  “Just make sure you get lots of candy,” Ann snorted; she was tired of waiting.  “Aaaand… GO!”

Claire stood up and walked over to the table, quickly realizing that she had missed out on most of the candy already. She was surprised to see that everyone else was already there rifling through the sweets so eagerly.  The young woman wasn’t expecting the games to be so aggressive.  Claire debated over whether to pick out her favorites or to just try to grab something to bet with.  She glanced across the table.  Popuri held out the skirt of her nightgown, using her arm to sweep the candy off of the table into her clothing, going purely for volume.  She was so absorbed in her candy collecting that she was oblivious to Kai and Karen sneaking pieces from the hoard in her nightgown, sniggering as they did so.  Gray looked over at Popuri’s technique and swore under his breath, lamenting how he should have brought his hat to use as a scoop.   

Despite the fact that she grew up in a bustling city, the havoc made the farmer a little nervous. Claire tried to approach the table between Karen and Kai and her friend laughed at her.  “Come on, Claire.  You’re not going to get any at this rate!” Karen grabbed her arm and gave her a small handful of sweets from Popuri’s stash.

She felt a little guilty profiting off of the young woman’s work, but it wasn’t long until the table was cleared of treats. Claire had only managed to grab a couple of licorices and a toffee on her own.  She looked around the room.  Popuri had definitely gotten a majority of the candy, and Gray was a close second.

Ann chugged the rest of her soda and grabbed the neck of the bottle, shaking it roughly so that the marble rattled loudly. Kai flinched at getting splashed with a few drops of soda, but Ann only smirked at him and shook harder.  “Alright, you crazy kids!  Candy collection is over!  Let the tournament begin!”

0o0o0o0

The first match on the women’s competition lasted all of five seconds. Popuri complained loudly that no one had ever told her that she should breathe while arm wrestling.  Claire felt uncomfortable betting on the first men’s match – she was certain that Gray would beat Kai, but to put candy down on it showed her support of the apprentice, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that just yet.  The young woman was content with simply watching the first couple of matches with Cliff.  Her friend didn’t seem to be much of a betting man himself, and when she mentioned it aloud, he simply flashed a smile at her and said he was waiting for the right matches.

Before Claire knew it, she was sitting at the table across from Karen, interlocking her hand with her friend’s, waiting for the signal. She found that her entire body was humming with excitement.  With all of the eyes on her, she found that she was afraid of losing too quickly and embarrassing herself.

Before she had too much time to dwell on it, she was startled by a glass marble jangling in a glass bottle – Ann shook her empty soda container to signal the beginning of the match. “Aaaand… GO!”

The two spent a few seconds getting a feel for the other’s level of strength. Claire was certain that Karen had developed her arm muscles from lifting and stocking crates of goods in her father’s shop, but she wasn’t going to give up that easily.  Claire surprised herself when she held her ground, and the brunette looked over at her with a mildly startled look.  The farmer realized at once that a few months ago her own hand would have been slammed to the table’s surface within a matter of seconds.  When did she acquire such power?  She was rattled from her thoughts when she heard Kai’s voice.

“Huh… Hey, Poppy, I’ll bet five jellybeans on Claire. You interested?”

The blonde looked up in shock to see that Karen was struggling to hang into the game. “Shaddap, Kai!  You’re messing me up!”  A few beads of perspiration showed on her forehead and her arm was trembling.  While Claire could feel the beginnings of strain in her own arm, she wasn’t uncomfortable.

“All bets are off now that the match has started!” Ann reminded them. “Besides, that’s technically my candy you’re betting with.  You should be grateful for what you’ve got!”

Apparently this wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. The young man folded his arms across his chest and pouted.  “Some have more to be grateful for than others…” Kai muttered under his breath.  “I wanted to win some more candy to catch up.”  He had been pressured by Popuri to bet all of his candy on her winning the first match against Ann.  He couldn’t say no to those big round eyes and he had complied with her request although he knew it would cost him all of his sweets.  Gray had been eager to take the bet and the apprentice was now smugly sitting behind his pile of winnings.  A few friends had chipped in some pieces of candy to allow Kai to continue to bet.  “Besides, Cliff put down an entire chocolate bar on Claire.”

Karen fought back a laugh and her arm weakened further. “Et tu, Cliff?  C’mon, I thought we were besties!”  She pouted as her opponent threatened to overtake her.  At this point, she knew that it was only a matter of time before she lost.  Claire seemed to gain strength in hearing that her friends had her support.  Karen was hardly surprised at Cliff’s choice; as a matter of fact, she’d be surprised if he selected her over Claire.  However, she started to wonder if anyone had predicted her as the winner.

He wrung his hands, his cheeks flushing with color. “W-well… when she’s not tilling the soil on her farm, she’s chopping wood out on Mother’s Hill.  She’s really strong.”

Ann had no doubt that the farmer would be a formidable opponent, but seemed distracted by the information she had heard from Kai. Her eyes were drawn to the candy bar that her friend had added to the betting pile.  “Where did you get the bar of chocolate from?” she asked suspiciously.

He briefly looked up at her with wide blue eyes, and Ann almost laughed aloud; she had never seen such a guilty look on someone’s face. “It was in the basket,” Cliff insisted quietly, but his friend knew he was silently cursing Kai for blowing his cover.

Ann had forgotten that she had her own pile of chocolate she removed from the sweets stash before the event and she was determined to keep that bar of candy for herself. She glanced at the wrapper – dark chocolate with almonds – and didn’t care that it wasn’t her favorite flavor; it was the principle of the thing.  “I thought I took out all the big stuff before I let you all go at it,” she whined, lamenting the loss of her precious chocolate bar.

He knew she was trying to pout in order to get her candy back without any struggle. Sometimes she acted so much like his sister he was astounded.  After all, one of Ivy’s favorite pastimes was walking all over him.  He wasn’t going to back down.  A playful smirk spread cross Cliff’s lips.  “Well, I guess you’ll have to win it back, then.”

Ann flew across the room and tackled him in response. Luckily enough, they landed on Popuri’s soft sleeping bag, but it did very little to muffle the loud thump that resounded when they hit the floor.

“Come on, you two! There’s a match going on!” Gray rolled his eyes, but a huge grin was spreading across his face.  He turned back toward his candy stash, eyeing the bet pile with great interest.

Karen focused on her aching arm and she could feel her strength fading. She felt a strange combination of frustration and pride that Claire was holding up so well.  She had just assumed because her best friend had a smaller build and less aggressive personality, she wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight.  Karen threw her weight into her arm and was surprised when Claire didn’t budge.

Karen’s hand suddenly smacked the table and the brunette blinked in surprise. She had truly given her all in the match, and her friend still managed to best her.  Claire flashed her a playful smirk and Karen couldn’t help but pull her into an embrace, ruffling her friend’s blonde locks; it was impossible to get mad at her.  The young woman had come so far from the day they introduced themselves to each other.  Claire was much stronger, and not just in a physical sense.  Karen’s green eyes met her friend’s blue ones and the brunette knew that while Claire might not see it right now, she was going to come out of this rough patch stronger and happier.  Karen couldn’t help but feel her throat tighten as she patted her friend’s back.  “You are too much, you know!” she laughed.

The friends were startled by a commotion on the other side of the room.

“Come on, I know you can flip me!” Ann had pinned her friend to the floor, her long red braid dangling in and tickling her friend’s face as a form of torture. “You can get out of this hold!”

Cliff let out an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, but I don’t want a fist to the stomach today, thank you.”  He turned his head to the side, trying to avoid getting her hair in his mouth.  Claire had a distinct feeling he was speaking from experience.  The farmer knew how to save her friend.

“Hey Ann, are you ready for the next match? You’re up against me!” Claire gave the redhead a grin as she watched her friends sort through their bets.

Ann bounced back to her feet, pushing off of Cliff’s torso as she did so. The young man scowled at her as he sat up and gingerly held his side.  Claire offered him a hand and shot him an apologetic look for making Ann get up so roughly.  He shrugged in response as if to say that her behavior tonight was nothing out of the ordinary.

“So, who are you going to bet on? Me or Claire?” Ann asked him, eyeing up his chocolate bar as Cliff gathered his winnings from a pouting Popuri.  A couple of months ago, she would have been implying much more with this question.  She was relieved in a sense that she had stopped analyzing everything he did anymore.

He looked at her curiously and quickly became aware that she was staring at his candy. He smirked at her.  “I… I think I’ll refrain from betting this round.”

Ann bit her lip and resisted the urge to tackle him again. “Alright!  Let’s do this!”

Claire sat back down at the table, wishing there was more of a break between matches; now that she wasn’t straining it, her arm felt a little weak from her bout with Karen.

“So, who’s gonna count us down?” Ann impatiently hammered the table with her fists.

A couple of pieces of wrapped candy rolled across the floor as they tumbled out of her friend’s hands. “Hold your horses!  We’re still betting!” Kai laughed, counting out his sweets.

“Oh, please! Like you have anything left to bet with anyway!  Count us down, Popuri!”

Popuri bounced over to the table after finishing off the mixed cocktail Karen had made for her. Claire looked over her shoulder to notice Gray putting in a bet for Ann to win and she couldn’t fight back the sick feeling in her stomach.  He didn’t believe in her?  The young woman bit her lip and focused on the task at hand.  It wasn’t about winning Gray’s approval, she reminded herself – it never should have been.  Still, that nagging lamentation popped back up in her mind and she struggled to choke it back.

“Alright, quiet down everyone, we’re getting ready to start!” Popuri was eager to be the emcee for a change. She yelled over the chattering group of people, forgetting that she had donned fresh lipgloss for the event and that she had been eager to play _Spin the Bottle_ , not really minding too much which boy she’d have to kiss.  “I said, SHADDAP!”

The room fell silent.

Perhaps the most startled one in the room was Popuri. She hadn’t expected them to actually listen.  After all, she spent day after day back at home with a brother who constantly pushed her into the background.  The young woman wasn’t sure where this sudden well of confidence came from, but she rather liked this powerful feeling.

“Much better!” She nodded more to herself than the other occupants of the room.  Spying Kai’s nearly empty lemon lime soda on the edge of the table, she snapped it up and finished it off.  She grabbed the neck of the bottle and giving it a rough shake to rattle the marble, ignoring the mildly offended expression on Kai’s face.  “On your marks, get set… GO!”

Claire immediately felt a strong push from Ann and knew this match was going to be different than her one against Karen. The blonde noticed that her opponent had more muscle power and forced the match into small bursts of aggression and defense.  Claire preferred a more gradual increasing of pressure and found Ann’s technique jarring.

The two sat in silence as they grappled for a minute or so. “Hey, you’re pretty strong,” Ann flashed a grin at her.  “We might be a while at this.”  She paused, letting out a small chuckle.  “Hey, did you know that before we had The Tabster, we had a dog?”

Making small talk in the middle of an arm wrestling match was a little odd, but she wasn’t opposed to it. “Oh, really?” Claire was surprised that a canine lived at the inn, and she loosened her force, oblivious that Ann was slowly doing the same.

“Oh, yeah… A really sweet, big old dog.  He used to sleep down by the bar and everyone loved him.  He was super mellow and wouldn’t hurt a fly.  He was really good at finding the owners of things people left behind at the bar; he could pick up their scent.”  She let out a nostalgic sigh as she stared up at the ceiling, apparently reminiscing about the old pet.  “There was one strange thing about him, though.”

Claire’s eyebrows shot up beneath her bangs. “Oh?  What’s that?”

“Well, this might sound kind of disturbing, but… he had no nose,” she stated in a hushed voice as she nodded at Claire, as if to tell her this was the honest truth.

Her body stiffened in shock at this piece of news. “But wait… how did he smell?” Claire was so busy trying to figure out how odd this dog looked that she didn’t notice the silent giggles behind her.

Her eyes widened in horror as Ann threw her full weight into her arm and slammed Claire’s hand onto the wooden surface of the table. “Terrible!” she bellowed loudly, an impish grin spreading across her face.

The farmer was still blinking in surprise as Popuri rattled her bottle to signal the end of the match. “Wait… what?”  At first she was wondering if Ann was referring to her performance.  The punchline of the joke hit her and she found a grin slowly cracking across her face.  She looked over Ann’s shoulder to see a very red-faced Cliff laughing so hard he was silent, fruitlessly attempting to blink away tears of mirth.  Karen slapped him on the back of the head.

“Come on, now. Don’t encourage her.  Ann cheated!” the young woman sulked.

Gray moved in to scoop up his winnings from Karen’s pile of candy. “Strategy.”

Popuri’s face lit up after she took a sip of wine. “Oh, I get it!  He has a hard time smelling because he doesn’t have a nose!”  The young woman laughed so hard she snorted.  “And… he’s a stinky dog!”

Hearing the pun explained by an obviously tipsy Popuri made Claire laugh even harder. A couple of tears rolled down her cheeks.  She couldn’t even be mad that Ann had won by using a slightly underhanded tactic.  The joke had been worth it.  The young woman didn’t realize how much she needed a good laugh.

0o0o0o0

“You can do it! Go Cliff!” Claire cheered on her friend.

His face immediately flushed with color and he lost the headway he had been making against Gray.

The apprentice shot his roommate a keen look, silently asking if he wanted him to throw the match and let him win. Cliff would owe him, of course – he had his pride, after all.  Gray was met with an indignant glare in response.  A small smirk played at his lips.

“Fine, have it your way.” His murmur was only loud enough for the two of them to hear.  He braced his arm as his opponent pushed harder.  If this was simply an endurance match, Gray knew that he was going to lose.  He had gone out to watch Cliff bow hunt before and had even tried firing an arrow at a target a couple of times with him back in the spring.  It had made his arms quite sore – it was a different kind of strength than Gray used at the smithy.  Sometimes Cliff sat in silence with his bow drawn for a long time.  It was more stamina than Gray cared to spend.  He knew that if it came down to brute strength, he was sure to beat Cliff.  All he needed to do was give him one hard push; Gray could feel his stamina fading.  He masked his fatigue with a smug look as he quickly threw his all into his arm, catching his opponent by surprise and slamming his hand down on the table.

“Ding, ding, ding!” Ann’s loud voice and rattling of her empty bottle startled everyone, including the cat, who was busy brushing herself against Claire’s ankles.

The farmer let out a sigh. She had wanted her best friend to win the match, and she wasn’t sure if the reason for support was partly because she didn’t want Gray to win.  It seemed she wasn’t alone in this sentiment, however.  The entire group of spectators made sounds of disappointment at the turnout of the match.  The winner folded his arms across his chest and let out a sigh of frustration.  “Oh, come on!  Was _no one_ cheering for me?”

“Nope,” Kai flashed him an impish grin. “No bets were made because everyone wanted Cliff to win.”

The loser of the match shyly rubbed the back of his head and blushed deeply. His heart was warmed that he had so much support.  He knew it was probably a joke of some sort, but after living on his own for so long, it felt nice to have someone cheering for him, even if it was over something as silly as an arm wrestling match.  He felt the beginnings of a lump in his throat, but quickly shook it off.  “Oh, really?  Y’all are serious?”  He let out a delighted chuckle.

Gray stood up and stared around the room incredulously, his eyebrows furrowing amidst the sniggering. “What he said!  Are you guys serious?!  Why are you all such jerks?”

Ann bounced over to him and ruffled his hair, causing it to stick up wildly. “Because you’re easy and fun to tease.  You get all angry and huffy,” she giggled, imitating his expression.

He straightened his hair and scowled at her, causing a wave of giggles from Karen and Popuri. Kai laughed aloud – his friend rarely ran a comb through his own hair, but when Ann messed it up, the apprentice acted as if she had done something unforgivable.  Gray said nothing, but he snorted, folding his arms across his chest.

“Oh, come on. Don’t pout.  You get to go against me now!” Ann grinned at him.

Gray sat back down at the table with a grunt. He didn’t even want to look at the betting going on.  He knew it would only frustrate him further.

0o0o0o0

Gray could feel the strain in his arm. He wasn’t expecting his opponent to put up such a strong fight; it was no wonder she had won on the girls’ side.  She had a similar arm-wrestling style to his – brute force as opposed to endurance.  His muscles were still aching a bit from his struggle with Cliff.  Still, there was no way he could lose to her and live it down…  He was training to be a blacksmith and wielded a heavy hammer regularly, after all, and it would look bad if he came in any place other than first.  The words came out of his mouth and he went with them – anything for a win.  “Well, your father is a cheapskate!  He could at least afford to give us a bigger discount on meals!  He’s just raking in the money with us boarders!”  He had hoped to hit a sore spot and cause her to falter.

Murmurs echoed through the audience as the color rushed to Ann’s face. “Oh, yeah?  You want to talk trash?” she braced her arm as she blew her few stray bangs out of her eyes.  “Well, how about this?  Your grandfather… is a very wise and reasonable man.”  Her eyes locked onto her opponent, eager to see his reaction.

There were nods of agreement from the spectators. Gray felt his blood boil as he clenched his jaw.  She knew exactly how to get under his skin.  He slammed his free fist on the table angrily.  “H-How dare you!  How _dare_ you say that about him!” he roared, oblivious to the snickering around him.

His roommate didn’t understand the reason why Gray was losing his temper. “Uh, Gray…” Cliff nervously interjected as he rubbed the back of his neck.  “Ann said _good_ things about Saibara…”

“Exactly!” his roommate glared at the young man, as if asking if he wanted to be his next victim. Cliff didn’t speak much, but sometimes when he actually did, it was at the wrong time…  Gray gritted his teeth.  It was Cliff’s fault he was having so much trouble with this match – Ann had managed to trick Claire so that their round didn’t turn into an endurance competition and she had much more energy than he did. 

“What? Can’t handle the truth?” Ann taunted, smirking at her opponent.

Her eyes widened when he said nothing in reply, but his strength seemed to triple. Her arm ached and trembled as she attempted to ward him off.  It was simply a matter of time before she lost the match.  She hadn’t meant to make him stronger…

The Tabster leapt onto the table in the heat of the battle and nuzzled the pair’s interlocked hands. Gray jumped in surprise as Ann embraced the opening, quickly pinning down her opponent’s arm, letting out a triumphant laugh.

“I win!”

He couldn’t tell if he was angry or relived that the whole thing was over. “That’s a load of bullshit!  That damn cat-!”  As if on cue, the tabby nuzzled Gray’s hand and flopped on her side right on the table, letting out a sharp meow in request of a belly rub.  “Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this?!”

Karen walked up to the table and scooped up the cat. “You’re right.”

He was surprised that she of all people was defending him, but he wasn’t about to argue with it. The whole vibe of the room felt antagonistic to him tonight, and he had a feeling why – many people attending the party were pretty close with Claire.  Were things going to always be this awkward with everyone from now on?  In a way, he felt like the farmer had stolen some of his friends.

“Absolutely right,” Karen continued, cooing at the cat. “Poor Tabster has been ignored all of this time!  We’ll have to fix that, won’t we?”  The women all surrounded her and giggled, petting and showering the feline with affection.

Gray folded his arms across his chest. “This is stupid.”  He put up a gruff front, but part of him felt relieved that the attention had been shifted to the cat instead of what felt like everyone hating him.  Maybe things would eventually go back to normal after all.

Kai rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it.  The cat’s getting all the attention from the cute girls.”  He let out a melodramatic sigh before laughing.  “Jealous?”

He wondered if Kai was referring to his perceived lack of popularity tonight or if he was just teasing. He preferred to think it was the latter and decided to go with that interpretation.  “Don’t make me punch you,” he warned, but a grin was threatening to spread across his face.  “When the entire world has gone mad, we men need to stick together,” he quoted one of his favorite wartime books from the library.  Gray looked over at the cluster of girls and saw a brown head peeking out over the rest.  “Yo, Cliff!”

“Huh?” The young man stepped out of the crowd, the yellow tabby burying her face in the crook of his neck.  Popuri and Claire were trailing after him, stroking the cat’s soft fur and gushing over how cute the feline was.

Upon the sight of him, the young man shooed him away with the wave of a hand. “Ugh, never mind.”  Gray turned back toward Kai and shook his head.  “He’s dead to us.”

His friend bit back a grin. “Definitely a traitor.  I guess we’ll have to find a new roommate.”

Cliff had only caught half of their conversation. He shrugged and returned to the group, the cat purring loudly in his ear.

“Hey, everybody!” Ann rattled her soda bottle. “It’s time for poaching rights!  I’m gonna take my candy now!”

There were groans and stashing of candy in hidden places, but it didn’t deter Ann one bit. The redhead skipped around the room, collecting her prizes.  When she came around to Claire, she looked at the farmer’s less-than-impressive winnings and asked the blonde which was her favorite.  When Claire responded it was the toffee, her face fell when it was snatched up.  Ann winked at her in response and grabbed another piece instead, tossing the toffee into her friend’s lap.  “I was only kidding!  Yeesh, Claire, lighten up!” she thrust a wine cooler into her hands and ruffled her hair.

Ann turned toward Claire’s companion.

“Yeah, yeah…” Cliff reached into his pile and pulled out the chocolate bar. Instead of handing it to her, however, he unwrapped it and ran his tongue along it.  He gave her a wicked grin.  “Ah, was this the one you wanted?” He looked up at her with big eyes and offered her the opened candy.

Ann snatched it from his hands, and to his surprise, she ate half the bar in one bite. His jaw dropped, and Claire had to keep wine from coming out of her nose as she giggled among the chorus of groans and gagging.  The redhead looked around the room.  “What?  Chocolate’s chocolate,” she reasoned, her mouth still full.  She turned toward Cliff.  “I guess I could offer you a bite,” she smirked as she held out the bar to him tauntingly.

He raised his eyebrows and turned up his nose at her. “No, no…  I wouldn’t want to take away from your prize.”  He folded his arms across his chest as he pretended to pout, but a smile played at his lips.

Gray turned toward his winnings and was startled when Popuri appeared behind him, her hands clasped behind her back. “Wow, you cleaned up pretty good, Gray,” she giggled.  “You know, despite _not_ winning the final match and all.”

He rolled his eyes. “Very funny.  I’ll have you know that I have a knack for picking winners.  It’s just like when I go out to the horse races…” His voice cracked as his blood ran cold.  Oblivious to the chatter around him, his gaze was drawn to Claire and their eyes locked.  She was staring at him, wide-eyed, a distraught expression written clearly upon her face.  She had heard his words and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking the same thing.  What was to become of his training Tucker?  Would she even let him on her farm again?  In breaking her heart, had Gray also thrown away his dreams of training a yearling?  He felt his stomach drop a little.  He wished there could’ve been a way to train with the colt without the awkwardness surrounding Tucker’s owner.  Claire still had a lot to learn about handling and raising horses.  Would she turn to Barley for guidance instead?  He didn’t want to think about it, but it was a genuine concern for him.

Their eye contact broke as Cliff placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, speaking to her in a soft, comforting voice. Gray noticed his protective body language and wondered if it would be another tense evening back in their room after the party ended.  Cliff hadn’t spoken much to him about the events that transpired lately, but his silence and avoidance of eye contact for the past few days told Gray that he had still managed to make him angry.  He sighed as he watched Claire gratefully turn toward Cliff.  He offered her a drink of his soda and the two chattered about what the next game could possibly be.  Gray caught a snippet of Claire saying she’d prefer pillow forts over tug-of-war, but he was distracted by the look Karen was giving him.  She was glaring at him with such ferocity that Gray found himself shrinking back.  It was almost as if Claire had a bodyguard on either side of her.

He was so sick of being treated like a villain for something that wasn’t even entirely his own fault. He couldn’t go the rest of his life like this; something needed to be done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: Melon and lychee Ramune are the best. I had to express my love for them in this story. And yes, Ann is referencing a Monty Python joke, haha.


	52. Songs of Glory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever expect to read a musical number in a fanfiction? Well, here we are!
> 
> Ann requires a ballad be sung in her honor. The teams work to avoid the punishment that awaits the loser.

Ann rattled her soda bottle once again and her friends stopped talking. She looked at the empty drink container with a satisfied grin, content that she was able to command such attention with what was essentially a piece of garbage.  “Alright, everyone!  I decree that a ballad be written in my honor.  Two teams.  Fifteen minutes until performance time.  Losers have to take a shot of a ‘special concoction’ I will create as punishment.”  Ann stuck out her tongue and giggled.  “I’m gonna run downstairs and make it.  I’ll be back in fifteen minutes to listen to my songs of glory!”  She bounded toward the door.

“Teams?” Karen halted her.

Ann shrugged. “Surprise me.”  She twisted the doorknob and gave them a smirk as she rested her hand on the cool metal.  “Better get started, because the punishment cocktail is going to be awful!”  The young woman let out a sadistic laugh as she closed the door behind her.

Karen stood up and her eyes darted around the room. She wasn’t quite sure if she trusted Claire to not want to be on a team with Gray.  She knew that her girl friend was having a hard time getting over her crush.  The last thing this party needed was a scene, and Karen didn’t have enough faith to believe that Gray wouldn’t say something stupid.

“Ooh, I wanna be with you, Karen!” Popuri squealed, grabbing her arm. “I’m actually really good with rhymes!”

“Sure!” The older woman ruffled her friend’s hair. Her gaze moved to Claire, who was seated beside her, but she was already humming melody ideas with Cliff.  Karen got up and moved to another side of the room, Popuri trailing behind.  She noticed Gray looking around the room nervously and beckoned him over with her hand.  “Oi, Gray!  Over here!”

He gave her a relieved look as he approached them – he was half grateful that Karen no longer appeared to be hostile and half thankful that he didn’t have to be near Claire. Popuri puffed out her cheeks in protest as he came their way.  “But I wanted _Kai_ to be with us,” she whined.

Karen looked over to see the man in question already sitting down eagerly beside Claire and Cliff. “Uh…  Sorry, Poppy.  I guess I should’ve asked,” she pretended to seriously consider this.  Her main goal had been to keep Claire and Gray away from each other and she had succeeded.  “Oh, well.  Gray’s good with rhymes.”  He plopped down beside them and Karen gave him an overly cheery smile.  “Aren’t you?”

“Good with rhymes?” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he seemed to seriously consider this. “Uh… not really.  That’s Cliff’s thing; he always begins spouting off really bad puns once he starts drinking, and that bastard Kai encourages it.”  He shuddered at the very thought of his friend’s campy jokes.

Popuri frowned and shot Karen a dirty look as if to suggest that her friend couldn’t have picked a worse partner for their team. “Well, I guess we’d better get started…”  Karen said, popping open a fresh wine cooler and took a deep drink.

“So… what kinds of things should we include?” Gray asked.

Karen swallowed and stared at him curiously; she was surprised he was actually participating without complaining. She let out a sharp laugh and gave him an impish grin.  “Actually, I was referring to this!” She pointed at her bottle.  Things were always funnier when she was a little looser, anyway.  “Gotta get the creative juices flowing, you know!”

“Well, I’m gonna get us something to write with.” The young man stood up, eager to be of some help.  Maybe if they all could work together on a team, things would start to go back to normal again.  His eyes drifted to the other side of the room and fell on a certain blonde.  Claire was busy working on her own song, but Gray couldn’t forget that pained look her eyes just a few minutes ago.  “And… another beer wouldn’t hurt, either.” 

Popuri shooed him off with the wave of a hand and giggled a little too loudly. “Alright, go then!  But hurry up!  If we don’t write a song that’s long enough, we’ll have to end up singing it reallllly sloooowly and we’ll look stupid!”

Gray looked at her curiously.

“Like this!” Popuri cleared her throat and placed a hand on her chest. “And AAAAAANNNNN~ will alwaaaays love fooooooood~!” her voice rang out clearly and beautifully, the squeakiness gone and the pure melody filling the room.  When the last echoes of the song left her lips, the room was left in complete silence.  The opposing team was staring at her, their jaws dropped, blinking in shock.  A small hiccup from the young woman broke the spell.

“Dang, girl…” Karen slapped her on the shoulder as Gray shook his head and returned to his senses, continuing on his quest for a pencil.

A frown crossed Popuri’s mouth. “That bad, huh?”

“Nah! Pretty good, actually!”  It was definitely a surprise to hear how improved her friend’s singing skills became now that she had been exposed to _liquid courage_.

The brunette raised her eyebrows as she peeked over at the other team. A few empty alcohol bottles sat beside them, and Karen took another sip from her own vessel as she mulled over a few potential song lyrics in her head.  Kai, Cliff, and Claire were huddled together in a group and they already looked hard at work.  The young woman was using wild arm gestures and her teammates were laughing heartily.  Kai gave her a friendly ruffle of the hair and Cliff leaned over to whisper into her ear, his loose ponytail tumbling across her shoulder.  The blonde was giggling so hard her eyes were welling up with tears.  Cliff stopped whispering and watched his friend for a brief moment, enjoying her mirth, a pleased grin creeping across his face.  He caught Karen watching him and the young man sat upright, blushing deeply.  Karen rolled her eyes; Claire seemed quite oblivious to it herself, but she was lapping up all of the attention the men were giving her.

“Hey, Poppy, thanks for going with the teams,” Karen whispered. “I know you wanted to be with Kai…”

The young woman snatched the bottle from Karen and finished off the beverage, figuring it was the least her friend owed her. The drink was sweet, but it made her mind feel a little foggy.  She let out a sigh as she looked over at the other group.  She bit her lip, frustration crossing her features all over again as her eyes focused on the object of her affections.  She’d make sure Kai was with her for the next team game.  “Well, I guess it’s not all bad…  I mean, Claire seems pretty happy,” she twisted a piece of pink hair around her fingers and a small smile found its way on her face.  She had noticed the farmer seemed out of sorts lately.  She often saw Claire working in her fields from over the fence and her motivation seemed to be lacking over the past week or so.  When she had come over to buy a couple of hens the other day, a cloud of gloom seemed to hang over her despite her weak smile.  “Kai’s good at cheering people up, and it looks like he’s not the only one,” Popuri watched as the brown-haired young man sitting beside Claire let out a genuine laugh, scribbling something down on their sheet of paper.  The farmer’s eyes lit up as she rested a light hand on her friend’s forearm, nodding emphatically.  Cliff’s command on Claire’s attention, whether intentional or not, was enough for Popuri’s jealousy to fade over the fact that Kai was on their team.  “Cliff’s usually so quiet…”

Her friend noticed the empty bottle sitting between him and Claire. “He’s usually sober,” Karen replied with a snort, taking a swig from her bottle of wine.

0o0o0o0

“Wooo, doggie!” Ann slammed the door behind her and brandished a tray of beverages. “I hope you all are up for something disgusting!”  She set the drinks on the table and gave them a wicked grin.  “This stuff is certifiably nasty!  I had Duke help me pick out the ingredients and everyone at the bar gagged on it except for Saibara.”  She cast Gray a sideways glance.  “I don’t think your grandpa has any sense of taste.”

A smirk crossed his lips. “In more ways than one.”

Karen gave him a swift smack on the back of the head and he just shrugged.

Even if Gray made a valid point, Ann refused to let an insult like that slide; she was rather fond of Saibara. “Alright, smarty pants, your team is up first!”

He groaned while Popuri bounced up to her feet and Karen beamed. It seemed what was a reward for them was a punishment for Gray.  Ann smirked; she was fine with that.

Claire took comfort in the fact that they didn’t have to go first. She let out a tiny sigh of relief and leaned against her friend’s arm.

“Are you nervous?” Cliff’s voice was soft.

“A little…” She gave a small nod as she watched the other team huddle around their page of lyrics.  While she had a lot of fun helping write the song, the fact that they were going to sing it to Ann never really crossed her mind.  Claire was never one for performing much, and even though it was in front of her friends, she still felt a little uneasy.  Despite her nerves, she was quite proud with the way she was handling her stress; if she had been asked to do this half a year ago, she would be hyperventilating.  The young woman closed her eyes and focused on her heartbeat.  It was a little elevated, but nothing like it had been in the past with her panic attacks.  A gentle touch on her arm brought her back to reality.

“Everything’s going to be alright,” Cliff gave her a warm smile. “You don’t need to worry.”

She opened her mouth to explain that what she was feeling wasn’t as intense as it used to be when Kai hugged her other arm and ruffled her hair. “He’s right, you know,” he winked at her, “we’re lyrical geniuses, after all.”

Now that she was aware of all of the attention being focused on her, Claire’s cheeks felt a little warm. It felt kind of nice to be fussed over, she realized.  She took a moment to enjoy her friends’ kind sentiments as she observed Karen’s quiet command of her team.  She found that she was looking forward to the other group’s performance.  “I hope our songs aren’t too similar,” she whispered.

Kai shrugged. “Eh, if they’re both songs to boost Ann’s ego, I don’t think she’ll mind too much.”

The trio snickered, but they stopped when they heard the song start.

_“She’s always serving up drinks with a smile_

_And an attitude that makes the trip worth the while_

_She cooks up wondrous things like scrambled eggs_

_And can break down a solid oak door with her legs_

_And she’s a wonderful friend_

_Gutsy and smart, there’s no end!_

_Her earlier days set Ann in her ways_

_And now that she’s turned twenty-three_

_An even pluckier, strong girl is living_

_With Doug as the best innkeep!_

_She is better, we mean it_

_Than that Inner Inn’s lazy boy named Rock_

_She’s the best all around the clock!_

_Ann McKinley, Ann McKinley_

_Such an upbeat attitude!_

_Ann McKinley, Ann McKinley-”_

_“She’s Mineral Town’s greatest dude~!”_ Gray sang this last line rather loudly all by himself and his teammates each slapped him.

“We were kidding about that last line, Gray, remember?” Popuri hissed.

Ann stood up from her seat and glowered at him, drawing herself to her full height. She was the shortest one in the room, but her squared shoulders could have fooled anyone.  “What… did you call me?” Ann stared unblinkingly at the young man.

“It was just a slip of the tongue,” Karen rolled her eyes at the young man. “Because you’re _definitely_ a girl!”

Her words didn’t have any effect; Ann stood up and slowly made her way to the center of the room. “Oh, my dear Grayson, I’m afraid you’ve gone and upset me…”  The corners of her mouth twitched, betraying her overly solemn demeanor.  A grin cracked across his face at the sight of this and Ann immediately tackled him to the ground, the shot glasses on the table clanking together from the impact, threatening to spill their dangerous contents.  Karen and Popuri couldn’t help but laugh at their teammate’s misfortune.  While they had thought of the same exact line Gray had sung, he had the audacity to utter it aloud, and he deserved punishment for it. 

Claire found herself laughing as well – she had rarely seen Gray joke around and she found that she rather liked what she saw. Her heart hammered in her chest a bit as her cheeks burned, forgetting for the moment that he was no longer a viable romantic option. 

“Oh, come on, Ann! It was a joke!” he laughed, trying to wrestle her off.

She pinned down his shoulders and fought her best against the smile that was threatening to cross her face. “You are such a turd!”  A small chuckle escaped from her lips.

“See, you’re laughing, too!” he insisted with a combination of a chuckle and a whine.

Claire watched them silently, her eyes widening with nostalgia. She was at home, and her younger brothers, Byron and Lucas, were roughhousing in the living room.  She had often been put in charge of them while her parents were at work, and she would be quietly trying to stop them amid the name calling, biting, and kicking.  Their mother would be home any minute from the office and if she caught the two of them fighting, Claire would be punished for letting things get out of hand, being reminded that she should know better than to let them get to that point.  Claire would fruitlessly try to break them up, half amused by their antics, half dreading the fact that she would inevitably be scolded in the minutes to come…

“A _turd_?  Really, that’s the worst insult you can come up with?” Kai looked up from their page of lyrics for a moment and laughed, and Claire looked over at him with interest.  There were no parents around to punish her for not breaking up the fight; she was one of the adults now, she realized with surprise.  “’Cuz me and Cliff here have an entire arsenal of names we call him on a regular basis!”

Cliff tapped him on the shoulder and Kai nodded silently as the young man’s hand flew across the paper. Claire saw that they had been adding extra lyrics as she had been daydreaming and she leaned in to see what last-minute changes had been made.

“Oh, shaddap, you swarthy doofus!” Gray turned his head in Kai’s direction and rolled his eyes. The room was filled with laughter.

“That’s enough!” Ann bopped Gray on the nose with the end of her braid and hoisted herself back up, using Gray’s body as a springboard of sorts. She sat back down in her chair with a huff and folded her arms across her chest.  She was becoming more eager than ever to dole out the punishment cocktails.  “I am ready to hear the next ballad dedicated in my honor!”  She sat back in her chair, legs crossed, chin resting on her hand as she gave the next team a smug smile.

Claire’s heart throbbed uncomfortably. She attempted to swallow as she realized that she hadn’t read the new lines that had been added in Cliff’s scratchy handwriting.

“We’ve got this.” Cliff gave her a reassuring grin.  “Kai’s going to extend his solo at the beginning and then we’ll join in at our regular chorus just like we planned,” he whispered, patting her hand.

She relaxed a bit, grateful that she wasn’t going to have to adapt to the changes.

Kai stood up and bowed melodramatically to the subject of their song, eliciting a few giggles from the room. “An ode to milady,” he stood up and importantly ruffled the tattered paper in his hands.  Claire was startled when he started off with a confident, strong voice:

_“The gods wanted to leave their mark on the world;_

_They concocted a marvelous plan,_

_They gifted good Doug with a spirited girl_

_And decided her name would be Ann!_

_It’s a shame to observe such a blasphemous show,_

_The gods’ gift called a dude by Sir Grumps-”_

(“Hey!” Gray sulked, slamming his fist on the table in mock belligerence, while Kai shot him a smirk and continued the song without missing a beat.)

_“We’ve got a much better song, so you know_

_Than the one that was sung by those chuuuuumps~!”_

Kai set the paper in between his group members and Claire found herself eager to sing when her time came; she shot Cliff a pleased grin and his face lit up at her expression.

_“Noooo oooooone~_

_Brawls just like Ann_

_Sweeps the halls just like Ann_

_No one threatens to kick down the walls just like Ann_

_Her fists keep the bar fights from escalating!_

_Pow!_

_Ten gold tip just for Ann!_

_When Ann was a lass, she ate four dozen eggs_

_Didn’t chew them – she swallowed them whole_

_And now that she’s grown, she eats five dozen eggs_

_And her stomach’s a gaping black hole!_

_Noooo oooooone~_

_Fights just like Ann_

_No one smites just like Ann_

_Packs a sandwich away in two bites just like Ann_

_She’s especially good at masticating~!_

_My, what a gal, that AAAAAAAnn~!”_

Claire let out a sigh of relief. She had actually sung in front of her friends, and it wasn’t that scary.  Her eyes moved gratefully to Kai and Cliff; she probably would have had a much harder time if she had to sing all by herself.  Their friends gave them a round of applause and she let out a tiny shriek when Kai pushed on her back to make her take a bow with her team.  A delighted giggle rose in her throat as she came back up, her face flushed.

“Well, who won?” Popuri asked impatiently, bouncing in her seat.

“They both were good.” Ann rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she recalled both songs in her head.  She looked over to see Popuri offering her a handful of candy, which she eagerly accepted.

“Hey, you can’t bribe her!” Kai pouted, but Popuri just stuck out her tongue at him and giggled.

Ann popped the handful of jellybeans into her mouth. “I didn’t take it as a bribe.  They lost anyway because of Gray.”  Popuri’s face fell and both her and Karen stared daggers at their teammate.  Ann walked over to the tray of shots.  “So, who is ready for a drink?”  She teasingly held one up.

“Gray is!” Karen and Popuri yelled in unison.

He knew that his fate had been sealed the moment he decided to ad lib the final line of their song. It had been worth it.  A smile crept across his face, but he did his best to hide it.  “Fine, fine,” he pretended to grumble, walking over to the table.

“Oh, hey, we won,” Claire realized with a small swell of pride.

Kai stood back up. “She’s right.  So, what do we get for winning?”

While this was a birthday party, it wasn’t one for children where gifts were handed out left and right. Ann shrugged.  “You don’t have to drink this garbage.  That’s your prize.”  She gave him a big smirk in response to the overdramatic disappointed look on Kai’s face.

“Gray’s drinking it all!” Popuri pouted, nudging the shot glasses toward him as he picked up the first.

“So what is in it?” Cliff asked as he stood up and walked over to the table. Claire found herself following him to study the strange color of the contents of the glasses.

“Hmmm… Whiskey, gin, pickle juice, hot sauce, and a dash of mouthwash,” Ann rattled off proudly with a nod. “I was going to add some dishwater, but Dad said that he didn’t want anyone to sue.”

Everyone in the room visibly cringed and Gray felt his stomach turn over. He cautiously picked up the glass and noticed everyone was watching him with wide eyes.

“Drink it, ya weenie,” Popuri whispered.

He gave it a sniff and felt a little dizzy. He began to wonder what possessed him to screw up the song on purpose.  Ann’s reaction had been fantastic, but was it worth _this_?  By now, the entire room was chanting for him to drink the beverage.  He downed the drink in one go amid the gagging and squealing.

“So?” Karen smirked at him.

The young man contemplated the curious taste left behind in his mouth and picked up another glass. Elli occasionally brought over vitamin drinks to the library to share with him and Mary.  Gray always accepted a drink out of politeness and the librarian would discreetly giggle at the tears forming in the corners of his eyes; while nutritious, there were few things on earth that tasted viler than those awful concoctions of Trent’s.  “Meh, not that bad.  I guess I’ve had worse.”  He drank the remaining drinks without complaint.

“It looks like he’s the one with no sense of taste,” Kai gave Claire a playful nudge, bringing a smile to her face.

She was a little startled when Cliff leaned in close to whisper into her ear. “In more ways than one,” he echoed from earlier, a teasing tone to his voice.

He snuck a look at her and a huge grin spread across her lips as she gazed up at him, any sort of disapproval or discomfort gone from her expression. She let out a loud, hearty laugh and her eyes grew misty with mirth.  Had it really only been a few months ago that his implication of Gray not being perfect made her get defensive and short with him?  Cliff had a hard time forgetting the day that they shared a bar of chocolate on the bench in front of Jeff’s shop.  Claire had changed so much from that day.  The young woman rested a hand on his arm with a giggle.  Her touch was warm and comforting.  Perhaps he had changed quite a bit as well, he realized.

Popuri took a seat on the edge of the table and swung her feet, humming the tune she had just heard. Gray gave her a dirty look.  “What are you doing, singing the enemy’s song?”

“It’s catchy.” She shrugged and continued to hum.  She suddenly stopped, her eyes widening in horror as she looked over at the other team, the color draining from her face.  “W-wait!  Did you guys say that she’s especially good at _mast_ -”

Karen cut her off with the smack of a pillow and smirked at Ann. “Well…  What can I say except you’re welcome?”

Ann massaged her temples with the tips of her fingers and let out a mock-exasperated sigh, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Thank you!”

0o0o0o0

“And then Zack tells me that he’s been so busy shipping stuff from Mystic Acres that he doesn’t have time to fish as much. Can you believe it?  I guess Claire has been sending some fish his way, but I’d like a steady supply, y’know?”  Kai let out a sigh as he unwrapped a caramel and popped it into his mouth.  His stuffed rice balls had been a big seller last year, and the smoked fish was the most popular filling.

Cliff’s heart pounded at the opportunity. “Well, the fish he’s getting from her are probably the ones I’m putting in there myself.  I can sell to you directly.  Just tell me the kind you want and how many you need.”  He tried not to sound too eager and desperate.  He knew it wouldn’t be too long into fall before herbs started dying off and he’d be living off of his savings until deer season.

“Sounds good, but what I really need is _smoked_ fish.  I don’t really have the time to do it myself.  Would you be able to do that?”

Cliff nodded enthusiastically. “Sure!  I can brine and smoke it and bring it to you in the evenings.”

Kai’s face lit up. “Awesome.  Just bring me as much as you can.  With the Fireworks Festival coming up, I’ll need a ton of it; there’s always a huge crowd.  I promise I’ll pay you well for it.”

“Okay!” Cliff and Kai toasted their glasses together with a loud clank.

Gray didn’t contribute to the conversation – he was lost in thought. The young man set down his beverage and stood up as he saw Claire go to the table by herself to have a snack.  He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about those wide blue eyes all evening.  She had been so distant from him since their talk together, and while he could understand why, he noticed he was uncomfortable with it.  He had come to the realization that he was in danger of losing Claire as a friend.  The thought had never really bothered him before – she often annoyed him with her silly gifts and her constant pestering, but now the thought of her not being a part of his life at all filled him with a mysterious depression.

“What are you doing?!” Kai hissed, but his friend didn’t hear him. Gray was already at the table, nervously standing behind the farmer.  Kai shot Cliff an apprehensive look, as if to ask him if he was going to do anything about it.  Cliff didn’t say anything in reply, but he could feel his blood boiling as he sat in silence, watching his roommate wring his hands nervously behind the blonde.  _Hadn’t Gray caused Claire enough trouble and heartache? If he embarrassed Claire in front of everyone tonight…_   Cliff drank deeply from his glass of wine, keeping the pair in his sight.  He was not one for causing a scene, but if he made Claire cry…  He found himself stretching his wrists and cracking his knuckles.

Gray’s heart pounded in his ears as he forced himself to approach the young woman a little more closely. He had no idea how she was going to react, but he needed to do something.  The thought of losing her made his throat tighten, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt anything like this.

Claire was startled by the apprentice shakily clearing his throat behind her. “Ah, Claire… h-hi.”

Her eyes widened; she had assumed Gray would be avoiding her until further notice. She wasn’t exactly sure what he had left to say to her, but the last time their eyes had met, he had been talking about the horse races.  Was he going to attempt to train with Tucker some more?  How did she even feel about that?  Her heart began to race.  Why was he putting so much pressure on her right now?  She’d have no choice but to agree in order to avoid getting upset, but she wasn’t sure if having him on her farm again right away was the best idea. 

“Hello.” She saw no reason why she couldn’t be civil, but she wasn’t about to have him attempt to walk all over her again.  The young woman straightened her posture in response to Gray’s sloped shoulders.  His face was pale and he anxiously wrung his hands.  Claire couldn’t keep herself from looking at him curiously.  He had always carried himself with the presence of someone larger than he really was.  This wasn’t the Gray she was used to seeing.  He also looked so different without his hat.  Having a view of his entire face was a new experience; he looked much younger without the headgear, as his face wasn’t masked in shadows.  Standing in such a meek posture with large repentant eyes made him look like an apologetic child.  Claire bit her tongue.  Part of her hated the fact that she still found him attractive.

His throat closed up as their eyes locked. How could he possibly put what he had been brooding about for the last week into words?  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking…”  Gray nervously shuffled his feet as he moved his gaze to the floor.  “It was wrong of me to wait so long to tell you how I felt…” his voice trailed off.

Claire looked at the opposite side of the room and watched Ann and Popuri laughing at the cat pawing at an empty bottle on the floor, causing it to spin. Karen was with them, but the blonde could tell that her friend was watching them carefully out of the corner of her eye.

Gray patiently awaited some sort of response, but she gave none. Why did he have to put her in this position?  She felt her eyes threaten to mist up, but she quickly blinked it away.

“So, uh…” he had been expecting some sort of reaction and it made him uncomfortable that she was giving him nothing to work with. This had been a terrible idea, he realized.  Surely his friends were furious at him for doing this…  He nervously rubbed the back of his neck and avoided eye contact.

Claire was surprised at how level she managed to keep her voice. “Are you asking me to agree with you?  Because I do.”  Despite her choice of words, he could detect no hint of malice or bitterness behind them – she simply agreed that he had made a bad choice.  The young woman felt a small swell of confidence as she looked back at her friends.  She didn’t want to spend this evening caught up in her emotions about her lost love.  “I… I don’t want to talk about this now, Gray.  Tonight is about Ann, and I want to celebrate with her.”

He blinked at her, slightly taken aback. Her words were not at all what he was expecting.  He wasn’t sure what he had been hoping for.  Forgiveness, he supposed, and maybe a promise that they could still remain friends.  He had been wishing for something that would not happen – not tonight, anyway.  She hadn’t been unfriendly to him, but he wasn’t used to her not fawning over him; it would take some getting used to.  He could see that they weren’t going to get anywhere tonight.  He had been wrong in believing that the more laid-back casual atmosphere would make it a good setting for them to come to an understanding.  Surely Cliff and Karen were staring daggers at his back at the moment – this wasn’t the right time.  “… You’re right.  My apologies.”  His heart broke a little bit more as he bowed his head politely at her and he returned back to his roommates.

Claire watched him go, not without a pang of guilt. Had she been too harsh on him?  A frown found its way on her face as she mulled the conversation over in her head.  She had asked him to leave last week when he was trying to apologize to her.  Maybe if she would have just let him stay and listened to him…  She suddenly felt so exposed in this room full of people, as if her emotions had been on full display for all to see.  Her throat began to close up and she hated herself for always being so emotional…

Cliff bounced up from his seat as Gray was returning and quickly walked over to Claire, paying no notice to his roommate’s presence. Gray took a seat on the floor next to Kai and let out a big sigh as he did so.  He couldn’t tell if he was frustrated or depressed.

Kai handed Gray a bottle of beer. “You really pissed him off, you know,” he took a thoughtful sip from his own beverage, cocking his head toward Cliff.

While he had left Claire partially out of fear that he would get punched in the face by Cliff, Gray had other things to worry about at the moment than his overly-defensive roommate. “Don’t care.  This isn’t about him,” he mumbled his half-lie, reaching for the bottle opener and cracking open his drink.  He was far more concerned with Claire’s feelings at the moment, and mostly his own, he realized with a nagging twinge of embarrassment.  Perhaps he _was_ being selfish, and maybe that fact bothered him…  Gray shook his head; it didn’t help to dwell on those things right now. 

“Did I make _you_ mad?” Gray kept his voice low as he stared into his drink.

Kai looked at him curiously. “Not really.  I was just trying to stop you from doing something stupid.  Why would I be angry at you?”

He took a long swig from his bottle. “Everyone hates me right now because of this stupid thing with Claire.”  He let out a deep sigh and buried his forehead in his hands.

His friend reached into his friend’s stash of candy and unwrapped a toffee, popping the entire thing in his mouth. It had become an uncomfortable topic back in their shared room with Cliff around, and Kai had once jokingly told them they should just let each other have one free punch.  At this suggestion, both roommates gave Kai a look that made him begin to fear for his own safety.  “No one hates you, man.  You did what you needed to do.  I mean sure, Claire’s feelings got hurt, but what else are you going to do at this point?”

“But Karen and Cliff hate me, too.” He threw his head back and looked up at the ceiling with a melodramatic moan.  He hadn’t seen too much of Karen lately, but the cold treatment he had been receiving from Cliff reminded him of their first days as awkward roommates.

Kai sighed. “No one _hates_ you,” he repeated.  “They’re her best friends, so it’s their job to worry about her.  It’s out of your hands now.  You told her how you felt and you apologized.  That should be enough.”

Gray frowned. It didn’t feel like it had been enough.  If it was, he wouldn’t be wracked with this guilt.  He thought things would be so much easier after he shot her down…

“What does Mary think of the whole thing?” Kai asked, his mouth full.

“Yeesh…” Gray buried his face in his hands. “She… wasn’t happy at how I handled things.  Let’s just leave it at that.”  He didn’t think someone as soft spoken as Mary could say things that hurt so much, but that was one of the disadvantages of dating a writer, he realized with a sigh.  The worst part was the fact that he knew everything she said was true, and perhaps the thing that hurt the most was her shame in his selfishness.  Gray’s face reddened; he didn’t want Kai to know that his girlfriend’s words had actually made him cry.

His friend opened another candy and noisily rolled the wrapper between his fingers. “ _Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned_ , eh?” Kai gave him a rueful smile.

“I guess. I’m _terrible_ with women,” he groaned, absentmindedly swirling the amber liquid in his bottle and watching the bubbles rise to the surface.  He observed the two friends standing beside the snack table.  The strain from Claire’s face faded as she laughed at something Cliff had said – no doubt it was a bad pun.  Gray couldn’t help but notice there was a space between the two of them that Claire was quickly closing.  He had seen this little scenario play out several times and he knew what was to come.  “But at least I’m not the only one…”

“Huh?” Kai looked at him curiously.

Gray nudged his head in the direction of the two friends. “I swear that kid makes things difficult for himself.  I mean, how hard is it to reach over and take her hand or give her a kiss?  She’s practically throwing herself at him.”  It sure would solve his problems.  A happy Claire would stop looking at him with those soul-crushing eyes and he’d be able to stop feeling so damn guilty about what happened.  Perhaps they could be friends…   And maybe, with time, she’d even invite him over to her stable.  It was probably a little too optimistic, and he didn’t want to get too ahead of himself, but he didn’t want to lose hope.  This latest thought caused a wave of guilt in the pit of his stomach.  There he was, thinking about his _own_ feelings again…  He imagined Mary’s disappointed brown eyes and frowned.

Kai bit his tongue. Gray was unaware of how hypocritical his remarks were – Kai had been pressuring his roommate to make a move on the librarian for a few summers now to no avail.  It seemed Claire’s presence and interest in him was the catalyst for Gray finally asking Mary to be his girlfriend.  Still, Kai would never understand this strange one-sided competitiveness Gray had with Cliff.  He stared at Claire and Cliff and noted the pure joy in their faces as they talked together.  Gray was never one for subtleties, and his unusual behavior concerned him.  Kai kept his voice low – he had to know.  “Hey man, tell me… are you _jealous_ of them?”

Kai could hardly say he was surprised when Gray turned toward him and stared at him incredulously, his face flushing. “Of course not!  I have a girlfriend!” he hissed as his face threatened to turn burgundy.

Kai didn’t press any further; he had a feeling that would be Gray’s response no matter how he felt. He watched the pair converse and rolled his eyes.  Gray’s description of Claire throwing herself at Cliff was a little extreme, but Kai found that he had to admire Cliff’s approach.  There was definitely an element of flirtation there, but it was very subtle.  He got the distinct feeling that Claire was unaware of the way she was twisting a lock of her hair in her fingers the way she did when she came to visit at the inn to see Gray.  Cliff had definitely picked up on the gesture, as his cheeks flushed pink.  Claire turned her head and Gray caught a flash of longing in Cliff’s eyes as he took a small step back.

Kai looked over at Gray and the apprentice’s frustration seemed to be channeled into watching the two friends for the moment. “See?  He’s always doing that!” he scoffed at Cliff.  “Why’s he always moving away?  I swear he’s clueless about women.  No wonder he’s never had a girlfriend and he’s twenty-four.”

Kai raised his eyebrows. “He seems to be doing just fine to me.  He’s got some good instincts; it seems he knows better than to make a move so soon.”  A smirk spread across his lips.  “He’d… actually make a pretty good player if he wasn’t a one-woman man.”  He was also aware that if the pair started drinking much more, it was likely they’d be hanging all over each other.

Gray rolled his eyes, his anger diffusing. “You say that like it’s a bad thing!  You know… you’ve changed a lot in the past couple of years.  If you’re not too careful, you might become one, too.”

Kai’s face began to feel a little warm. He was no stranger to dating, but something about the woman on the other side of the room made his heart pound a little faster than usual.  It was a new sensation to him, and he didn’t like Gray calling attention to it.  He set down his glass with a clank and looked up at him in fake curiosity.  “Become what, a woman?”

Gray slapped him on the back of his head. “Wow, you are an idiot sometimes,” he laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Wooo, doggie, what a chapter! It took me a little longer to write on account of the song lyrics, the little subplots and developments, and the sheer length of the thing. Disney fans may notice the song parodies – Team Karen, Popuri, and Gray sang a parody of “The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind” from one of my personal favorite Disney films, The Great Mouse Detective. Team Claire, Kai, and Cliff sang “Gaston”, or what I affectionately refer to as “Gastann” from Beauty and the Beast. Those with keen eyes might spot a line from a certain Moana song as well. In case you can’t tell, I like Disney. And I like writing song parodies, haha.
> 
> Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing this one. I hope I was able to balance out the humor with the more serious moments, along with giving a little more of an insight of what is going on through Gray’s head. I hope y’all are enjoying the party games – there’s still a few more to come!
> 
> I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has been reading and supporting this story – you guys are awesome! :)


	53. Puns, Popcorn, and Epic Tales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the games wind down, Claire, Cliff, and Ann share a bit of bonding time, telling embarrassing stories, and fitting in some birthday spanks...

Claire looked around the room, wondering if anyone had recalled the objective to the game. Apparently, they were trying to toss popcorn and have their teammate catch it in their mouth, but that wasn’t what was happening.  Kai and Popuri were sitting with a bowl of popcorn between them, munching and chattering, not even attempting to compete.  They seemed to have forgotten that a game was even taking place.  Karen and Gray were sitting on opposite sides of the room, trying fruitlessly to throw for distance.  They ended up tossing unpopped kernels at each other’s faces and laughing.  Ann, who was supposed to be judging the competition, had dug into the cake that Kai made her and she was sitting at the table with a thick ring of chocolate frosting around her lips, patting her belly in a satisfied manner.

“I think we’re the only ones who are attempting to try,” Claire gave her friend a shrug. She tossed a kernel of popcorn to Cliff, but he wasn’t paying attention and it landed in his hair. 

He gave her a rueful smile as he brushed out the popcorn and pouted at the other teams. Cliff’s chuckles didn’t make his stern expression very convincing.  “Y’all are doing it wrong!  You gotta _pop_ it up in the air like this!”  He tossed a kernel high into the air and caught it in his mouth to demonstrate.  They all watched in mild amusement.

“One point!” Claire cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

Gray groaned. “Here come the bad jokes.  He’s officially buzzed.”  He looked over his roommate.  “That was a pretty weak pun, you know,” he heckled.

The young man sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess you’re right.  Let’s see if I _corn_ come up with a _butter_ one.”

Claire grinned at Cliff, biting back her laughter. She quickly formulated a pun of her own to contribute.  “You shouldn’t as- _salt_ him with _corny_ puns like that; they can be a bit hard to swallow.”  She popped another piece into her mouth and beamed at him.

He really enjoyed this carefree side of his friend, and seeing that she was enjoying his sense of humor and contributing to the jokes made him elated. Cliff let out a delighted laugh, his entire face lighting up.  “Yes!  We will win the _hull_ contest at this rate!”

The joke fell a little flat, and Gray threw an unpopped kernel at him, booing. “Ann, disqualify these fools!”

Ann finished chewing her piece of cake and swallowed. They had been pretty entertaining to her, and she had laughed a little harder at the puns than she meant to.  Then again, she was more than just a little buzzed.  “Heck, no!  They win!  First prize to team Cliff and Claire.”  She wiped off her chocolate-covered fingers with a napkin and stood in thought for a moment.  “We never did team names…  How about team Cliff-air for short, or maybe Cliff-air-ee…  Clefairy?  Hmmm,” she stroked her chin thoughtfully, “why does that sound so familiar?”

Gray buried his face in his hand, silently wondering if he was the most sober one in the entire room.

“Oooh, ooh, pick me!” Popuri took a deep swig from her cup, still occupied with the puns. She laughed a little too loudly.  “Uh… corn!  Y’all are _corn_ y!” she slurred, mimicking Cliff’s accent.

Kai gingerly finessed the cup out of her hands and patted her back in a concerned manner. He placed the bowl of popcorn onto her lap.  “Eat something.  We’re moving you to punch.”

Karen shook her head. “I’ve had her on punch for a couple of hours now.”  The young woman’s inebriated behavior had been surprising her a bit tonight; she was a little startled Popuri had gotten more than tipsy.  She couldn’t help but feel a little concerned.

Popuri grinned. “Punch with a punch!”  She held up a small bottle that had been tucked into the folds of her full nightgown.  “This peachy stuff you added earlier was great!  Just a little here and there, not too much.”

“No, Popuri. Too much.”  Ann stepped in and snatched away the bottle, much to Popuri’s displeasure.  “Trust me, you’ll be thanking us later.  Have some cake instead.”  She cut a slice for her friend and licked the frosting off of her fingers.  “Kai makes the best cakes.”

The young man grinned proudly. “Well, I’m glad you like it.  I really pride myself on my fluffy cakes.  They never collapse.  You know, some people who don’t have the touch really struggle with getting their cakes to rise-”

_Thump._

Ann pounced on Kai and knocked him to the floor, knocking the bowl of popcorn that had been sitting between him and Popuri high into the air. The kernels fluttered around them like oversized snowflakes in slow motion as Ann pinned him roughly to the ground.

“You take that back!” Ann’s furrowed brow and sharp voice were surprising, to say the least.

Confused didn’t even begin to describe Kai. He rewound the conversation in his head as he stared at the woman on his chest quizzically.  He wasn’t completely surprised that he had been pounced on by the redhead; by process of elimination, he was the next target.  However, he was clueless to the reason why.  “What are you going on about?”  In his peripheral vision, he saw Karen and Popuri snacking on the chocolate cake and rolled his eyes.  So much for sympathy…

Ann bounced on his chest, and Kai let out a groan in discomfort. “I think someone doesn’t want their Thanksgiving cookies this year!  I was going to mail them out to you and everything…” she sulked as she stared at him.

Kai couldn’t tell if she was joking or if her feelings had been genuinely hurt. He still failed to see how his admission of being proud of the cakes he made offended her so deeply.  Either way, he was upset that his annual gift of delicious chocolate cookies was being threatened.  “But I enjoy your cookies every year,” he insisted with a slight whine.  He would eat them in his quiet hotel room in a faraway city, a warm reminder of his favorite town.  The napkins lining the tin smelled like the Doug’s kitchen and the cookies tasted like the closest thing he could compare to a home.  The very memory of the flavor brought back a slight twinge of sadness that he didn’t always live in Mineral Town.

Ann’s blue eyes bored into his brown ones. “Why?  Because they don’t have to rise?  Because they’re _supposed_ to turn out flat?”  She punctuated her sentences with whaps to Kai’s face with the end of her braid.

The young man could hardly focus on her words, as the hair in his face was not only annoying, but threatened to get into his eyes. “Yes.  I mean, no!  Wait, what?”

Without warning, Ann sprung up off of him and looked down at him with a combination of disgust, pity, and stifled laughter. “Exactly.  You go sit and think about what you said.”

Preoccupied at the thought of missing out on the famous chocolate cookies, Kai frowned. “But I didn’t do anything.  This isn’t fair!”

Ann gave him a stoic gaze and folded her arms across her chest. “Sometimes… that’s just the way the cookie crumbles…”  The young woman turned toward her friend and snickered, an excited grin spreading across her mouth.  “Did I do it right, Cliff?”  Her whisper was far too loud to be inconspicuous.

Her friend looked up from his bottle of lychee soda. He wasn’t expecting her to ask his opinion on her jokes.  “Uh… sure.”  He passed the bottle on to Claire, who shot him a delighted smile and happily took a sip.

Gray leaned in between the two friends and whispered loudly into Cliff’s ear. “Huh... seems like Kai’s got the touch with more than just cakes.  He sure knows how to get a _rise_ out of Ann.”

Cliff burst into laughter – partially from the joke, but mostly because of who had told it. Gray claimed to hate puns, but he often had the best ones.  Claire had barely heard Gray’s words and she found herself struggling to keep from spitting out her soda.  She held the liquid in her mouth until she calmed down a little bit and she felt Cliff’s warm touch on her back.  His hand felt nice and she allowed herself to loosen her posture a little, letting her worries about Gray wash away; she didn’t even care at the moment that he was sitting near them.

Ann watched her friends’ expressions with amusement. “What’s so funny?”

For a brief moment, a flicker of bewilderment flashed through Cliff’s features and Claire felt his shoulder stiffen. The blonde looked at him curiously as his eyebrows relaxed and the beginnings of a smile spread across his lips.  He looked up at Ann with very loving eyes, the same way that an older brother would gaze at his baby sister.  “ _That’s the way the cookie crumbles_ …  Good one, Ann!”  Claire had done the same thing countless times with her younger brothers – she could see that he was diverting the conversation to avoid conflict.  Cliff’s natural ability at this technique told her that this was nothing new to him and that the two had a close bond.  Claire smiled; she was grateful that Cliff, who had been painfully shy not too long ago, had managed to form some close friendships during his time in Mineral Town.  His increasing joy at living in his new home made Claire’s heart soar.

Ann beamed. Within the past few months, Ann had been listening to Cliff’s absurd puns when he was in a playful mood.  She never thought of herself as very witty, but she had been eager to give a joke a try.  She had been particularly proud of her joke, and their reaction to it had been quite satisfying.  “That’s right.”  Ann placed her hands on her hips and stood with a proud smirk on her face.

Her friends only laughed harder in response.

0o0o0o0

“Well,” Kai yawned and stretched, “it’s been a blast, but I’ve got a shop to open tomorrow morning.” Popuri booed him, and he let out a sheepish laugh in response.  “Hey, now!  Despite what people think, I can be a hard worker.  Besides, if I take tomorrow off, Doug will know something’s up,” he chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

“Fine, fine, get outta here, you party pooper,” Ann grumbled, shooing him with a wave of the hand, as if his very presence at the party was an inconvenience to everyone in the room.

“Don’t be like that, Ann. We can party again on my birthday, alright?  Good night, ladies!” He bade each girl farewell with a kiss: a playful one on the nose for Ann, a soft peck on top of the head for Claire, a chivalrous kiss on the hand for a very lucid Karen, and an affectionate smooch on the cheek for Popuri.  Claire was sure she wasn’t the only one to notice that his lips lingered on the final woman for a moment.  “See you in the morning!” Kai gave them one last wave and started to head out.

Gray followed him, eager to get some sleep before his shift at work the next morning.

“You, too?” Ann whined.  “But we still haven’t played _Seven Minutes in Heaven_ yet,” she snorted and bubbled into laughter.

The young man rolled his eyes. “Dammit, I hate it when that happens; that’s my _favorite_ game, too,” he smirked at her and turned to leave.

“Wait! Aren’t you gonna kiss us girls goodnight?” Ann hiccoughed.

Claire’s heart stopped. Up until very recently, she would have given the world for him to agree to such an offer.  Today, though… she realized she still wanted it a bit.  Her heart ached at the thought of his lips on her, even if it was just a platonic kiss goodbye.  She immediately shoved back these feelings.  What good did it do to dwell on such things?  Claire wished he would have just left without announcing it – she wouldn’t have to wrestle with these conflicting emotions. 

Cliff felt Claire’s body tense beside him as she shrank back. He bit back a frown; surely Ann hadn’t meant to cause any hurt feelings.  The redhead set down her beer and let out a loud belch.  No one in the room was very sober, but sometimes he wished that Ann would be a little more sensitive to other peoples’ feelings.  It wasn’t as if she wasn’t aware of the situation between Claire and Gray.  Still, he couldn’t completely blame his friend for having other things on her mind.  It had been a very fun and active party, after all.

Gray shrugged, letting out a scoff. He hardly had the courage to kiss his own girlfriend, let alone a group of girls he saw as friends.  He reached to tug the bill of his hat down, but forgot that he wasn’t wearing it this evening.  He swiftly folded his arms across his chest instead.  “Eh, that’s Kai’s bit.  I’m not the gentleman of the group; that’s hardly a secret.  ‘Night.”  He turned toward the remaining roommate.  “You coming, too, Cliff?”

Ann whined loudly. Now that Kai was leaving, half of the guests were looking to go.  The party had been the most fun she had in a long time, and she wasn’t particularly eager about ending it so abruptly.  She looked around the room.  Popuri already looked like she was about to fall asleep, and she wouldn’t be surprised if the others weren’t far behind.  At this rate, the evening was going to end as soon as the men left.  “Why are you trying to spoil the party?  It’s not like he’s gotta go to work in the morning or anything,” she insisted with a pout.

Karen took a long swig out of her wine bottle and pointed the vessel at her male friend. “Don’t punk out on us, man.”  She raised her eyebrows at him.

Cliff had to admit that he was flattered that they all wanted him to stay. He had always thought of his presence as a bit of a nuisance to others; after all, he had been asked to leave a few towns while he was traveling.  His heart began to pound at the notion that he may have found a place where his company was desired.  There was no way he would leave the party so early – it had been far too long that he had experienced these genuine feelings of belonging and lighthearted mirth.  “Ah, I couldn’t leave if I wanted to,” he allowed his smile to fill his entire face.

Gray’s eyes locked onto the blonde who was seated next to him on the floor. The pair had drifted closer and closer together throughout the course of the evening they were practically touching at this point.  With everyone a little intoxicated, this was an easy thing to let slide, but Gray had no doubt that his friend had strategized this a bit.  “Oh, yeah?  And why is that?” he dared with a smirk.

Cliff silently pointed to his lap. The yellow tabby was cradled in his crossed legs, purring in her sleep.  The girls all cooed in unison at the sight and he moved his eyes to the floor; he could feel his face getting hot at all of the eyes on him.  He knew everyone probably had their attention focused on the cat, but this feeling – this warm-hearted sense of being part of the group – he never wanted to stop feeling it.

Gray could see the happiness reflected in his roommate’s eyes, and he had his own hunches on why Cliff’s smile was so huge. “Suit yourself,” Gray smirked as he left the room.

0o0o0o0

“So, then a big wave went through and hit us all over,” Ann continued with her story. Karen let out a snort in her sleep from the far bed and the redhead lowered her voice.  “Apparently, the wave stole the top of my bathing suit.”

Her friends’ eyes widened in horror, and Claire seemed as anxious as if the incident had happened to herself; she folded her arms across her chest. “Did you find your top?  Or did you have to stay down in the water so you could hide?  It sounds like something out of a nightmare!”

Ann hung her head. “We never did find the top.  I didn’t even notice until much later.  We had played a few games and everything.  Rick suddenly turned really pale and practically yelled, ‘Hey, Ann, you’re topless!’” She let out a sigh and frowned at the memory.  There was a reason why she only wore one-piece swimsuits anymore…

“Hey, that’s not so bad. They didn’t even notice,” Cliff shrugged.  The room turned deathly quiet as both of his female friends gave him harsh looks and his face visibly blanched.  He immediately realized his error.  “Oh, man.  I-I’m so sorry, Ann.  I wasn’t thinking…”

“How long ago was this?” Claire ventured, eager to steer the conversation back in a more comfortable direction.

“Maybe five years ago or so. You know, everyone I went skinny dipping with as a kid was there.  Everyone’s bodies had grown up except for mine.”  She lamented the fact that her body hadn’t developed much since the incident and frowned for a moment before taking a swig from her bottle and belching loudly.  “Seems my cakes aren’t the only things that always end up flat…”

Cliff frowned; he could tell that his friend was uncomfortable, and he couldn’t help but feel like he had contributed to that feeling. Perhaps an embarrassing story of his own would help even the score.  “You ever go to the hot springs in Forget-Me-Not Valley?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “I know they exist, but I’ve never stayed in the Valley long enough to really make a day trip out of it.”

“Ah, I see.   Anyway, after a long day of hunting and foraging, I took a soak in the spring to relax.  I started to doze off when someone tangled their hand in my hair and ran their hand down my back.”  He shook his head, as if doing so would remove the memory from his mind.  “So, naturally, I grabbed the guy’s arm and was preparing to break it…”

A delighted grin found its way on Ann’s face; the story had worked as a perfect distraction. “Naturally, of course.”  She bobbed her head excitedly, eager to hear tales of how her friend beat up his attacker.

“Break h-his arm?” Claire’s eyes widened. The action was hard for her to picture – she couldn’t imagine breaking someone’s bones, and Cliff didn’t strike her as the aggressive type.

“I didn’t know what he was planning,” Cliff’s tone became a little defensive as he played with his fingers nervously. He wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he had expected from Claire, but he didn’t think he was going to have to explain himself to her.  “For all I knew, he was going to try to assault or mug me.”

She had never really given much thought to the darker sides of being a lone wanderer. Claire recalled the timid, anxious Cliff who sat in the front pew of the church at the beginning of spring.  Travelling alone wasn’t always a freeing experience, as he had reminded her time and time again.  Her heart began to pound uncomfortably in her chest.  The thought of her best friend being attacked wasn’t a pleasant one.  “So, what did you do?” Claire was immediately reminded of her self-defense training that they issued the employees at the office back in the city.  “I was taught to go for the nose and the eyes and run.”

“It’s a little hard to run when you’re sitting down waist-deep in hot spring water,” her friend let out a good-natured laugh, his protective demeanor falling away. His body language suggested that the ending of the story had worked in his favor.  “But the good news was that I didn’t need to.  The guy was pretty annoyed, but he was a pushover…”  He rubbed the back of his neck, ashamed.  He lowered his voice as color crept into his face.  “He… he thought I was a girl and was trying to hit on me.  When I turned around and stood up, he was pretty surprised.”

Ann collapsed into laughter. “He thought you were a girl just because you have long hair?”

He nodded, grateful that she had seen the ridiculousness of the situation as well. “He said it was wrong that a guy would have such pretty hair.”  He rolled his eyes, letting out a scoff in disgust at his assailant’s ignorance.  “He had the gall to ask _me_ to apologize to _him_.  Apparently, he thought I was tricking him or something.”

“I still could cut you shorter for summer,” Ann reminded him, and she felt a little guilty as she repeated the offer.

Claire ran a few fingers through his ponytail. “Aww, but I like it the way it is.  It’s very pretty.  And soft.”  She stifled a hiccup as she absentmindedly withdrew her hand, a smile creeping across her face as her fingers still had the memory of his hair’s silky texture.

Ann giggled as his reddened face. “I doubt he’s going for _pretty_.  Most guys don’t take that as a compliment, Claire.”

Her face immediately fell, but Cliff patted her arm. “I d-don’t mind.  I’ll take it as one.  Thank you.”

Her heart gave a warm glow and she fought the urge to ask to touch it once again. “Well, hey, I’ve got a story.”  Claire distracted herself.  She had a story she had been aching to tell someone since she moved here, but her timid nature kept her from sharing it.  In her slightly drunken state, she had grown tired of keeping it bottled in, and she was eager to tell it.  Her friends turned toward her to hear the story.  “So, when I lived in the city, I had a few friends that enjoyed setting me up on blind dates.  I’d agree to go along to keep them from pestering me.  Most of the guys were pretty boring like me.  Boring plus boring makes a painfully dull date,” she pouted melodramatically.  The worst parts of the dates were forcing herself to meet someone new in a public place full of people.  She would spend a lot of dates in crippling anxiety, but she didn’t feel that this was the best time to share this piece of information.

Cliff could tell from her body language that Claire was a little intoxicated – her actions and words were much looser than normal, and he was reminded of their evening at the bar together. He wasn’t sure why he had been surprised by the fact that she had dated men in the city and it caused a rush of jealousy that left him a little disoriented.  His envy quickly transformed into shame as he struggled to regain his composure.  “You’re not boring!” he interjected, his slightly raised voice causing Popuri to stir on the middle bed.  He found an opened bag of pretzels and pulled it in front of his friend to encourage her to eat.

“Well, I’m glad you think so,” her laugh came out a little more bitter than she meant for it to. She felt a mild wave of dizziness and straightened her posture, taking a deep breath in hopes that it would make her feel better.  She looked down at the offered snacks.  “Oh, no thank you.  My stomach’s actually a little upset.”

“Eat something, Claire,” Ann insisted bluntly, practically shoving the bag of pretzels onto Claire’s lap. “You’re drunk.”

Her face flushed with embarrassment as she shifted in her chair. She had behaving more rashly than usual and she wondered if she had already made a fool of herself this evening.  “I’m sorry…”  

“Don’t worry about it; all of us are.” Ann gave her a rueful smile as she shoved a handful of pretzels in her own mouth.  “Besides,” she smirked, “none of us are as bad as Popuri.  Keep going with your story.  We don’t think you’re boring.”

Claire gave Ann and Cliff an appreciative smile. If she had still been living in the city, it was likely her friends there wouldn’t have let this topic of conversation begin in the first place.  No one liked a complainer, after all…  The young woman continued, relaxing a bit.  These were her good friends, and she shouldn’t feel ashamed to tell them a story about herself.  “Anyway, there was a guy I met at the subway and we seemed to hit it off pretty well.  He was… _different_ than the others.”  She let out a sigh, convincing herself to go on.  “He worked in a big firm in the city and was very far along in his career for someone so young.  We started talking because we got into a conversation about how much money the subway could save by just making a few minor changes…”

Ann couldn’t picture a less romantic atmosphere. “It was love at first sight,” she proclaimed in a flat voice.  She sniggered and nudged the blonde.

Claire gave her friend an embarrassed smile, noticing that Cliff was curiously staring up at the ceiling as if deep in thought. She suddenly felt a little self-conscious continuing the story.  “Hardly...  He asked me out on a date, and I agreed.  I… I was pretty excited that I had actually set up a date without my friends’ help, and I had a feeling things were going to go great.”  She looked at her companions.  Ann was watching her with great interest, but she couldn’t help but notice Cliff still looked a little distracted.  Assuming he wasn’t interested in hearing it, she continued for the sake of Ann.  Most guys didn’t care too much for this kind of talk, anyway, she figured.  “Well, anyway… I was exhausted that night from work and I ended up staying home instead of going out on the date.  I called him and we talked about rescheduling it, but that’s just a small part of the story...  I-I’m getting off track,” she chuckled distractedly.  “So, I was working my accounting job, but… um…”  She hesitated, wondering just how much of this story she wanted to share.  She swallowed the lump in her throat. _Just the abridged version tonight…_ She let out a deep breath and felt considerably more relaxed as she had made this decision.  “W-Well… _I_ wasn’t very happy there.  I spent a few months trying to find work elsewhere, but it didn’t really pan out.   I got a call from a company that sounded really nice and when I got to the interview, guess who was there to conduct it?”

Ann’s eyes glowed mischievously. “No way!”

Claire nodded. “He didn’t seem too miffed that I cancelled our date; as a matter of fact, he was really friendly.  He took me on a tour around the entire office and I noticed he kept standing right behind me.  It was kind of awkward, because he was guiding me on this tour but refused to walk in front.  When the interview was over, he offered me the job right on the spot, and he asked if I was interested in rescheduling that date.  I told him that I needed to think about the job before I made any promises, and I stopped in the bathroom before I left.  Then I looked in the mirror and…”  Her voice faded as she frowned.

“Did he put a ‘Kick Me’ sign on your back?” Ann sniggered.

“Worse.” Claire dropped her head forward and blonde hair spilled across the table’s surface as she let out a frustrated sigh.  “I had tucked the back of my dress into my underwear.”  Even after all this time, she still wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

She didn’t see that Ann’s eyes had grown to the size of saucers. “He was totally checking you out!”

“I hope you didn’t end up calling back someone who had that little respect for you.” Cliff had been silent until now.  There was a bite to his voice she hadn’t heard before, but Claire noticed it sounded protective as well.

She lifted her head and found herself patting his hand. She appreciated the fact that he had been concerned.  She sat up straight and exhaled deeply.  “I didn’t.  I never saw him again.  But I was so embarrassed.”  She folded her arms across her chest as she let the stress from the situation melt away.  It had, after all, happened a while ago.  “To make things worse, I was wearing my lucky panties.”  Claire found that she was smiling at this point.  There was no sense being upset over something that had happened over a year ago.  Not this part of the story, anyway…

Ann roared with laughter. “You have lucky underwear?  I thought only kids did that!  Are you wearing them now?”

Claire’s face turned pink. “… Maybe…”

“I wanna see!” Ann tugged at her friend’s nightgown.

Claire blushed deeply, but a grin spread across her mouth. “Let Cliff turn around first!”

He rolled his eyes as he complied and tried his best to ignore the giggles behind him.

The young woman was surprised at her lack of shyness as she hiked up her nightgown to show off her lucky garment. After all, Ann had seen her naked at the hot springs before, so this quick peek was nothing to be nervous about.

Ann let out a delighted laugh as she spied the cutesy teddy bear printed on the back of the underwear. “Wow, those are really cute!  I love teddy bears!  But ya gotta give the bear a slap for good luck, huh?”

“Wha-?” Claire cocked an eyebrow.

“LUCKY!” Ann gave her friend a hearty whack on the bottom and Claire let out a surprised squeak in response. She retaliated with a slap on Ann’s arm, but her friend just gave her another whack.

Cliff wasn’t sure why he had his eyes squeezed shut; he had turned away from them as it was. “Do I have to break you two up?” he asked with a chuckle.

Claire let out a giggle. Her heart felt free once again the way it did when she was playing with her friend on her farm.  She suddenly realized how much she missed that carefree innocent feeling.  “Ann’s hitting me!”

“Only because _you_ smacked _me_!” the redhead retorted, grinning at her friend’s melodramatically offended reaction.

“Well, you spanked me really hard!” Claire pursed her lips.

Cliff turned around and attempted to hide the pleased grin on his face. Claire’s blonde hair was slightly disheveled, and seeing her with a flushed face and pretend pout was almost too much.  How could someone be so painfully beautiful and not realize it?  She was more relaxed than he had seen her in a while, and he wanted to share in her joy.  Cliff longed to hold her close to him and listen to the beating of her heart, letting her just how much she brightened up his own life, perhaps expressing this with a gentle kiss...

He was snapped back to reality by a snort from Ann. “It was for good luck!” she insisted with a smirk.

Claire gave her friend a smack on the bottom. “Well, then this is for luck, too!  Twenty-two to go!”

Ann’s eyes widened in horror. “No!  Not that!”

“You aren’t allowed to dish them if you can’t take them!” her friend smirked, a glint of mischievousness in her slightly glazed-over eyes. “Cliff, help me hold her down!”

He blinked at the carnage before him, still trying to shake the fantasy of holding Claire. This was neither the time nor place for such thoughts or actions.

Ann shot him a threatening look before he could react. “If you agree to help her, then and I can’t make any promises that I’ll be merciful with next year’s birthday spanks.”  She blew a raspberry at Claire and gave a triumphant grin, as if her statement had swayed Cliff’s vote.

His eyes flicked between the two girls and he smirked at Claire’s wriggling eyebrows. “Come on, Cliff!  It’s worth it!  We’ll go down together in a blaze of glory!”  Her sapphire eyes glowed as she attempted to wrestle Ann to the ground.

He recalled earlier when Ann had tackled him and felt that she was due for payback. That, and he wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to join in the fun.  Cliff dove into the pile of flailing limbs.  “I regret nothing!”

“That blonde vixen has been your downfall!” Ann bellowed melodramatically as Claire got in another smack.  She let out a shrill squeal.  “Are you even keeping count, you jerk?”

“Nope!” Claire laughed wickedly, giving her another whack.

Karen rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed to see her three friends tangled together, shrieking, laughing, and slapping.

“Karen, save me!” Ann pleaded, half whining, half laughing.

The brunette yawned and blinked her eyes. “Slap her real good for me, Claire.  My team’s song was awesome and should’ve won.”  She rolled over and immediately fell back asleep.

Popuri let out a soft moan and turned over in bed. She sat up and let out a sigh.  “Man, why does the good stuff always happen after I go to sleep?”  She let out a less-than-dainty burp.  “Keep it down, guys.  My head is starting to hurt.  Turn off the lights.”  She rubbed her temples and plopped back down on the bed, her pink curls fluttering around her as she did so.

Seeing Popuri so exhausted made them realize how late it was. Ann flicked off the lights as her friends made their way to the table and took their seats. 

“You two!” She whispered threateningly as she pointed at them, “I’m gonna bang your butts _so_ hard-”

Claire let out a sharp giggle and promptly covered her mouth, all traces of maturity gone out the window for the evening. “Wh-what did you say?”

Cliff bit the inside of his lip and let out the beginning of a snort. He exhaled deeply and stared at her, poker-faced.  “She said she was going to bang your butt.  You better make sure you’re wearing your lucky underwear when she does, Claire.”  He kept his voice low.

The blonde broke into silent giggles and buried her face into his arm. He could feel her body wracking with laughter and it was marvelous.  His whole face lit up and he smiled so hard his cheeks hurt.

“Y-You knew what I meant!” Ann’s whisper was harsh as she wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes.

Cliff succumbed to laughter. His heart was filled to the brim with joy as he basked in his friends’ company.  None of them wanted the evening to end.

0o0o0o0

Claire woke up to the sound of a clanking glass bottle. She sat up straight, realizing she had fallen asleep at the table.  Her eyes scanned the dark room.  Ann was at her side snoring softly, her braid carelessly draped across the table like a discarded rope.  Karen let out a loud snort at the sound of the bottle.  The blonde looked to her other side.  Cliff was leaned forward in his chair, resting his chin on his folded forearms, but she could see the moonlight shining in his blinking eyes.  It seemed he had awakened at the sound as well.

The bottle rattled again, and Claire heard a moan from the middle bed.

“Goddess! Someone get that friggin’ cat out of here; my head’s throbbing!” Popuri slurred as she buried her head under the pillow.  It appeared that the youngest party attendee had trouble handling her alcohol and she was a grumpy drunk.

Claire scooped the tabby cat under her arm and dropped her outside the door. Her body cried out for more sleep and she stumbled to the last bed available.  The young woman let out a sigh in relief as she curled up on the mattress and she opened her eyes as Ann wriggled her way under the covers beside her, jostling the bed as she did so.  Claire’s eyelids felt heavy and it was all she could do to slur a “Good night, Ann” to her friend.

She was surprised to get a tender hug from the redhead. “’Night,” she mumbled, falling asleep almost immediately.

Claire had just fallen asleep when she awoke to the sound of Cliff’s whisper.

“Ann.”

The redhead let out a moan. Now that she was in bed, sleep was the first and only thing on her mind, and any hindrance to that goal was immediately infuriating to her.  “Whaaaat?”  She stretched the word out into several syllables and the blonde beside her let out a soft yawn.

Claire opened her tired eyes and could make out Cliff’s silhouette in the moonlight. He was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.  “The guys locked me out and they’re both out cold.  Can you let me into my room?”  Judging from his body language, he had debated coming back to ask Ann for this favor, and it was likely he was beginning to regret it.

Ann let out a tired whine. “The keys are… somewhere…” she murmured, rolling over.  “Just give them to me in the morning.”

He looked around the room and let out as exhausted sigh. He wanted to tell Ann that she wasn’t the only one who wanted to get some sleep, but he didn’t think that saying so would help in this situation.  “Do you have any idea where in the general vicinity…?”

Even in the dark, Claire could see Ann roll her eyes. “Dunno, Cliff.  They’re somewhere.  I took them out of my pocket hours ago.”

Popouri gave an exasperated cry; Ann wasn’t the only person whose patience had run out. “Go to sleep!  Goddess!”

Karen rolled over in her sleep and let out a loud snort and Ann shot a jealous glare in the woman’s direction. Every moment Cliff was standing by the bed was one less moment of delicious, delicious sleep.  “Knock on the door.”  Her words were quickly becoming curt.

He bit his lip. “Don’t you think I’ve already tried that?”

“Sleep on the floor, or sleep here at the foot of the bed,” Ann whispered, letting out a yawn.

“You mean like Koro?” Claire’s voice was groggy. The thought of cuddling with both friends to sleep sounded very nice, and just the thought was making her drift off a bit.

The thought of Claire’s sweet pet mellowed her out. “Yeah… like a little puppy,” Ann slurred, a sleepy smile spreading across her face as she rested her eyes.

Cliff was too tired to see the appeal in this. He knew that if he agreed, Ann would likely be kicking him in the face in a matter of mere minutes.  All he could focus on was his own bed and his rosemary scented pillow.  He could open the window to listen to the frogs outside and feel the cool night breeze.  Most importantly, he could sleep in his underwear.  How Ann and Claire were practically spooning was beyond him; it was far too warm out.  However, if Claire had the bed to herself and had offered him a spot next to her, he knew he would be feeling quite differently.  Cliff’s stomach turned over in guilt – again, not the time or place, he reprimanded himself.  He scolded himself for his drunkenness and the wandering thoughts that accompanied it.  “But if you _have_ the keys…”

“Find them and bring them back to me in the morning,” Ann mumbled, pulling the blankets over her head. “Otherwise, you’ve been given your options.”  As far as she was concerned, the conversation was over and if Cliff wanted the keys, he was going to have to find them himself.

Claire rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed, battling the bed sheets Ann was tangling herself in. The blonde could make out vague shapes of the furniture in the dark and she tried to remember where she had seen her friend set them down.  Ann had complained about them digging into her pocket when she was getting ready to arm wrestle Popuri and had taken them out at that point.  “I think…” she closed her eyes and pictured the key ring, “try the table by the record player.”

“Thanks, Claire,” the relief could be heard in Cliff’s low whisper. She watched in fascination as her friend silently yet quickly crept through the room, deftly stepping over empty wine bottles and snack wrappers.  She caught a metallic glint in the moonlight and knew that she had given him the correct location.  He tiptoed back toward their bed.  “You’re the best,” he murmured quietly, and Claire’s heart glowed at the sincerity behind his words as he softly patted her shoulder in thanks.

Her bedmate shifted and mumbled in her half-awake state. “I know… you guys sang all about it,” Ann’s words faded into the night.  “No one brawls just like Ann…”  She cut off her own slurred song with a soft snore.

Claire bit back a chuckle as she drifted off to sleep herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I sincerely hope you enjoyed the chapter! We’re finally at the end of the Ann Games. Kinda crazy that the last few chapters all took place during the course of one evening, huh? These chapters reminded me of my kid/teenage years at a slumber party. I’d love to hear what you think, and again I want to thank everyone for their support! :)


	54. Maturity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen gets a moment alone with Claire to discuss what's been weighing on her heart. When Ann suffers from overeating the next morning, Claire spends some time at her side and sees a different side of Ann than she is used to.

Claire woke up the next morning to an assault on the senses. The loud noise, accompanied by the rumbling of the shared bed, drove her out to the middle of the room before the stench hit her.  She didn’t expect such a rude awakening, but after looking at the clock, she found that she wanted to be up anyway.  It was after eight o’clock and she wanted to head back to the farm to feed her animals before it got too late.

“Goddess, Ann! You are not allowed to drink like that again!” Popuri gagged, her eyes watering.  The young woman pulled the blankets over herself and buried her head under her pillow, wishing that it wasn’t time to get up.

The redhead let out a sigh of relief. “Hey, better out than in, right?” A smug smile spread across her face, but it quickly faded as she held her stomach and went a little pale.  Her head began to throb a bit and she relaxed on the mattress, eagerly getting acquainted with the additional space she had now that Claire had left her.

“Hey, Gray!” Kai’s voice echoed on the other side of the wall. “There’s that sound again! What do you think it could possibly be?”

“I dunno, but one thing’s for sure. It’s not coming from downstairs this time,” his roommate replied.  Claire realized that he was referring to Ann’s bedroom being directly below their shared room.

The men were silent for a moment. “I guess you can’t blame that one on the _Doug_ ,” Cliff said innocently enough, but a little too loudly.  Karen and Claire chuckled in response.

Kai and Cliff started laughing when Gray’s solemn voice cut through their mirth. “Out.”

“Oh, come on. Papa would’ve been proud of that one,” the sulk could be heard in his roommate’s voice.

“That _was_ a good one,” Kai agreed.  “You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it first.”

“That’s it! Both of you, out!” A hint of a laugh could be heard in Gray’s voice.

“Why don’t _you_ leave?  I’m not going down for breakfast for another half hour or so.  I doubt Cliff’s eager to leave as well.  You were up pretty late macking on those girls next door, huh, buddy?”

Claire was shuffling through her things. “I’m going to take a shower.  Does anyone need to use the bathroom?” She grabbed her bag and put her hand on the doorknob.

Popuri’s face was buried in her pillow and she let out a moan. Ann rolled over in bed, and Karen was getting dressed for the day.

“Go for it. Looks like everyone else is pretty keen on getting more rest.”  Karen pulled on her shirt and looked at her friend curiously.  “You and Ann were up really late.  You sure you don’t want to go back to sleep?”

The blonde shook her head. She was tired, but the thought of using a shower was more appealing; she had only bathed in the hot springs since she left the city.

“Suit yourself.” The young woman pulled on her shorts and stretched her arms.  Her face lit up as if she suddenly remembered something.  “Hey, Claire?”  Her voice was gentle as she sat down and patted the spot on the bed beside her, beckoning her friend to join her.

She turned around. “Yeah?”  She set her things on a nearby chair and took a seat beside her.

Karen ran a brush through her hair. “Did you have fun last night?”

“Oh, yeah,” Claire smiled. “Tons.”  She watched her friend’s tresses gleam in the sunlight as she pulled the brush through them.

She let out a soft chuckle. “I’m glad.  You’re starting to seem more like yourself.”

Claire wasn’t aware that people had been able to notice her change in demeanor, and she felt a slight pang of guilt. “I-I’m sorry if I haven’t been very pleasant to be around,” she murmured, wringing her hands in her lap as she avoided Karen’s gaze.

“Oh, I didn’t say that to make you feel that way,” Karen replied, moving the brush to the blonde’s hair. The young woman was a little surprised, but she let out a content sigh and relaxed; the brunette was gentle with the combing and Claire was reminded of her older sisters helping brush out her hair before school in the early morning.  Being young and taken care of, with no real basic responsibilities – the memories brought a warm glow to her stomach and a twinge of wistfulness.  The young woman closed her eyes, relishing in the tender motions of the brush.  She was a little startled when her friend began to speak again.  “I’m just glad that you’re feeling better…  Your hair doesn’t look like it needs washed,” her friend commented.  The golden strands looked very clean and healthy.

“I know,” Claire admitted sheepishly. “I washed it last night, but I have been dying to use a shower again.  It’s been nothing but hot springs since I moved here.”

She caught the hint of dissatisfaction in her friend’s voice. “Ah, you miss the city life and your fancy conveniences?” Karen smirked as she worked on a particular tangle; it seemed Claire’s roughhousing the night before with Ann and Cliff had left her a bit disheveled.  A genuine smile spread across her face.  Claire had appeared to be carefree and more confident in herself, and Karen felt a small sense of pride for her.  This feeling wasn’t limited to the way Claire had carried herself around her friends; from what she had observed, she had handled the situation with Gray very maturely and it looked like she was well on her way to healing.

“I’ll be honest, I wish I had a bathroom in my house,” Claire confessed, feeling a little petty for saying so. A year ago, she would have laughed at the notion of living in a house without a washroom, but now she was grateful simply for the fact that she had a place to bathe within walking distance.  It was funny how priorities changed, she realized.

Karen gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as she continued to brush. The old farmhouse was the only one that she knew of in town that didn’t have indoor plumbing.  “I can imagine that being a pain.”  She hesitated before continuing.  “Hey… speaking of pains…  I’m a little surprised that Gray approached you last night.”

She hadn’t thought about it much since it had happened; a frown crossed the young woman’s mouth. “Yeah…  He was trying to apologize again, but…”  Claire bit her lip and turned her head to face her friend.  She looked up at her with wide, mournful eyes, and Karen couldn’t help but wonder if Claire had picked up this expression from Cliff.  “I…  I wonder if I was too hard on him.”

The brunette hardly felt that this was possible and that a little bit of discomfort on Gray’s part was something he deserved, but she didn’t think it was wise to say so aloud. Instead, she pretended that she hadn’t been listening in on their conversation the night before.  “Well, what did you say to him?”  She ran the brush through Claire’s locks once more and her body relaxed as she turned so that Karen could continue with her grooming.

“I said that I didn’t want to talk about it last night. I can’t remember what I had said word for word, but I told him that tonight wasn’t about us – it was about Ann.”  She looked over at the bed on the far side of the room and Ann let out a soft snore as her name was uttered.

 “Well, that sounds about right,” Karen gave her friend a smile, setting the hair brush down on the bed.

Upon noticing that her friend had finished with her hair, Claire looked over at her bag of things. “Ah, well I guess I had better-”

Karen leaned forward and hugged her friend around the chest. “The shower isn’t going anywhere…”

“K-Karen?” Claire was caught by surprise.  Her friend was always very affectionate, but she detected a hint of sadness and need in Karen’s body language – a desperation, almost.  “Is something wrong?”

The brunette buried her face into Claire’s shoulder. Karen had startled herself at her own actions.  While she had been brooding lately about Claire, she hadn’t expected her true feelings to reveal themselves to her.  “I’m fine…”  Her deep sigh seemed to suggest otherwise.  “It’s just…”  She held her friend tighter, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Claire found herself mirroring her friend’s mannerisms and emotions. She turned to face her and put her arms around her, fighting back her mysteriously misty eyes.  “Karen, I’m worried about you…”

“Don’t be.” She let out a soft chuckle as she placed a kiss on the blonde’s forehead.  She blinked away her tears and shot her a rueful smile.  “Ah, sorry about that…  I just…”  Karen shook her head as she cleared her throat softly.  “I miss having a monopoly on you, I suppose…”  She remembered the blonde exiting the spring mine and staring at her in bewilderment as they introduced themselves.  She recalled the next day showing her around town, the young woman looking to her for guidance.  They had brought along Cliff as well, and she realized at once that perhaps she never had Claire’s sole attention to begin with.  The young man, while shy, had been eagerly seeking her focus as well, whether he fully realized it or not, and he had been very successful.

A pair of wide blue eyes stared back at her guiltily. “I-I’m sorry we haven’t been hanging out as much.  I’ll try to be-”

“I _want_ you to have other friends, too,” Karen cut in.  It wasn’t as if they hadn’t spent much time together; things had just been so hectic lately that it felt like a lot of time had passed.  “I know my logic doesn’t make much sense…  I guess I just want you to be happy, but I’m fighting my own immature impulses.”  She knew that Claire’s increasing closeness with Cliff and Ann wasn’t something for her to get jealous of, but she found herself doing so anyway.  The brunette gave her an apologetic smile as she broke off the hug, patting her on the shoulder.  “You’ll always be my best friend no matter how many friends you make, so make as many as you like.”

“You’re my best friend, too,” Claire replied, hugging her tightly. “You can have more than one best friend, you know,” she murmured.  A smile spread across her face.  She had never been able to say that before in her life – her childhood was spent mostly in solitude with a few sparse school friends.

Karen let out a soft chuckle and kissed the top of her blonde head. In her opinion, Claire was far too precious sometimes.  “Oh, I know.”  She wrapped her arms around her and spent the next few minutes simply enjoying the quiet moment alone with her best friend.

0o0o0o0

Claire was eager to freshen up in the bathroom of the inn. Turning on the faucet, she rifled through her bag and produced her bottle of soap.  After removing her clothes, she closed her eyes and entered the shower, letting out a refreshed sigh as the water hit her.

She was immediately reminded of early morning showers with tired, dry eyes refusing to open as she stumbled into her stand-up stall. A blend of fragrances from her soap and hair care products would fill the steamy room and she would stick her face in the trickling water, willing herself to wake up.  Claire realized that today wasn’t that far from this experience; the warm water made her realize how tired her body still was from the night before.  A bucket’s worth of water over her head typically snapped her out of this stupor.

Her stomach began to twist as the usual worries from the city began cycling through her head out of habit. _Work is soon. I have to brace myself for being scolded by Mr. Frederick and receiving another project to bring home.  There’s no telling what I did wrong this time, but surely he’ll find something…  Rent is due next week.  Lunch is in the freezer, but I need to go to the grocery store soon to get more food…  I’ll write to Mum and Dad when I get home tonight…  I need to take out the garbage; the trash bin is getting really full.  I really should be putting more time into preparing my meals; all that salt surely couldn’t be good for me, and I’ll start putting on weight.  A couple of my skirts are already getting snug…  Oh, I have to do some laundry tonight.  How am I going to get everything done tonight?  Why am I spending money on food I don’t even really like?  I hope the girls don’t introduce me to someone weird at the club again…_

Her eyes snapped open as she burst from her daydream, some soap getting into her eyes. She let out a tiny squeak in discomfort as she came back to reality.  A wave of relief washed over her as her heart slowed down, realizing that these worries were no longer part of her life.  Such petty things she used to get so worked up over…  She let out a deep breath as she finished washing and stepped out of the shower.

“Welcome back,” Karen smiled at her as she entered the bedroom. Popuri was rubbing her eyes and brushing the hair out of her face with a yawn as a pale-faced Ann was holding her stomach and attempting to stretch at the same time.  “So how was your _modern_ shower, city girl?”

A smile crept across Claire’s lips. “Actually…  I think I prefer the hot springs,” she admitted with a laugh.

0o0o0o0

“The quiche is just about ready,” Doug rolled up his sleeves and poured seven glasses of orange juice in rapid succession with an accuracy that could only come from decades of bartending. “Take a seat, girls.  I’m assuming the guys will be down in a minute?”

Ann shrugged as she pulled herself up on a barstool, quickly draining her glass of orange juice.

Claire sat down beside Karen and tasted her beverage. She hadn’t drank orange juice since she left the city and it was just as delicious as the grape juice she had sampled back at the winery – fresh, but not overly sweet.  The food in Mineral Town wasn’t overly seasoned, and she liked that about it.  It seemed the cooking style out here focused on natural flavors and fresh ingredients.

Doug caught the look on her face. “Good, ain’t it?  Pete’s oranges go into that juice.  Kid’s got an orchard, you know.”

“Oh, wow…” The blonde’s eyes widened.  She couldn’t help but feel like she was more than just a little bit behind in progress on her farm.  After all, Pete wasn’t much older than herself.  Should she put in an orchard on Mystic Acres?  How did one even begin a project like that?  Maybe she should research the subject a bit…

Her friend noticed the concerned look on the farmer’s face. “Well, Claire’s got the best tomatoes,” Karen replied, putting an arm around her friend’s shoulders.

The bartender grinned. “That’s right.  Take a wild guess what is in today’s quiche?”

The blonde’s proud smile was impossible to remove from her face. She was reminded once again how her line of work affected those around her so directly.  She had never worked a job that brought her so much satisfaction.  “Thank you for buying my produce.”  Claire bowed her head humbly, her cheeks glowing.

Doug laughed. “And I can thank you for growing it.  Business has picked up since you started farming here.”

She smiled as a trio of men came down the stairs, two of them deep in conversation.

“I’m telling you, you guys would make a killing at the festival. Just think how many couples will be going and how many young saps would want to buy their girlfriend some sort of jewelry or trinket,” Kai smirked, leading the way to the bar.

Gray sighed. “I will kill you if you bring it up to Gramps.  He’ll be busy with the fireworks, which would leave me with running the stall.  Besides, I’ve… already got plans for that night…”  The young man blushed deeply as he pulled his cap over his eyes.

Cliff quickened his walking pace and eagerly took the seat next to Claire. “Hey!”  His blue eyes were lit up despite the lack of sleep he had gotten the night before.  He hoisted himself up on the bar stool and accepted the orange juice at his seat, thanking Doug.  “How much?”

He shook his head. “Just enjoy.”  Ann’s father held up a hand as if to keep Cliff from protesting.  He turned away to get the plates ready for breakfast.

“Good morning, Cliff.” Claire couldn’t help but smile at him, a rush of memories hitting her at all the fun they had the evening before.

“Good morning,” he echoed the greeting as his eyes met hers. “How are you feeling this morning?”

She let out a soft giggle. “I’d be lying if I said I was bursting with energy.”  She studied his eyes and admired the smile on his lips for a moment.  “You look a little drowsy yourself.”

He couldn’t help but notice that she was looking at him a particularly kind way and his cheeks felt warm. He tried to think of something to say, but his mind was blank as those friendly sapphire eyes gazed at him fondly.  He drank it in for a few seconds, his heart pounding in his throat, and he prayed for time to stop.

“You _all_ look a little drowsy,” Doug refilled the glasses of juice with a laugh.  “So, Gray, how was that cocktail that Ann made for you last night?”

He gagged in reply. “I _guess_ I’ve had worse…”  Gray shrugged as he took a seat at the bar.

Ann shot him a dirty look from across the bar. She hadn’t intended on telling her father that the men had come into the room; she hadn’t exactly asked for his permission.  “Uh, Dad, I can explain-!”

Popuri held her head in her hands. “Our song really was better, Doug, but Gray ruined it.  We made him drink all three shots as punishment.”

The redhead’s glare turned to the woman sitting beside her. “P-Popuri!”

“Well, in that case, I guess you’ll be needing some extra coffee,” Doug smirked, pouring a mug for Gray. “I know it’s a popular hangover cure.”

“Pah,” Gray folded his arms across his chest and rolled his eyes, “I’m _not_ hung over.  Try getting a mug for Popuri; she looks trashed.”  He cleared his throat.  “That being said…  I still wouldn’t mind a black coffee, Doug.”  He kept his voice low.

The bartender nodded. “Of course.”  He swiftly poured a mug for his customer in a very businesslike manner, but Claire caught a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

“Eh, you need some coffee, too, man?” Gray looked over at his roommate. “You’re lookin’ a little haggard for it being this early.  You stay up too late with the ladies?”  He raised his eyebrows.

Cliff took a sip of orange juice. “I was up way too late…”

Claire took a moment to look around the bar. A familiar pastor sat at a table in the middle of the room, sipping at his coffee.  Upon seeing her, he gave her a friendly wave.  The young woman quietly slid off of her bar stool and trotted over to him, a little surprised to see him outside of his usual place in the church.  A yawn escaped her mouth as Carter reached over and pulled open the chair beside him.  She was grateful for the seat; she felt a little woozy now that she was moving around.

“Good morning, Claire. Did you party too hard with your friends last night?” he gave her an innocent chuckle.

Had it been that obvious? She felt an unfamiliar throb in her forehead that was a bit different from a headache.  Her entire body felt sore and her stomach was unsettled.  She realized with embarrassment that she must be hung over.  Her eyes drifted back toward the bar and Popuri was asking Karen to “turn off the sun”.  It seemed the farmer wasn’t the only one who was feeling the effects from last night.

“I think I did have a little too much,” she confessed ashamedly, half expecting a scolding from the priest.

Carter gave her a knowing smile. “It can take a few times before you learn your body’s limits.”  His voice was kind and not reprimanding like she was expecting.  She was surprised to hear a hint of experience in his statement and she wondered what kind of life Carter led before he decided to become a priest.  “Are you looking forward to the fireworks festival?”

“Oh, yeah!” the young woman grinned as she bounced a little in her seat, her energy immediately returning to her. “I really can’t wait to watch the fireworks!”

“Fireworks are just one part of the evening,” Carter reminded her. “Mayor Thomas has been trying to boost attendance in recent years.  There’s food, dancing, and of course, booths and games.  Naturally, I’ll be running my own booth,” the priest gave her a friendly grin as he stirred his coffee.  “Be sure to stop by and say hello.”

She almost asked him what he was running, but she decided to let it remain a surprise. “Oh, of course!  I want to see and do everything!” she said a little too loudly as her heart began to pound in anticipation.  Another night of no worries and fun with everyone – she could hardly stand the wait.

He let out a soft chuckle at her reaction. She seemed much more cheerful than the last time he saw her, but he refrained from saying this aloud.  He had a feeling that doing so would dampen her spirits.  “I’m glad you’re looking forward to it.  It’s all May and Stu talk about, and Cliff’s pretty fired up about it, too.” 

“Are you excited, too?” Claire asked with a grin.

If Carter was, he didn’t show it; the priest often had such a mild demeanor. “Of course,” he shot her a serene smile.  “After all, I get most of my donations during this festival,” he added with a snicker.  “I’ve got to work on my ghost stories.  So far, I think the only one I can really scare is Ann.”

“Ann?” The blonde cocked an eyebrow.  She thought that if anyone would not be afraid of scary stories, it would be her.

“Oh, yeah,” Carter nodded emphatically as he took a sip of coffee. “I probably shouldn’t spread this around, but she gets spooked pretty easily when anything involving the supernatural comes up.  I found out a few years ago when I was practicing my stories and she came to deliver lunch at the church.”  He paused and took another thoughtful drink.  “I wonder if that’s why she doesn’t come to the church all that much…  I wish I could show her that mystical things don’t have to be scary.”  A small frown began to spread across her features.

“That’s strange.  She doesn’t seem to mind the Goddess Spring,” Claire pointed out.

The priest’s face relaxed. “Ah, I’m not surprised.  The Goddess Spring is… a very special place to a lot of people in this village.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a special place to you, too.  Some people claim that they have actually seen the Goddess herself there when making an offering.”

“That’s what Karen said,” she remembered.

As if on cue, the brunette called her friend. “Oi, Claire!  Your food is going to get cold!”

“I’ll see you soon,” Carter smiled at her kindly. “Take care of yourself.”

She stood up and bowed politely, remembering her hangover as she did so. “You as well.”

0o0o0o0

“So, Claire… If you’re heading back to the farm, I’d be more than happy to walk you there,” Cliff’s voice was soft as he gave her arm a gentle touch.  She looked up at him and his cheeks flashed crimson as their eyes met.  He immediately retracted his hand, ducking his head in embarrassment for being so bold.  He was surprised that his instincts to get so close to her were taking over even now that they were both sober.  “Ah…  I mean, I’m going to go fishing today, anyway, and I thought we might as well enjoy the walk together.”

She found that she was a little disappointed that he had pulled away. “That sounds nice.  Koro would be happy to see you, too, you know.  It’s been a while for him.”  She pulled her bag onto her shoulders as she stood up.

She flashed him a kind smile and he couldn’t help but return the gesture. “He’s a sweet dog…  Well, if you don’t mind, I will go upstairs real quick to get my things and I’ll be right back down.”

She felt small flutters in her stomach as she took a step toward him. “I can go up with you and help…” she volunteered, unaware of the huge grin that was spreading across her mouth.

“Um… Sure.  Th-thanks.”  His eyes widened in surprise at her offer and the fact that she appeared to be keen on being glued to his side.  Was this really happening, or was he still dreaming?  He stood up and pushed in his barstool, trying to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest.

They both jumped when they heard a strangled sob on the opposite side of the bar. “Oh, goddess… why?  Not again…”  Ann had ducked her head between her knees and was breathing deeply.  Claire watched in shock as her companion let out a small sigh.  “CLIFF!!!!”

He gave the blonde an apologetic look. “Sorry…”  Cliff headed to the other end of the bar, the frown on his face growing.  Claire found herself following him, her blood running cold as she saw Ann’s slumped over figure.  The redhead was sweating profusely as she struggled to catch her breath.

“Oh, good, you’re here… Bucket, please.”

Her friend let out a disapproving sigh as he went behind the bar and produced a plastic bucket with Ann’s name written on it. He set it on her lap and she stuck her face in it, letting out a deep sigh.

“Thank you.” Ann’s voice echoed in the plastic container as she shuddered.  “Ugh…  I thought eating enough would keep me from getting hung over as well...  I’ve got mouth sweats and I feel like I’m gonna puke,” she moaned.

“Well, I’m thinking the food might be part of the reason of why you feel so sick.” Cliff’s voice wasn’t unfriendly, but Claire caught a critical tone in it.  He held out a hand to her.  “Come on; I’ll help you up.  Let’s get you back to your room.”

The redhead let out a small cry. “I don’t want to move.  My stomach hurts too much.”

Her father heard the familiar moan of his daughter. He tossed his tea towel on his shoulder and let out a sigh.  “Cliff, can you get her out of here before she starts putting people off of their food?”  Doug reached into the pocket of his apron and placed a small stack of coins into the palm of Cliff’s hand.  “And can you take care of the room upstairs?”

“O-Of course, but…” Cliff’s face turned pink as he stared at the money in his hand.  “Doug…  I…  I really don’t feel comfortable accepting this,” he whispered.  Upon remembering that Claire was standing right beside him, he turned from pink to red.

“It wouldn’t be right for me to ask you to work without pay. Please take it.”  He gave his tenant a stern look.  “I won’t take no for an answer.”

Cliff forced a small smile on his face as he knitted his brow. “Yes, sir…”  He put the coins in his pocket and turned toward the sick young woman.  “Come on, Ann.  Let’s get you more comfortable.”

She was glued to her seat. “I’m not walking.  I’ll barf for sure.”  She let a dry heave into the bucket.

“Ann, go to your room.” Her father kept his voice low, but Claire could see that he was not happy with her behavior in the bar.  “Go with Cliff.”

Cliff helped Ann down from the stool and put an arm around her waist. Claire silently led the way and held the door open for the two of them to enter the innkeepers’ quarters.

As soon as they got through the doorway, Ann hunched over her bucket and began to moan, her sounds of misery amplified by the bucket. Cliff helped her into the bathroom and she immediately pulled the door closed behind both of them.  Claire waited nervously on the other side of the door, pacing the hallway.

“A-Ann! I thought you were coming in here to throw up!  I-I’m not staying in here with you!”

“I need you to hold the bucket if I need it!” she whined. “Goddess, my insides feel like they’ve been twisted with a fork!  Stay with me and keep me company!”

Claire heard the bucket land on the ground with a loud clank. “Hold the bucket in your lap.  I’m not going to sit in here while you… augh!  Wait for me to leave the room first!”

“I can’t help it!” she cried miserably. “This isn’t the time for being polite!  I feel so sick!”

“I’ll check on you in a little bit, okay? From _outside_ the bathroom door!”  Cliff added meaningfully.

“Y-You’re leaving? Don’t bother coming back!” Ann wailed as Claire heard the plastic bucket clatter across the floor.

The young man pulled the door closed behind him, muttering under his breath. He turned around and noticed Claire still waiting in the hallway and he immediately turned red.  “Ah, I’m sorry!  I didn’t realize you were still here!”

“It’s okay,” Claire reassured him. Her eyes were drawn to the bathroom door.  “Is everything alright with Ann?”

He let out an exasperated sigh. “She has a tendency to be a bit unreasonable when she isn’t feeling well.  I’m sorry…  I guess we’ll have to take our walk another time,” he gave her an apologetic smile as he reached on a hook in the hallway and donned an apron.  “I gotta clean the room upstairs and then I’ll be right back down to check on her.”  He took a broom and bucket from another hook and looked back at the young woman regretfully, slinging them over his shoulder.  “I’m really sorry,” he repeated once more.

Claire shrugged it off. She didn’t see Cliff’s caretaking of Ann as him ignoring her.  Besides, Ann was the one who was in need.  While she would have really enjoyed Cliff’s company, she understood.  She was a little surprised that she still managed to feel a little disappointed, however.  “It’s no big deal.  You didn’t know Ann was going to get sick like this.”

He frowned, and she noticed that he was staring that the bathroom door with an exasperated look. “Ugh…  I had a hunch she would…  See you later, Claire.”  He rested the broom handle on his shoulder and headed out to towards the bar so he could access the guest rooms.

The young woman stood there silently for a few minutes. She knew that she should be heading back to the farm soon, but her feet refused to move.  Just knowing that her friend was on the other side of that door and feeling miserable made her uncomfortable with the notion of leaving.  “Hey, Ann, I’m still here.  I can keep you company by talking to you from the hallway,” she removed her rucksack and rested her back against the wall.

“Ah, I’m not abandoned! Yay!” Ann’s weak voice echoed on the other side of the door, and Claire noticed that she already sounded a little better and more upbeat at the notion of someone keeping vigil.  “I’m really sorry about all of this.  I didn’t mean to do this to you guys.”

Claire slid her back against the wall and brought her knees up to her chest as she sat on the floor. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s my second day as a twenty-three year-old and I’ve already managed to screw up,” Ann lamented through the wooden door.

“Screw up how?” Claire asked.

“I ate too much and drank too much. I’m no better than a silly kid with no self-control.  I managed to make Cliff angry, _and_ I know Dad’s gonna chew me out later.”

If Claire was to be perfectly honest, everyone had partied a little too hard the night before. “I don’t think anyone’s mad at you,” she replied gently.  “I think they’re just both concerned about your well-being.”

“Well, it wouldn’t kill Cliff to be a little more patient with me. If he knew how my stomach feels right now, he’d know that I was putting up a strong front.”

Claire raised her eyebrows; she felt that their mutual friend had been almost too forgiving of Ann’s behavior. Claire felt a slight pang of guilt.  Was she being too hard on Ann?

“He took off like he had something else to do,” Ann continued, her voice muffled through the bathroom door. The toilet flushed, and Claire could hear the faucet turning on.  “…  I suppose I should be grateful he agrees to help at all.  When Dad used to enlist Gray to help, I often sent him away.  That guy can be so unsympathetic,” she let out a bitter, humorless laugh.  “I mean, I’ll be literally crying in pain and he’ll try to slip out the door so he doesn’t have to deal with me.”  The young woman gingerly stepped out of the bathroom and led the way to her bedroom.

Ann’s words resonated a little too much with Claire. She recalled Gray’s shuffling footsteps toward her door as she had her face buried in her table, her heart shattered.  That action alone was one of the main reasons she was unhappy with him at the moment – his downplaying of a situation that Claire thought was important had broken her heart.  “I know exactly what you mean.”  She immediately regretted her words.

The redhead wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t think it would make Claire feel better to know how many people knew about the conversation between her and Gray, so Ann avoided revealing that she knew much about it.  “Yeah, he can be a jerk.”  An awkward silence followed as Ann threw herself down on her bed and let out a sigh.  Claire found herself sitting down at the foot of the bed, unsure of how to help.

She realized that spending time with him during the party hadn’t been all that bad – she had even laughed at one of his jokes. “Hey, it was pretty funny when you tackled him, though,” she giggled shyly.

Ann grinned. “True.  I actually smack the guys around a lot,” she boasted proudly.  “Gray gets hit the most by far, though.”  She stretched out as Claire gently pulled the covers around her, letting out a yawn.  “Wow, I actually feel a lot better,” she added offhandedly as she looked up at her friend in surprise, noticing that her nausea had vanished.

“I’m glad.” Claire had a tender smile on her face and Ann had a hard time remembering a period when she didn’t care for the farmer very much.

“I smacked Kai with my broom handle a while ago. He invited the guys to his beach shack to pig out on leftovers and he didn’t ask me.  He said that he thought I wouldn’t be interested.  Can you believe that?  I sure don’t!”  Ann let out a snort as she folded her arms across her chest.

Claire had a feeling that Kai wanted to make sure that the others were able to eat and that inviting Ann might jeopardize this, but she decided not to say so. After all, she didn’t want to get hit as well, she thought with an inward laugh.  “And why do you smack Cliff?”

“Sometimes just for good measure,” Ann nodded to herself as she adjusted her pillow. “Or when he goes out too much…  He’s been going to the mountains a lot lately.”  She bit her lip.  “He’s working himself too hard and doesn’t eat enough. _Someone_ has to watch over him!”  Ann let out an exasperated groan.  “ _Men_ …”

“Well, between you and me, we’ll make sure he gets fed, alright?” Claire patted her friend’s arm.

“Sure…” The young woman let out a sleepy yawn.  “Speaking of fed, I bet you’ve got a hungry puppy and horse waiting back at home.”

“Ah, and a couple of chickens now, too,” Claire stood up and grabbed her pack. The break from work had been nice, but all good things must come to an end, she supposed.  “Well, I guess I’d better get to it.  I hope you feel better, Ann.”

“Oh, I will,” she rested her eyes as she made herself comfortable. “See you around.”

“Bye.” The blonde waved and left, gently closing the door behind her.

Ann blinked her eyes, staring at the ceiling. _Having animals that depend on you for their well-being... I mean, sure, I’ve got Tabs, but that’s not the same…  And an entire farm to take care of…_ Ann found she was a little jealous that she didn’t have that kind of responsibility herself.

There was a knock at the door.

“Come on in.”

A rather frazzled Cliff entered the room with a couple of homemade spears strapped to his back and a bag thrown over a shoulder. His ponytail was loose and disheveled and his cheeks had a healthy glow from activity.  “Oh!”  His eyes scanned the room before he walked over to the bed.  “Ah, how are you feeling, Ann?”

“A little bit better, but not because of you.” Her frustration from earlier began to bubble back up to the surface, but immediately began to quell as she noticed he was still wearing an apron that was reserved for cleaning.  He smelled of lemon cleaner and she realized at once that he must have been scrubbing down the room that had been used last night for the party.  She let out an inward sigh of relief that she wouldn’t be charged with that task today, but felt a slight pang of guilt and sadness that a responsibility had been taken from her.  She observed the way he was breathing a little faster than normal.  “You looking for Claire?”  Surely he had run down the stairs to try to catch her as she left.

He brushed a few brown tresses out of his eyes and his cheeks turned redder they way they always did when her name was mentioned. “Uh, yeah…  I was told that she was still here.”

Ann looked up at her friend. It would be nice to have a second person keep her company.  After all, her stomach still hurt a little bit and she had relished in her time with Claire.  Since he had moved here, Cliff had sat at Ann’s bedside a few times while she recovered from overeating, and she enjoyed the attention he gave to her.  The young man had a gentle nature and his kindhearted vigil never ceased to make her feel loved and special.  Ann saw the slight perspiration on his forehead frowned.  While she could ask him to stay, something about it didn’t feel right; it couldn’t be more apparent he had his heart set on seeing Claire again today.  Perhaps this was part of growing up, she realized.  “Well, she just left.  She must have gone while you were coming down the stairs.  If you hurry, you can probably catch up to her.”

His face lit up, but his smile quickly faded, a slave to his own guilt. “Are you going to be alright here by yourself?”

Ann gave him a knowing look. “I’ll be fine.  Go ahead.”

“Alright. See you later.”  He whirled around so quickly he hit himself in the face with his own hair.

She stifled a giggle. “Uh, Cliff?”

He froze in his tracks, causing the sticks strapped to him to lightly tap the back of his head. “Yeah?”

“You might want to take off that apron first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Maturity is the theme of this one. Karen and Ann struggle to be what they see as mature adults. Honestly, I don’t know if anyone who is considered “mature” ever really feels like they are, haha. The chapters are naturally reaching a new standard in length: 6-7k words. I’m really interested to know what you guys think. Are they too long?  
> Thank you to everyone who is following along and reading this story. It means a lot to me, and I greatly appreciate your feedback! See you in the next chapter! :)


	55. Fluffy Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cliff and Claire spend an afternoon alone together, simply enjoying one another's presence. Cliff expresses a fear of uncertainty about the future, and Claire wishes there was a way to take all of his worries away.

Claire was watching the smoke rising from the chimney of the smithy as she walked along the path to the farm. The gray puffs faded into the clouds in the sky.  She was staring at one in particular that resembled a whale wearing a tutu when she heard her friend’s sudden voice behind her.

“Ah, Cl-Claire. Hi!”  Cliff looked a little winded, but none the worse for the wear.

She jumped; she hadn’t heard him approach her at all. “Hi!  I thought you were back at the inn, cleaning and taking care of Ann.”

“Oh, she’s fine,” he let out a laugh as he caught his breath, dismissing this with the wave of a hand. “She’s probably taking a nap already.”

“So, you ran to catch up with _me_ , huh?”  Claire bit her lip as she stared down at the cobblestones.  He must have finished cleaning and ran his way here.  They were good friends and the notion of him going out of his way to be with her made her heart feel warm.  Today, however, that pleasant glow was accompanied by a throbbing heartbeat.  She quickly thought of a reason for his decision to be so adamant about their plans – why he wanted to be with _her_...  “You, uh… you must really want to see Koro!”  She shook her head at her own strange behavior, her cheeks flushing brightly as her slightly damp hair slapped against her warm face, refreshing it a bit.

“Ah…” He wasn’t quite sure what to say; she hadn’t left him much to work with.  His head began to swim with dizziness, and it wasn’t from his sprint to catch up to her.  Her responses were usually much more thought out and came from a few moments of deliberation.  The way she had playfully pretended that her dog as the real reason he came to see her – it almost sounded like what he imagined flirting would be like…  If this was the case, he felt like he should be elated.  Instead, his heart pounded in his ribcage and he panicked.  “I guess so.  Koro’s a… good dog,” he finished lamely, averting his eyes and staring up at the sky.  His face felt as if it was on fire; why was it that he could never say what he really wanted?  His eyes focused on a strangely shaped cloud in the sky.  “Huh… that cloud almost looks like…”

“A whale?” Claire finished for him with a bright smile. She nodded emphatically to herself as she felt her shoulders relax.  “It was wearing a tutu earlier, but the wind blew it off.  Now it’s a naked whale.”

He raised his eyebrows and let out a hearty laugh, and part of him wondered if she was still drunk. “What are you going on about?  I don’t think we’re looking at the same thing.”

“ _That_ cloud!”  She jutted her finger up to the sky.

She looked so intense about what she was doing that he couldn’t help but bite back a chuckle. “What cloud?” he teased, a smirk playing at his lips.

She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him close, the spears on his back rattling loudly as she did so. “There, now we can see the same thing,” she giggled playfully as she pointed back up into the blue, focusing her gaze as she closed one eye.  “Right… there!”

Cliff wasn’t looking at the sky. He was struggling to catch his breath as he realized how close their faces were.  She was leaning her head on his shoulder, her blonde hair tumbling across his bare upper arm.  He wondered if this was how lovers felt when they were close together, and he contemplated with a twinge of hopefulness if he would ever be in a position in his life where he would be able to have that kind of relationship with another person, namely the one right beside him.  Perhaps Carter hadn’t been spouting off nonsense…  Cliff leaned a little closer to her head.  He knew the time probably wasn’t right, but how difficult could it be to simply move in just a bit more and…?

Apparently excruciatingly so, he realized. Cliff swallowed the lump in his throat as he stared at the woman’s beautiful face.  His eyes focused on her soft pink lips.  They were slightly parted as she lightly bit her top lip in concentration, her eyebrows furrowing.  Her face was no longer red, but a hint of natural blush remained on her cheeks.  She had tired bags under her eyes from their late night partying, but that single sapphire eye that was open – it was so full of wonder and looked like a precious jewel…  He didn’t think anything more beautiful existed on this planet.

“Can you see it?”

Her words jarred him back to reality. He was suddenly aware that they had stopped walking.  He remembered that he was standing in the middle of a walkway next to Claire gazing up at clouds.  He struggled for an answer, and her eyes moved to him before he could pretend to look up at the sky.

“Are you staring at me like I’m crazy?” There was a hint of amusement to her voice.

“Well, you _did_ say there was a whale up there,” he stammered, struggling to look at the cloud.  “One more time: which one?”

Claire put a hand on the side of his face and pressed it against hers, forcing him to stoop down a little bit to accommodate for their difference in height. She found that she enjoyed the warm glow that came with the closeness.  He let out a small gasp in surprise as she gave him a playful pat on the cheek.  He was always very endearing to her, and today she realized she needed to add _adorable_ to the list.  The very thought made her mind buzz with slight disorientation as it tried to process this new feeling.  Claire ignored it as she pointed once more at the clouds.  “That one.  The one shaped like a _naked_ whale.”

She could feel his cheeks moving into an impish grin. “Ah, you mean the tanuki?”  He let out a soft chuckle, getting acquainted to the marvelous feeling of their close proximity and her hand gently cupping his cheek.  His heart was so full he thought it would burst and he started feeling a little dizzy.

“How on earth…?”

“Well, how is it a whale? Uh, I mean a _naked_ whale?” he quipped.  “That’s _definitely_ a tanuki.”

She gestured wildly with her hands, and Cliff briefly lamented that she removed the tender touch of her fingers from his face. He took comfort in the fact that their cheeks were still pressed together.  “That big thing is the whale’s main body, and the small bit over there is the tail.”

She felt him shake his head. “No…  That small part over there is the tanuki’s body.  The big part is his… er… assets.”

Claire collapsed into laughter, leaning forward and holding her slightly unsettled stomach. “What’s he doing, making a parachute out of them?”

He gave her a serious nod, but there was a lighthearted twinkle in his eye. “You better believe it.”

She rolled her eyes and linked her arm around his. “Come on, you silly boy.  Let’s go to the farm before you decide what the other clouds look like.”

He let out a mischievous snicker, but his cheeks burned as he walked along with her. The fact that she was making the first move made his head spin.  She cast him a mock-offended look at his creative imagination, but a smile soon spread across her lips.  Claire never thought that she would make a friend out here that would help her find so much enjoyment in uncomplicated, innocent things such as cloud watching, and it made her happier than she realized.  Life was so different here in Mineral Town, but she found right away that she preferred the simple pleasures – they reminded her of what was important: friendship, a solid roof over her head and food to eat, and being part of a community.  She returned her eyes back at Cliff, who flashed her a kind smile.  She couldn’t help but return the gesture, and she fought the urge to nuzzle his shoulder as they continued along.  While spending time with him made her happy, she highly doubted he wanted another friend like Karen hanging all over him.  It was tempting, though.  After all, his open and kindhearted demeanor with her made it easy for her to have such desires.  Cliff was soothing presence for her, and the last thing she wanted to do was make him feel uncomfortable.  However, her cheek still retained the sensory memory of his skin on hers.  It had actually felt really nice…  Something about it had made her feel so loved and precious; her heart began to pound as she awkwardly moved her eyes to the cobblestones.

As they walked in silence, she looked up at him periodically, and Cliff couldn’t help but notice that each time she gazed at him, her face looked a little more relaxed and playful. The final time she glanced at him, he wasn’t sure if he was looking for something that wasn’t there, but her cheeks appeared to be flushed.  _She’s just happy and excited because she’s having fun. You are reading into this far too much_ , he inwardly scolded himself as they arrived at Mystic Acres.

0o0o0o0

Feeding the animals had been simple enough. Claire poured some kibble into Koro’s bowl and had carried her hens out to their pasture while Cliff volunteered to groom Tucker and bring him out of the stable to graze.  The young man stroked the creature’s neck as he leaned over to remove the brushes from the hooks on the wall.

This was the horse that Gray had been so adamant about training, the cause of so many misunderstandings between the apprentice and Claire. He bit his lip as he ran the brush over Tucker’s coat.

“All this fuss over you,” Cliff didn’t dislike the horse, but he couldn’t remove the bitter tone from his whisper. He softly brushed the forelocks out of the colt’s large brown eyes and traced his fingers along his jaw line.  “You _are_ beautiful; I will give you that…” 

Tucker swished his tail in response and stomped down with his hooves, his back twitching as a fly landed on him. Cliff shooed it away and used the pitchfork to remove the waste from the stall.  He knew that Claire had a compost heap on the far side of the barn and went outside to add it to the pile.  As he walked outside, his gaze moved to the farmer.  She was leaning on her makeshift pen, conversing with the hens as if they could understand her.  Cliff had no doubt in his mind that the animals on Mystic Acres were some of the happiest he had ever seen, and he was once again amazed at how someone who had no experience at all was able to turn this patch of overgrown weeds into a functioning farm.  It was magic.

Cliff returned to the stable and the young horse looked up at him with wide eyes. The young man briefly wondered if the colt had understood everything he had said earlier.  He grabbed the comb and worked on Tucker’s mane.  “I’m sorry, boy,” he murmured.  “I was just a bit frustrated earlier.  It’s not your fault that Gray acted the way he did…  You’re only a little kid after all, huh?”

The horse let out a snort and looked at him curiously.

Cliff let out a soft chuckle. “Ah, I’m sorry.  Has Gray been telling you that you’re a big, bad, macho horse?” he teased.

He was given another snort and a couple of hoof stomps in reply.

He ran his fingers along the horse’s back and their eyes met. Cliff looked away guiltily and gently leaned against Tucker’s body, draping his arm over the side.  “I’m sorry, I’ve made this all about Gray, huh?  It’s just…”  He wasn’t sure why he was having such a hard time expressing his feelings to a young horse.  He leaned forward and buried his face into Tucker’s neck, breathing in the earthy, sweaty scent of the animal.  “When you… _l-love_ someone… it can be hard to see them make choices that you know will hurt them in the end.  But… you have to let them make that choice themselves…  Claire _deserves_ that right, after all…  All I can do is comfort her and be there for her when she needs me.”

Cliff felt the body beneath him shift as another hoof clomped noisily on the stable floor. The young man stood up and patted the horse tenderly on the cheek.  “I’ve never admitted to anyone that I’m in love with her before.  Don’t go blabbing my secret, now.”  He gave the colt a conspiratorial wink as he felt a heavy burden lift from his heart.

Tucker let out a snort as Cliff gently wrapped an arm around the horse’s back and walked forward; the horse walked alongside him. The young man mimicked his snort.  “I know, I know.  So young and already being given so many responsibilities.”  He gave a melodramatic sigh.  “Life’s tough.  That should be your first lesson.”

Upon releasing the horse into the pasture, a yapping Koro approached Cliff, wagging his tail so hard that his entire body wriggled. He bounded up and down on his hind legs, giving a cheerful bark each time he jumped.  After a few hops he planted his front paws and face into Cliff’s leg, his tail moving violently.

“Ah, he missed you!” Claire giggled, looking up from her hens. “Koro, easy boy!”  Her scolding wasn’t very effective, as a grin was plastered across her face.

“Oh, he’s fine; I don’t mind.” He scratched the top of the dog’s head and his hand got covered in puppy kisses.  “I doubt you actually miss _me_ , huh, boy?  I’ve got nothing in my pockets for you.”  The last time he had seen the dog, he had given him scraps from his grilled fish; the young man didn’t think _he_ was the thing that Koro was looking for.

“It’s unlike you to be so cynical,” Claire pouted as she removed her work gloves and stuffed them in her rucksack, tossing it off to the side next to Cliff’s things.

His eyes widened in surprise at her comment as he continued to attempt to pet the jumping dog. “Oh, I don’t mean it like that.  He just knows that sometimes I might have a snack for him.”

“Well, you know what I told you before,” she shook her finger at him, “ _the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach_!”  Koro stopped yipping as he curiously looked at Claire’s moving finger, mesmerized.  He sat down properly on the ground and stared up at her with large dark eyes.  She let out a small chuckle.  “And Koro’s just about as manly and burly as they come.  Right, boy?”

The puppy’s tail began to wag excitedly as he let out an emphatic bark, his voice cracking.

Claire laughed so hard that she almost fell over; she slumped down to the ground as tears threatened to spring forth. Koro ran to her side, yipping and sniffing her face.  She let out small squeak as she slowly rocked back on her heels, falling backward into the tall grass.  Her long, blonde cascades of hair fell around her in what seemed like slow motion as the puppy quickly moved in, kissing and investigating her face.  She struggled to shield her mouth with her hands.

“Ah, help!” she squealed, her voice muffled by her hand guard.

Cliff’s laughter faded when he wondered if he should try to move the dog or the girl. It would be simple enough to scoop Koro up under his arm, but he could also carry Claire away and the two of them could curl up together under the nearby apple tree, and he could give her some kisses of his own…

There were two reasons this was a foolish idea. The first and most obvious was that she was probably covered in dog slobber.  The second was that he highly doubted Claire would willingly accept his kisses. _Huh, that’s strange_ , he thought to himself. _Normally I would have switched those two reasons around_ …  Snorting aloud at his idiocy, he walked over and picked up the puppy.  Koro’s body wriggled in Cliff’s grasp; he was eager to check on Claire and this man was keeping him from doing his duty!  Cliff tucked him under one arm and held out a hand to assist Claire back up.

“Well, you’ve got a protective partner, I’ll give you that.” He let out a chuckle as he looked at the squirming dog.

“Protective? He’s just a nosy pet.”  Claire stood up and led the way to the apple tree’s shade.

Cliff set down the dog and Koro circled around his feet, wagging his tail. “What about the wild dogs that tend to prowl around at night?  Doesn’t he help protect you by scaring them off?”

Claire’s heart nearly stopped. “What are you talking about?”

“Surely others have told you about them – I’ve seen a few coyotes up in the mountains last winter.” Her friend looked concerned.  Cliff took a seat in the shade of the apple tree and absentmindedly pet Koro as he nuzzled his hand.  “You bring your hens inside at night, right?”  He raised his eyebrows with worry.

“Well, yeah… Rick suggested I do that.  He didn’t mention anything about wild dogs,” Claire’s heart began to pound.  In Rick’s defense, he had been excitedly spouting off so many other facts about caring for chickens that even if he had brought it up, she doubted she could recall it.  Maybe he did tell her and she just couldn’t remember.  Claire had heard howling at night a few times, but she had just assumed that it was Barley’s dog, Hannah, and thought nothing more of it.

Cliff let out a quiet sigh of relief and his eyes went back to the puppy who was struggling to climb into his lap. He picked up Koro, setting him on his crossed legs and the dog gave his hand a grateful nuzzle in exchange.  “Well, with fall just around the corner, you should be really careful with your chickens.  Predators get more desperate as winter comes around,” he said gently, realizing he had frightened her.  “You might be seeing more wildlife on your farm…” he paused, a frown crossing his lips.  “But then again, maybe not…  The mountain’s been much quieter than I expected…”

She wasn’t about to complain about fewer potential pests appearing in her fields, but Claire felt the worry lines appear on her forehead, regardless. “What do you mean?”

He shook his head. “Nothing for you to worry about…  There just aren’t as many animals in the woods to hunt as I had expected.  I keep hoping that they’ll come out in the fall…  I’m sure everything will be fine,” he added quickly with a nervous chuckle.  He wasn’t satisfied with camping outside of towns and villages anymore – he promised himself he wouldn’t have to live like that again…  Now that he had a taste of what it was like to look in on a community and almost be considered a part of it, he could never go back to the way he used to live: alone with Cain and next to no human contact.  He wouldn’t do it…  He couldn’t.  His throat began to close up at the very thought and he pushed the fears to the back of his mind.  “A-After all, there’s still time.”

She gave him an uneasy smile. “Yeah…  And who knows?  Maybe some of the shops will be hiring by then,” she added hopefully.

“Maybe…” Cliff highly doubted this but he forced a cheerful grin on his face, stroking Koro’s back.

Claire gently laced her arm through his. She could sense that his heart was hurting; it was almost like a sixth sense now.  She knew now that things had turned out for the best for her in moving to Mineral Town.  Life in the city had slowly been killing her inside, and that colorful real estate pamphlet that fell out of her newspaper that fateful night had turned her entire life around.  Her talks with Carter had further cemented the idea that things didn’t just happen randomly.  “Don’t you believe in fate?” she murmured, lightly stroking his arm as she looked up at him with wide eyes.  How could he so easily dismiss all of the progress he had made so far?

How he wanted to believe that fate brought him to Mineral Town! He wished and he yearned that it was predestined that he had traveled this far so that he could make friends and start a new life here, regardless of whether he deserved it or not.  He couldn’t shake the fear that it would all be snatched away from him just as he got accustomed to it. _I_ _believe fate can be cruel and merciless…_ “I-I’m working on it,” he admitted sheepishly as Koro climbed out of his lap and went to investigate the chicken pen.

“And I can help, remember?” Claire gave Cliff a friendly smile as she held onto his arm a little more tightly and softly leaned back into the long, cushiony grass, bringing her friend down beside her.  He let out a small gasp in surprise and when they landed, she burst into laughter, hugging his arm.  He turned toward her with a smile; his facial expressions suggested he had relaxed a bit, but she knew it was likely there was still a burden on his mind.  “I want to _help_ you believe…” she closed her eyes, her sincere words reaching for his heart, “that something even more amazing is waiting for us.”

Cliff said nothing in reply, but he lay there in silence, letting her kind thoughts and love wash over him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the gentle summer breeze. _Oh, Claire, I want to believe, but I don’t know if I deserve to…_ The pain in his heart slowly loosened as he focused on the sensations of the soft grass, the comfortable air, and his friend’s soft touch, enjoying what was going on around him right then.  Maybe he could pretend to believe, if only for a moment…

0o0o0o0

Claire opened her eyes and stirred, her puppy letting out a small whimper beside her at being disturbed. The temperature was still warm under the apple tree, but the breeze was soothing – the perfect weather for taking a nap, she realized with a smile.  She gazed over at her friend and watched as his chest slowly rose and fell rhythmically; Cliff was in a deep sleep.  She looked over at his bag and fishing gear that had been discarded in the grass, and she realized that he hadn’t gotten any of his planned work done today.  Claire’s eyes moved to the sky and she saw that the sun was far past its peak.  She vaguely wondered what time it was as she carefully unwound her arm from his and rolled over onto her side toward him, rustling the grass.  Koro readjusted his position, nuzzling back in with a yawn.

She could easily close her eyes again and snooze for a bit. Being hung over was a new experience, and one she didn’t particularly care to repeat.  Claire wondered how Cliff was feeling and if he had felt weak from the night before as well.  Perhaps their conversation had worn him out a bit.  She knew from first-hand experience that feeling despair was exhausting.  A few wisps of brown hair that hadn’t gotten tied back were gently blowing in the breeze.  Her eyes moved back to his face.  She studied his features once more, realizing she could get a chance to watch him for a while without him getting embarrassed.  He looked very relaxed and Claire had a feeling that Cliff would wake in much better spirits; while he still had his moments of unhappiness, they didn’t last for nearly as long.  His thick eyebrows were set in a neutral position as he slowly breathed in and out of his nose.  Cliff’s mouth was also set in an expressionless state.  Her gaze drifted to his cheeks.  While he had gained a bit of a tan from the summer sun, his sleeping face didn’t have the usual glow she had grown accustomed to seeing lately.  A smile spread across Claire’s lips.  He was often rosy-cheeked and looked full of life anymore – it was so very different than when they first met.  She couldn’t help but wonder if and hope that she had helped contribute to that for him.  She could remember a time when she had only seen his expressions filled with worry or discomfort, and she was grateful for the change.  Her eyes traveled across his face once more and moved down toward his body.  She was reminded once again that he was very handsome.  Claire bit back the goofy grin that had appeared as her cheeks grew warm and her growling stomach kept her from lingering further. 

She quietly stood up and stretched, watching as Koro gave her an indignant look before curling up against Cliff’s hip and falling back asleep almost immediately. It seemed that the puppy had seen the two napping earlier and decided to join them.  The young man didn’t stir at all in his slumber despite Koro’s movements and Claire gave the pair a smile as she headed back into the house, running her fingers through the back of her hair to untangle it.

Claire returned back outside a few minutes later with a packaged trio of rice balls and a canteen of water. It was hardly a gourmet spread, but Cliff didn’t strike her as the type to be a picky eater.  She felt guilty about waking him – after all, he looked so peaceful and it was likely he was exhausted.  Claire wasn’t particularly surprised about the lack of fishing he had gotten in today, but she had a feeling he might be upset about it.

Claire gave him a gentle squeeze on the hand to wake him. He stirred and slowly opened his eyes.  Claire’s upside down face was hovering over him, the tips of her hair tickling his cheeks.  “Hey, we fell asleep,” she announced, although it was painfully obvious to both of them at this point.  She let out a small chuckle.  “I got us something to eat.”

He blinked slowly, his face quickly rushing with color. “I-I’m so sorry I fell asleep!”  He sat up quickly as Claire grabbed a rice ball from the package and dug in.  Koro shot Cliff an indignant look as he found a cozy spot a few steps away and plopped himself back down, getting back to his nap.

“Don’t worry about it. I guess I was pretty tired, too,” she held out the plastic container in offering.

He gave her a grateful smile. “Ah, you sure you don’t mind?” he asked shyly.

“Not at all. I wouldn’t bring out food and not share it,” Claire giggled.  “But… you probably want to wash the dried dog slobber off of your hands first, though.”

He immediately retracted his hand and turned a bright shade of pink. “Yeah, of course.”  He had completely forgotten.  The young man wasn’t about to admit that there were more than a few times when he had eaten with dirtier hands back when he lived on the trail.  Cliff pulled himself up and walked over to the stream, realizing he hadn’t even attempted to catch a fish yet today.  He let out a sigh in disappointment and his eyes moved back to the apple tree.  Claire was chewing on an onigiri, playfully bopping her puppy with the toe of her boot.  He could either be upset about today’s loss, or he could enjoy the moment and start fishing again at dusk when the fish were more active.  She looked up and gave him a huge grin.  He knew his decision had already been made, and he owed her an apology.

“You get lost in thought out there or what?” Claire gave him a playful giggle as she held out the plastic tray of food.

“A bit,” he confessed, thanking her for the food. Cliff’s mind was jumbled with thoughts as he chewed the rice ball.  “Hey, Claire?”

She swallowed her bite and looked up at him with curious, large eyes.

“I’m really sorry about earlier… I came over to spend a little bit of time with you, and it turned it into me getting upset over something again.  You really deserve better than that…”  His mouth turned into a frown as he nervously looked down at the grass.

“Cliff…” He looked up when she said his name and he saw that she had a slight frown on her face.  How could she make him see that he was worth other peoples’ effort?  “I _want_ to spend my time with you.”  Her voice was soothing as she looked at the remains of her rice ball thoughtfully, as if studying a work of art.  Claire’s gaze moved back to her friend and a shy smile found its way on her lips.  “I love our time together – the fun times _and_ the rough times.  Do you think I spend time with you to be entertained?”

His eyes moved to his lap as his cheeks burned. If that was the case, he certainly was doing a horrible job at it…

She shook her head; he really didn’t get it, did he? “You can open up with me, and I know I can talk to you about anything.  I’ve cherished the time we spent this afternoon together – _all_ of it.”  Claire gave him a kind smile and nodded to herself.  “Even the nap.”  She recalled watching him while he slept and her face felt warm.

A bright smile slowly worked at his mouth. “Even the nap?” he repeated in surprise.

She finished eating her rice ball and shot him a smirk. “Yeah!  I was really tired,” she giggled.  “I might take another one right now!”  She fell back down into the grass and her face was immediately invaded with an overly curious puppy.  “Ack!  Never mind!” she shrieked, batting away the excited Koro.

Cliff took another bite of his onigiri and grinned at the young woman. Maybe he’d finish his food before he volunteered to assist her… or until the moment she cried for help.  He shook his head; he really was powerless…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cultural Note: A tanuki is a real animal often confused with a raccoon or a dog, but it is neither. Cliff is referring to the Japanese mythological version that is a playful, trickster spirit that can shape shift its, er, moneybags into pretty much anything. They originally were depicted as pranksters, using their shape shifting to fool travelers, hunters, and monks, but more recent depictions have them representing wealth and prosperity. You may have seen traditional tanuki statues in video games and anime sitting outside of shops. They’re a lot like the lucky cats – beckoning customers to come in and spend generously. And… now you probably know a lot more about them than you ever wanted to. Sorry, I have a fascination with mythological creatures, haha. Don’t worry, more mentions of Japanese folklore will appear in the story. Lucky you! 
> 
> Author’s Note: Y’all have Accidentally the Whole Fanfic (ff.net) to thank for this chapter. I wasn’t originally planning on writing in Cliff and Claire’s walk at all, but after seeing his excitement about it, I didn’t feel right leaving it out. I’m rather happy with the way it turned out, though, and besides the obvious fluff, I hope I was able to convey a few more solid things, such as Cliff’s insecurity about his feelings and his fears about not being a permanent resident. Either way, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. 
> 
> Fluffy clouds, fluffy grass, fluffy animals, and, well, fluff. Hope it didn’t turn out TOO fluffy. Too much? Too sappy? Strangely enough, I’m writing a love story and I am a little insecure about writing romance. Go figure.
> 
> I would like to sincerely thank everyone that takes the time to read this story. It really warms my heart to know that others are enjoying this story. :)


	56. Meltdowns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire realizes that in some ways, she's not all that different from a young girl.

“Almost… done…”

Claire wasn’t sure how she had gotten roped into their convoluted little game of house, but she was amused enough. She shifted her seating a bit and was surprised when the small voice sharply told her to sit still.  The young woman could feel the weight of the wildflowers randomly strewn threw her hair and she was certain she looked rather ridiculous.

“All done! Ah, you’re so pretty, Claire!” May cooed with a delighted laugh.  “Isn’t she?”  The young girl turned to her friend and he twisted up his face in disgust and stuck out his tongue.  May rolled her eyes at Stu and whirled around for some sort of reaction from Cliff.  He gave both females an emphatic nod, and while he looked genuine, Claire couldn’t help but notice it looked like he looked quite amused at the sheer quantity of flowers May had laced through Claire’s tresses.

“You’re very sweet, May,” Claire stammered, shocked from such an open compliment. “Thank you for the flowers.”  She was tempted to touch her hair but she stopped herself.  She had a feeling the blossoms would take a while for her to remove this evening, but she didn’t really mind at seeing the young girl’s pleased nod at her handiwork.

“There you go. Now you match!”  May handed a single daisy to Cliff to add to his own hair.  Stu collapsed into giggles when the young man added it to his own hair without hesitation.  Cliff’s eyes met Claire’s and a light dusting of pink spread across his cheeks at her warm smile.

“I command you kids to cook dinner tonight!” Stu stuck his tongue out at the adults, waving a stick around in the air.

“Stu!” May scolded, putting her tiny hands on her hips and scowling at him. She was surprised that despite how often they played this game, Stu didn’t grasp the importance of his role.  “There’s more to being a parent than bossing your kids around!  You have to show them love and… spend time with them!  Play with them!”  Her normally sweet voice had a bite to it.

The boy ignored her. “Ha!  Find me a four-leaved clover for my dinner, minions!”  Stu folded his arms across his chest and let out a villainous laugh before pointing at a patch of clover with his stick as if it were a royal scepter.

“They’re our children, not minions!” she frowned and paused. “Wait.  Will you really eat it if they find one?”

Stu shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

May eagerly joined the hunt for the clover. “I wonder what clover milk would taste like?  Cows can change the flavor of their milk, after all.”

“Huh?” Stu looked at her, puzzled.  “That’s a lie!” he snorted, a laugh escaping his lips.

“It’s the truth,” May insisted with wide, dark eyes as she nodded to Claire. “Grandpa said that the milk can taste different if you feed the cow different things.”  She looked down at the patch of clover and continued her hunt for one with four leaves.

Claire looked down at the greenery, letting out a small sigh when the three-leafed clover she picked simply had a rolled up leaf instead of four. She vaguely wondered if feeding a cow matcha leaves would create a sort of matcha latte.  She found herself drooling at the very idea, but she was startled back to her senses when she heard Stu’s high voice.

“Why don’t you give him a chocolate bar, then?” he asked, drawing a crude picture of a cow in the dirt with a stick. “You’d get chocolate milk.”  The young boy gave her a logical nod.

May shook her head so violently in response that she whipped herself in the face with her braids. “Nuh-uh!  You wouldn’t get any because it wouldn’t be a _he_!  It would be a _she_!  Boys don’t give milk, stupid!”  Her voice echoed across the church’s courtyard.

“Don’t call him stupid, May,” Cliff reminded her gently as he picked a wildflower and offered it to the young girl.

She wasn’t distracted by this tactic; she ripped the petals off of the flower and tossed the stem to the ground as the frown grew on her face. “Well, that’s just _stupid_.”

He wasn’t sure if she was referring to the command that she not insult Stu or the flower itself. The young man’s eyes widened in surprise and Claire sat in stunned silence.  From what she had seen and from what Cliff had told her, May was typically very mild-mannered.  Cliff spoke with a level voice.  “Tell me about your morning, May.”  He used a soothing tone, but his inflection suggested that this was not a request.  Claire was immediately reminded of her younger brothers throwing tantrums and she usually pleaded with them to calm down; it was rarely successful.  She was curious to see how Cliff’s tactic worked.

The young girl folded her arms across her chest and pouted. “Me an’ Grandpa went to the inn for breakfast…” she began, staring up at the branches above them as they swayed in the warm summer breeze.  It was another beautiful day with a gentle wind and a comfortable temperature – the perfect weather for outdoor activities.

“That sounds really nice. Did you have one of Ann’s omelettes?”  He gave her a friendly nod.  “Maybe some apple juice?”  Cliff knew that these were a couple of her favorite things to order at the local eatery and he thought the memory of them would put a smile on her face.

She shook her head. “Orange juice today.  It was really good.  And pancakes, too.  Ann even put whipped cream on top for me!  But then…”  May’s face fell as she picked a clover, nervously pulling off the leaves.  “When we were done eating, Grandpa called Mommy on the phone…”

A flicker of understanding flashed through his blue eyes as the young man fell silent. Claire had never remembered May mentioning her parents at all, but she knew that the girl was living with only her grandfather.  The young woman noticed that even Stu had stayed quiet, listening politely to his friend’s story with an expression of genuine concern that she had never seen before.

“I asked her when she was coming back an’ she said she didn’t know,” May finished mournfully, her eyes filling with tears. Stu dropped his stick and crawled across the clover patch to pat his friend’s shoulder, their silly argument over their game forgotten.  “I-I’m sorry, Stu.  I shouldn’t have called you stupid.  M-m-m…” she paused to catch her breath and burst into tears.  “M-Maybe if I was a good girl, Mommy would come home s-sooner!”  She began to let out a miserable wail as she fruitlessly wiped away her tears.

Claire’s heart broke at the young girl’s words and she had never felt more uncomfortable. Maybe if Claire hadn’t turned her nose up at that position she had been offered last year, her parents would reply to her correspondence…  She felt her own throat tighten, but she quickly shoved it down; this was about May, not her.  Claire’s eyes moved to the grass as she tried to think of how to console the girl.  She didn’t spend much time with May.  Perhaps a kind word would help, or maybe a joke?  Cheering up children was different than adults…  When she looked back up, she had noticed that Cliff and Stu had embraced her in a group hug and she felt a wave of guilt for not thinking of it first.  She didn’t know May very well and didn’t want to make her feel awkward…

“Cl-Claire…” The small girl’s pleading voice was hardly audible and the young woman approached the group hesitantly.  May had let go of Cliff so that Claire could squeeze her way in between and join the hug.

“That’s better, huh?” Cliff’s voice was gentle as Claire felt his arm around her waist.

The farmer moved her gaze back to the ground, her cheeks burning with shame. She had been so caught up in her own feelings that she hadn’t properly tended to May’s needs.  Claire’s inner dialogue was punctuated with insults and scolding as she tried to puzzle through why she had such a lack of sympathy.  Even children could understand it – when someone was sad, the natural reaction was to try to comfort them.  Why was that so hard for Claire to grasp?  Children and adults weren’t that different at all.  Why had she made the situation awkward for everyone?  She hated herself for her cold heart.

“Don’t you think for a moment that you’re not a good girl, May. Times can be trying, but I know that you’re a strong girl.  You have to be strong for your mother, too…  And she knows that you are sweet and kind.”  Cliff’s words washed over the group like a soothing wave.  “Your grandpa knows it, too, and I know that he’s happy that you’re around to help.  You’re a very good helper, May…”  His words softened as he continued.  “You help Carter make snacks and he appreciates it too…  And you help sing along when Mary comes to practice the organ…”

May sniffled, burying her face into Claire’s shoulder. The blonde felt a flower fall out of her tresses at the contact and tumble down her back.  “I-I want to be helpful…”  She nodded into the farmer’s flannel shirt.

“And you are,” Cliff murmured, and Claire felt his hand gently stroke her own back. She wondered if he could sense that she was upset with herself for her behavior when she inwardly scolded herself once more.  Why would he be concerned about anyone other than May at the moment?  “You are very helpful,” he repeated.  “And you help me sit still through Carter’s cheesy ghost stories.”

A laugh filled with mucus escaped from May’s lips and Claire was only partially conscious of the fact that the girl was wiping her nose into Claire’s shirt. “His stories are pretty bad sometimes, huh?”

“Remember the story about when he lived in his apartment and his neighbor never moved from his chair?” Stu chuckled, patting May on the back.

Her eyes widened as she let out a small cackle. “That one was really bad!  I wasn’t even scared.  But then he shrieked at the end!”

Claire jumped when the other three screamed in unison, and she could only assume they were imitating the pastor.

“… Eeeeeekk!!”

They all let out a laugh and broke off the hug, Cliff giving the girl a ruffle of the hair. “You’ll have to be strong for me and listen to Carter’s stories in my place tomorrow.”

Both of the children’s faces fell. “Whaaat?  Why?” they whined melodramatically.

“Work.” May pouted as she answered her own question for him, folding her arms across her chest.  In her opinion, Cliff was starting to sound a lot like her mother.  “You’re not going to be gone at the mountain all day again, are you?”

“Sorry, I need to if I’m going to pay my rent.” Claire was surprised how honest and open he was with the children.  He gave them an apologetic smile.  “I’ll bring you both some berries next time I come to the church, okay?”

Stu let out a deep sigh. “Maybe if the berries were on top of some ice cream…?”  He raised his eyebrows hopefully as a grin spread across Claire’s face.  Stu reminded her of her younger brothers in more ways than one.

May gave him a sharp jab in the ribs with his elbow. “He’s being silly.  We’ll be good!  Promise!”  She attempted to wink at him, but she just ended up blinking very hard instead.

A smile adorned his face at her gesture. “That settles it, then,” Cliff nodded with authority.

“Ah, there you are!” A sweet voice startled the four of them as a young woman in a long flowing skirt walked out to the courtyard. 

Claire hadn’t seen Elli since she was in the hospital with heat exhaustion, and she hadn’t witnessed the nurse outside of the hospital setting. The farmer noticed right away the soft, friendly look in her large, brown eyes.  Elli carried a picnic basket in the crook of her arm and the ends of her skirts fluttered slightly in the summer breeze; she looked like she stepped right out of a fairy tale book.  Claire blinked, realizing she was staring, and quickly moved her gaze to Elli’s feet, only to notice that someone in a pair of soft brown loafers was standing beside her.  She felt the heat rush to her face as she realized Mary had accompanied her.  Claire wasn’t sure how to react at seeing Mary again, but she was grateful that the young woman made the first move for her.  The librarian gave a small bow accompanied by a nervous smile and wave to the blonde and she swallowed the lump in her throat, returning the gesture as she bowed her head.

“Thank you for keeping an eye on Stu. I know he can be a handful sometimes,” Elli gave Cliff an apologetic smile, and Claire got the feeling that he regularly watched over Elli’s younger brother at the church.  “I _hope_ he behaved himself today,” she gave Stu a suspicious look but a hint of a smile could be seen in the corner of her mouth.

“He was great.” Cliff gave her a nod of reassurance, and the boy let out a relieved sigh.  Claire began to wonder what kind of shenanigans he may have gotten into before she arrived at the church this afternoon.  The farmer had come to the house of worship to say hello to Carter and make confession.   She had been pleasantly surprised to see that Cliff was watching over the children while the priest manned the confessional.  What had meant to be a ten minute visit was swiftly turning into an hour.

Elli tucked a short brown strand of hair behind her ear as her eyes traveled to May, noticing the puffy eyes and red cheeks. Her eyebrows furrowed in worry, and she couldn’t help that she immediately began to question Cliff’s babysitting abilities.  “Are you alright, May?”

The young girl blinked at the nurse, oblivious to the fact that the evidence of her meltdown was still evident on her face. “I’m okay.  How are you, Elli?”

She hurried over to the girl, her skirts rustling as she did so. Elli crouched down and peered into the girl’s face, ignoring her question.  “Are you hurt?  Why do you look like you’ve been crying, Sweetie?”  She shot Cliff a concerned look that he couldn’t help but take a little offense to.

May frowned, and for a moment it looked like she was going to start crying again. “I…  I had a _very_ _trying_ morning,” she said in her most grown-up voice.  “But it’s okay now.  I’m gonna be a good girl for Mommy.”

She turned around and gave Cliff an apologetic look. _Joanna_ , he mouthed to her.  Elli’s features relaxed a bit in response and she gave May a loving pat on the head and the girl began to beam brightly.  Claire could see that Elli had a gentle touch that seemed to have a soothing effect.  “Good.  Your mother will be very proud of you.”  She stood up and whirled toward her brother.  “Are you ready to go, Stu?  We’ve all got to be at the Goddess Spring in half an hour.”

“Aw, man! Not the beach?  But last week Mr. Gray showed me how to skip rocks and it was super fun.  You never let me throw rocks into the spring!  Is he coming again today?”

Claire felt the color drain from her face. Her instinct was to feel indignant that Gray had taken their moment – their special time together skipping rocks – and had cheapened it by sharing it with others.  The frown began to fade from Claire’s face as she slowly understood how little she had actually skipped rocks with the young man.  His time there hadn’t been about her.  It never had been.  Her eyes moved to Cliff as she remembered how he was the one who had actually taught her the techniques for throwing pebbles.  She vaguely wondered if there was a deeper meaning behind all of this, but she shook the thought from her head.  All of her brooding lately had her seeking reasons in things that weren’t necessary.

“Yes, yes, he’ll be coming. Calm down, now, you goof!” 

Claire’s gaze moved up from the ground and Stu was cheekily peeking into the picnic basket while his sister playfully swatted him away with a giggle. Mary’s large mocha eyes were locked onto Claire as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t find the words.  Judging from the look on her face, it was something apologetic.

“Come on, Stu. Let’s have our picnic.”  Elli let out a tired sigh as her brother pushed past her, skipping toward the door to the back of the church.  “It was nice to see you both.  Have a good one.”  She turned to ask Mary if she was coming along, but she was distracted when her brother tore down the main aisle of the church.  “Stu!  No running in the church!” she scolded, chasing after him, unaware of the fact that she was doing the very same thing.

Mary let out a soft giggle as she watched them go and quickly approached Claire. “Um...”  She said nothing more, but clasped Claire in a swift but tight embrace.  The farmer was so taken off guard that she didn’t have time to process her emotions at the action.  She absentmindedly patted Mary’s back and before she knew it, the librarian had flashed her a warmhearted smile, vanishing through the back door of the church.

She hadn’t gone to visit Mary for the past couple of weeks or so… Despite this and the fact that Claire still loved Gray a little bit, Mary still cared about her as a human being.  She had always seen Claire as a fellow soul first – not as a rival in love or a clumsy farmer that was the subject of the town square’s gossip more often than not.  Mary still had love in her heart for her.  Claire wondered if she would ever be strong enough to do the same if she were in her position.  She liked to think that she still cared about Mary as a person, but why hadn’t she been brave enough to approach Mary herself?

May began to pick a bouquet of clovers when she looked up at Claire. “Miss Mary is a really nice person.”

Cliff’s warm touch at her arm allowed her to swallow the lump in her throat. Her voice came out as a squeak.  “Yeah, she is.”

0o0o0o0

The fish was cold and she supposed she could have reheated it over a campfire, but she didn’t really care. Claire stared down at her plate and wished once again that Cliff would have just agreed to take the basket of tomatoes she had brought to him instead of insisting on giving her a bit of fish in exchange.  It wasn’t necessarily an equal trade and while Claire had gotten her way, she couldn’t help but notice that her friend looked guilty for taking the entire basket of fruit.  While part of her felt like taking the fish back to him, she knew his feelings would likely be hurt and she didn’t mind the variety for breakfast.  She was still a beginner angler herself and fish rarely graced her dining table. 

A sudden sharp rapping at her door disrupted her from her thoughts. Koro looked up from his water bowl, muzzle still dripping, and yipped at the entryway fiercely.  Lightly scolding the dog for his unusual behavior, she wiped her mouth and stood up to greet her visitor.

“Good morning!”

He was clad in a yellow mandarin jacket with a colorful cap to match, a long ebony braid draped across his shoulder. A cheesy smile was spread across his face, causing his thin moustache to wiggle.  Claire blinked a few times, wondering if he was in some sort of questionably offensive costume, or if this was the way he always dressed.

She bowed politely. “Good morn-”

“Farmer Girl, right? As a business owner, I’m sure you’re interested in maximizing your profits in a quick and easy way, no?  It would require next to no work on your behalf.”  He cut straight to the point as he spoke briskly, his words slurring together.  It took a moment for the farmer to process what he was saying; his accent was one that she was not accustomed to hearing.

Claire listened warily; the promise of easy money was not a foreign concept to her – smooth-talking yet shady salesmen on the city streets often guaranteed her wealth beyond measure if she gave them a few minutes of her time. She knew better than to put much stock into their empty promises.  “I’m happy with the way my farm is run right now, thank you.  Th-Thank you for your time,” she added hesitantly, realizing she was likely coming off as rude.  She bowed again for good measure and slowly closed her door when something stopped it from moving.  Her eyes traveled to the ground to see that his foot was obstructing the way.

“Listen, you idi-!” He cut himself off as eyes widened, twitching with irritation as he adjusted the tinted spectacles resting on his nose.  The strange man let out an overly jovial laugh, forcing a terrifying smile on his face.  “You make the decisions and live here alone, right?”

The young woman’s blood ran cold, and she wondered whether she should take this as a threat or if she was overreacting. Claire did not answer his question, but rather, she bumped the door against his foot one more time, silently asking him to leave.

He realized that his time was short and he had to be concise; he had frightened the simple fool, and his window to make a good impression was quickly shrinking. “My name is Chin – Won Chin.  I’m a… _businessman_ who lives over on Mineral Beach.  There, we’re not strangers anymore, so there is no need to be afraid of me.”  He didn’t bother with trivial things such as asking what her name was.

She stared at him in silence, her wide blue eyes still filled with uncertainty.

He let out an exasperated sigh. “You have more tomatoes than you could possibly harvest on your own.  Poor planning on your part, yes?  But, you see, it’s a blessing in disguise!”  The man flashed her what she could only imagine what he saw as his most charming smile.  “You see, I’d like to use your overripe tomatoes for a stall I’m planning on running at the Fireworks Festival.”

He saw that her stiffened posture seemed to relax a bit as she allowed the door to open a bit wider. “It’s true, I do have a lot of tomatoes coming in at once…”  Her voice was low as she looked out at her fields.

He nodded emphatically. Now all he had to do was reel her in…  “Yes!  And it would be even _more_ foolish to not make some sort of profit on them and let them all go to waste!  I know about these sorts of things, being an entrepreneur myself.  Wasted product is wasted money, after all.  You seem like a smart girl.”

She knitted her brow at his comment. Hadn’t he almost called her an idiot a moment ago?  Claire wasn’t exactly thrilled with the way he blatantly pointed out her rookie farming mistakes, either, and surely he wasn’t offering to buy her produce out of the goodness of his heart.  “I can only imagine you want some sort of discount to make it worth your while.”  She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, startled at her own bluntness.

A smirk spread across his lips and loudly clapped his palms together, causing the young woman to jump in surprise. “Ah, now we are speaking the same language!  I’ll take your blemished, damaged, cracked, and slightly moldy tomatoes.  They’re not for eating at my stall, anyway.”

“Huh… those _would_ end up in the compost heap otherwise…” Claire mused out loud as she put a thoughtful finger on her bottom lip.  As long as people weren’t eating them, she didn’t really care what he did with them.  Perhaps he was allowing people to throw the tomatoes at him for a small fee; she found herself smirking at the idea.  The young woman shook the idea from her head, scolding herself for her immaturity.

Won’s sudden voice startled her. “Exactly.  So I am saving you money, and you can save me some in exchange.  I propose ninety-five-percent off of Zack’s rate, yes?”

The farmer looked out at her vast expanse of tomato plants. While she probably had a lot of fruit to offer him, five-percent of her normal price hardly made his offer worth the trouble, and it wasn’t as if he had been very friendly to her to make her want to go out of her way to help him.  His pushy nature turned her off quite a bit, and she found herself not wanting to give him too much of a deal.  “How about seventy-five-percent off?”

He frowned; he had been expecting her to agree immediately to his proposal. After all, she was essentially selling him her garbage.  In truth, he would have paid up to twenty-percent of the full price, but he wasn’t about to let Claire know that.  “Ninety.”

Claire bit her lip. Surely he had to see that she still needed to harvest and handle the produce he was requesting, and that required work on her part.  She wasn’t going to be pushed around.  She hardened her stance and straightened her shoulders.

Won was surprised when a pair of confident blue eyes looked back out at him. “Eighty-percent off, and you will pick them up yourself.  I will have a lot, and I won’t deliver them to you.”  She wasn’t about to waste her time lugging bags of rotting produce all the way to the beach when she had her other crops to tend to, especially for him.

“Very well. I will send someone the morning of the festival and he will pay you on the spot.”

She was startled at his reasonable offer; she had been steeling herself for a fight. “That… sounds fair,” she agreed.

He bowed before he spun on his heel and turned to leave. He had other things to do to prepare for the festival, and he didn’t want to waste another precious moment here.  “Very good.  See you around; I look forward to both of us profiting from your little blunder.”

Claire felt herself gritting her teeth. “P-Pardon?”  She was shocked that he had said something so rude right to her face.

He let out a carefree chuckle. “First your logic fails you in planning out an efficient field of crops, and now your hearing is going, too?  Tut, tut…  Yes, I am definitely doing you a favor.  But I have no more time to waste here.  I will send an assistant the day of the festival.  Did you get all of that, Farmer Girl?” 

Not bothering to see the reaction on her face, Won hurried back to the entrance of town before she found her voice. She stomped her foot and felt a wave of frustration at his rudeness. 

“H-Hey! My name is Claire!  Claire Dumont!”  She found that she was gripping the doorframe in indignation.  Upon seeing that he had left the property and likely didn’t hear her, the young woman slammed her door shut and let out a shriek in aggravation, tugging at her hair.

Something about that man really irked her. In just the short time she had been with him, he managed to get under her skin, his compliments laced with insults as he attempted to weasel his way into a better deal.  She couldn’t stand the sight of him – just knowing that she had made a bargain with him at all and that she had wasted her respect and manners on him filled her with rage.  And the way he had pointed out the mistakes with her farm!  It wasn’t as if he was an experienced field hand himself!

It was laundry day – she stripped the sheets off of her bed with unmatched fervor and tossed them on the opposite side of the room, letting out an angry groan as she did so. After removing her pillowcase and tossing it into the heap, she grabbed the pillow itself and let the cushion absorb a scream of frustration.  Not only was she a lousy farmer, but she had been so terrible at consoling May the day before, and she had been so cold to Gray when he tried to apologize to her again at Ann’s party.  Why was she so terrible at socializing with people?  Anger bubbled up within her as she shrieked again into the pillow, her throat aching as she did so. 

She drop-kicked it across the room and went limp as she saw a spooked Koro huddling in the corner, his wide charcoal eyes staring at her as if she was planning on punting him next. The young woman sunk to her knees and let out a bitter sob.  It was no wonder no one wanted her…

“K-Koro… Come here, sweetie…”  She weakly held out her hand to her pet.

The corgi-beagle mix whined quietly, his ears back and his tail curled between his hind legs. He looked around the room nervously, pacing in place, his nails tapping on the floor.  The fact that she had frightened him made Claire’s heart break.  Had she really been that angry and scary to him?  Silent tears streamed down her face.  She was a monster.  There was that ugly side of her coming out again, she realized.  It was that awful part of her that had lashed out against Mayor Thomas.  Why couldn’t she just swallow her anger like she always did?  Why did it have to come out sometimes and remind her how repulsive her heart was?  Only horrible people scared puppies…

She realized at once that the tapping had stopped. The young woman looked up from the floor and saw Koro watching her curiously.  Claire held out her open palm once more, pushing down the quavering in her voice.  “Koro, honey...  There’s a good boy.”

The young dog’s tail wagged slowly as he shyly approached her, sniffing her hand. He gave it a kiss and Claire let out a low, congested laugh as she reached over to the table, ripping a small piece off of the cold fish left over on her plate.  He accepted the offering and nuzzled her hand.  Tears began to fall out of Claire’s eyes once more as she pulled Koro onto her lap.  He looked up at her curiously, hoping for more treats.  She leaned over and grabbed the remainder of the fillet, stroking his back as he happily dug into the fish.

Had she really behaved much differently than May did yesterday? The young girl had exploded, unable to keep her emotions in check.  She had let something silly throw her over the edge and had gotten upset.  Claire frowned.  No, she had been much worse than May.  At least the young girl had real problems, unlike her.  Claire hated herself for losing her cool.

While tantrums were not something she was accustomed to having, they were unacceptable, she realized. She didn’t live by herself – Koro had to be around her when she was like this – and everything she did had consequences.  Claire closed her eyes and could still see those fearful dark eyes seeking hers.  Never again – she would not antagonize her own dog.  She promised them both that she would keep her emotions under control and be an adult.  The young woman adjusted the red bandana that Koro wore around his neck.  He was hers, and she needed to take responsibility for his well-being.

“I’m so sorry, Koro. I’ll never do that again.  I’ll take care of you.”  She planted a kiss on the top of his head. 

He wagged his tail in response and cuddled against her. Claire’s entire body felt weak as she held the dog, showering him with her love.

“I wasn’t mad at you,” she continued as if he could understand her. “I…  I will grow up and be a better friend for you.  I promise.”  Claire choked back her guilt and tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your support! :)


	57. Not-So-Jolly Ranchers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for a cameo parade as Claire is dragged from her tomatoes to the local Cow Festival.

Claire was watering her tomato plants when she stopped for a moment to wipe the sweat off of her brow with her canvas work gloves. She was about to dump the remaining liquid in her watering can over her head when a sharp, feminine voice startled her.

“Don’t you _dare_!” Popuri jogged over to the fence and leaned over it to hiss at Claire, nearly tripping over her long skirts in her hurry.

The farmer dropped her watering can in surprise, the contents spilling over her boots and the thirsty ground. “Wh-what did I do?” she asked in surprise.

“You’re not going to pour water on your head and then head straight into town, are you?” Popuri shook her bouncy pink curls at the very thought.  “Really, you’re as bad as a _man_!”  She beckoned the confused Claire over to her and gave her a giggle.  “Get _over_ here, you silly!”

She walked over to the fence and looked at her neighbor curiously. “Why would I be going into town today?”

“Are you serious?” A pair of wide garnet eyes stared at Claire with a combination of exasperation and surprise.  “It’s the Cow Festival today!  It’s bad enough that you already missed the Chicken Festival this summer!”

Claire felt her stomach drop as her blood ran cold. She had forgotten completely about the event because she didn’t have any hens of her own to compete, not to mention she felt like she was just getting back to work after recovering from heat exhaustion.  “Well…  I don’t have a cow…”  She looked back at her dry fields and bit back a sigh.  She had more than enough chores to fill the day as it was; she hadn’t intended on leaving her farm at all today because she needed to catch up on her work.  The tomatoes were impossible to keep up with.  At this rate, she was going to have an obscene amount of overripe fruit to offer to Won because it had been left on the vine for too long.

She was met with a snort in reply. “Does it look like _we_ have a cow?” Popuri smirked, placing her hands on her hips.  Her voice softened as she gave her a consoling look.  “Well, it… would _look_ nice if you came.”

Claire couldn’t help but wonder if Popuri had been parroting something her mother had said to her. However, she never really gave much thought to the idea that Mystic Acres’ presence in the community actually meant something to people.  She felt a rush of pride and guilt at this notion.  “You mean… people _care_ if I show up?” she accidentally whispered aloud in surprise.

“Well, of course! We’re a _farming_ community, after all.” Popuri gave her a laugh as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.  “Go freshen up and meet me at the entrance of my place in ten minutes.  We’ll all go together!”

0o0o0o0

Claire ran a brush through her hair and washed the sweat off of her face. She hadn’t considered how she was supposed to represent her farm at these kinds of events.  She wondered if she should have asked Popuri for suggestions on what to wear, but she quickly shook her head.  Chances were that Popuri was going to wear what she had on, and her long skirt wasn’t the most practical clothing for farming.

She could remember a time not too long ago where she wouldn’t have to worry about what to wear at all; she only had one set of worn-out clothes. Obviously this was no longer the case, as she had a few different selections, varying from overalls and jeans to shorts and cutesy tops, along with a cotton dress.

How did she want to present herself as the owner of Mystic Acres? Her eyes immediately moved to the dress.  When she lived in the city, she had grown accustomed to business wear, including skirts, dresses, and blazers.  Looking at her options now, she realized such clothing would look a little silly to represent a farm.  Her eyes moved to the dress on her bed.  While it was pretty and she was looking for an opportunity to finally wear it, the garment didn’t feel like the right thing to wear to such an event.

Perhaps the unofficial uniform for the work she did would be the best way to represent her farm. She eagerly grabbed a new set of overalls, grinning at the notion that she was going to a work-related event in such clothing.  If she would have told herself a year ago that she would be doing this, she would have laughed in disbelief.  She buttoned up her fresh denim and carefully rolled up the cuffs of her flannel sleeves, a rush of pride swelling up in her for the first time in seeing her reflection wearing these clothes.  Freshly brushed hair, no makeup, and clean overalls – she was a farmer.

0o0o0o0

“We do get quite a few competitors from out of town,” Rick explained as he led the way, “but it’s nothing as elaborate as the Chicken Festival.”

Popuri let out a snort. “Well, maybe the Chicken Festival seems like a bigger deal to us because chickens are our thing.”

Claire looked over at the young man and his eyebrows rose in surprise as his cheeks slightly turned pink. He muttered an inaudible reply as he fidgeted with his sleeves.  He bit his lip as they walked in silence for a few moments, trying to collect his thoughts.  “Well, we don’t have much other choice.  You’ll see when the Harvest Festival comes around for you, Claire.  People will be excited to have a hometown farmer this year for sure, and they’ll all be expecting the very best of you.”

Claire’s stomach did a somersault. A whole town depending on her for the outcome of a festival?  And a town that had the Harvest Goddess as their deity, no less?  If she screwed up during the Harvest Festival, people would be sure to remember.  Maybe the villagers would ask for Pete to step in the next year – she couldn’t think of a bigger sign of failure…  “I-I hadn’t really thought of that,” she murmured, struggling to control her breathing.

Rick shot her an apologetic look; he hadn’t meant to frighten her. “Don’t be nervous.  Just think of it as a way to show everyone what you can do.”

“Yeah,” Popuri chimed in. “You’ll do great!  I’ve seen all of those tomatoes you’ve got growing over there!”

“And all that _corn_ ,” Rick muttered, thoughtfully stroking his chin with a smirk as his glasses gleamed in the sunlight.  Claire almost laughed aloud – he resembled a scheming anime character.  Upon closer inspection, she realized with shock that her initial guess didn’t look too far off, as he was murmuring under his breath and counting on his fingers.  She had recalled him seeming particularly interested in her corn earlier this season.

“But think of all the ketchup you could make with those tomatoes,” Popuri giggled. “You might be set for, like, a whole _month_ , Rick!”

“Har, har, very funny,” her brother rolled his eyes.

They entered Rose Plaza and Claire realized that the festival wasn’t as populated with Mineral Town villagers as she was expecting; most of the people were strangers. The scent of alfalfa and cow manure greeted her as they walked across the cobblestones.  A surprisingly large number of unfamiliar people populated the square, and Claire wondered if they were all farmers as well.  She spotted Mary and her parents on one end of the plaza with Carter.  Elli was making her way over to her friend, both May and Stu in tow.  Mayor Thomas and Barley were conversing on the other end while Gray was following the old rancher, pulling along a harnessed cow with each arm.

Claire stumbled over her own boots as she quickly moved her eyes to the ground. Why did he have to be _everywhere_?  It was as if she couldn’t get a break from him to try to heal.  It was bad enough that she couldn’t even go into town without having to walk near his place of employment.  She bit back a whimper as she trailed behind the two siblings, not really registering a word either of them was saying.

“Well, it’s true,” Popuri giggled. “You drown your eggs in ketchup like you’re still a little kid or something.”

“Don’t talk to me like you’ve got excellent taste, Miss I-Slather-Everything-in-Cheese!”

He must have been here to help Barley with the cows, but why couldn’t he have just asked Rick for help instead? Why did Gray have to always be looming near her?  It was as if she couldn’t escape.  It hadn’t been too long ago that she would have died with happiness for seeing him this often…  What if he tried to apologize to her again today?  Her heart began to pound with dread.  She wasn’t ready…

“Are you trying to tell me that you don’t like cheese? Because I know that’s a lie.  Claire, this guy once ate half a block of cheddar all by himself!”

She gave Popuri a distracted nod at the sound of her name, her eyes narrowing as she watched Gray laugh with Barley and Thomas. _Well, at least he is having a good time_.  She shook her head.  No, why did he get to be having fun while she had to be miserable?  Part of her wondered if he enjoyed it…  Maybe he liked showing her that he was much happier now that she couldn’t have him.  Claire felt a small rush of anger flow through her as her cheeks heated up.

“I never said cheese isn’t good,” Rick laughed. “But you take it to new extremes.  You like cheese on your cheese.”

Claire bit her lip. She wished Popuri and Rick would shut up already.  Their pointless banter was like a twittering bird in her ear trying to distract her from the focus of her concentration.  She let out a sharp exhale through her nostrils in frustration as she stared at Gray from across the square.

“Claire?” Popuri’s voice snapped her back to her senses.

“What?” She didn’t mean for her voice to come out as strained as it did.  The siblings exchanged slightly uncomfortable looks and she immediately wished that she could disappear.  Her throat tightened.  Why did she have to be outside this morning when Popuri just happened to be there to remind her that the Cow Festival was today?  She shouldn’t even be here; she ought to be at her farm, alone…

Popuri let out a nervous giggle. “I was asking if you liked cheese,” she repeated the question timidly, almost sounding apologetic.

Claire was immediately reminded of her outburst the day before and quickly moved her gaze to the cobblestones. She imagined her anger as a dark cloud and she choked and swallowed it down, holding her throat closed for a moment to keep it from rising back up.  She blinked a few times and willed her expressions to relax. _No more temper tantrums_ , she scolded herself.  Her heart gave a pitiful cry in protest, but she swallowed the lump in her throat.  Now that she was doing this, she offhandedly realized she had seen Cliff skillfully do this on several occasions when they had first met, only he had been choking down pain instead.  A wave of concern welled up for him, but she ignored it.  Now wasn’t the time to think about this.  She wondered how long it had taken her to wrangle her own emotions and she panicked, realizing Rick and Popuri were probably wondering what was taking her so long to answer a simple question.

Cheese, cheese… Popuri had asked her something about cheese.

“The sharper, the better, right?” Claire gave a cheerful laugh that came out surprisingly naturally. She wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or concerned at this fact.

The young woman’s eyebrows relaxed. “Spoken like a true lover of cheese.”

Claire noticed that Barley was walking around the square with Mayor Thomas, each of them carrying a clipboard. It was a welcome distraction.  They must be going around judging the cows, she realized.  Seeing all of the people milling around made her nervous, but excited.  “Hey, do you want to go around and look at the cows?”  She turned around and the two siblings were bickering over which cheese was better, Swiss or Gouda.  Claire shrugged and decided to do a bit of exploring herself.  It would be good for her to meet some of the farmers, she realized with an excited jolt.  The notion scared her a bit, but she imagined Karen pushing her out into the square.  She would be brave and go out there.

It wasn’t long until she came across a beautiful cow with long eyelashes looking at her with large eyes. The farmer made her way closer and smiled when she was greeted with a friendly moo.

“Hello, Miss Pretty,” Claire giggled as she patted the Holstein’s marbled nose. She was given an affectionate nuzzle in return.  “Aw, aren’t you a sweetheart?”

She jumped when she heard a man clear his throat. He had been so still and silent that she hadn’t noticed him.  “You know,” he tilted back his black Stetson and gave her piercing violet gaze, “You should really ask an owner’s permission before you go pettin’ their animals.”  His deep voice was smooth and silky, but there was a tone of annoyance that didn’t go unnoticed.

“I’m so-sorry!” Claire apologized earnestly, bowing profusely. “Please forgive me, Mister…?”

“Just call me Vaughn,” there was a hint of exasperation in his eyes as he tipped his hat at her, revealing a silver head of hair. He didn’t bother asking her for her name.  “No harm done.  Other ranchers might not be as friendly, though.”  He cocked his head in the direction of a person clad in a colorful poncho who was arguing with a young woman sporting brown pigtails.  “I’d avoid ‘em if I were you.”

“Huh…” She felt like she needed to say something else to make a good impression, but she knew this was impossible, regardless.  “Th-There are people from all around, eh?” she laughed nervously.

He gave a small grunt in response – she wasn’t sure if it was in agreement or not – and tipped his cap once more. Claire took this as her cue to leave him alone.

“G-Good luck!!” She turned toward the cow and went touch her but she froze, remembering his comment from earlier.  She looked at the rancher hesitantly.

“Go ahead.”

Claire patted the cow on the head, avoiding the man’s gaze. “Good girl,” she murmured.  She scurried away, well aware of his rolling eyes behind her.  Her very presence seemed to be irritating to him, and she felt a wave of indignation for his attitude.  Why would someone come to a group competition and be so unfriendly to everyone there?  What was the point of showing up at all?  Why didn’t Vaughn crawl back under the rock he came from?  She clenched her jaw; the fact that she had been nothing but nice to him and received rudeness in exchange left her feeling agitated.

Claire recalled her frustration when she was focusing on Gray while Rick and Popuri were having a cheerful conversation. She had wanted nothing more than silence, and their company was an annoyance to her.  Her teeth stopped grinding and she felt a wave of shame wash over her.  She turned around and gave one last look at Vaughn.  He was seated on a bale of straw, his arms folded and his hat tipped over his eyes.  She didn’t have to see his face to know that he didn’t have an inviting expression.  Claire resolved right then and there that she would not behave like him.  Moreover, she would not expect kindness from others and not give it in return.

There were so many people in the square and she felt a jitter of excitement. Introducing herself to someone else felt a little intimidating, but she was determined to do so.  Unsure of her destination, she picked up her walking pace, drinking in the atmosphere of the festival.  Barley and Thomas were making their rounds with the clipboards.  She saw a woman with very short auburn hair and a bright red bandana around her neck eagerly talking to the judges, gesturing at her cow’s udders.  People were milling around the square and talking to fellow competitors.  Claire spotted a man in an ornate blue feathered cap and red tunic speaking with a fellow rancher.  His companion was dressed very differently from him in baggy cargo jeans and a lightweight red jacket with a blue collar.  He had a very casual air about him, a couple strands of his brown hair defiantly sticking up straight into the air.  A smile spread across Claire’s face; it seemed that these kinds of events brought people together from all over, and for the most part, it looked like most of them got along well.

She was so busy taking in her surroundings that she bumped into a young man who was carrying a bale of hay. His plaid cap fell onto the ground from the impact and Claire quickly crouched down to pick it up in her embarrassment, muttering apologies as she did so.  Thinking she had dropped down to the ground in pain, he set down his bale.

A high-pitched voice sharply reprimanded her. “Hey!  Watch where you’re going!”

“I’m so sorry!” Claire apologized again, bracing herself for another uncomfortable social interaction.

“Hey, it’s alright,” the young man gave her a warm smile. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Claire handed him the headgear after dusting off a few pieces of straw that clung to it.  “I like your hat.”

“Thanks.” He ignored the young girl who was fuming behind him as he returned it to his head.  “It’s a little old, but it gets the job done.  My mom often says the same thing about herself, but I have to scold her for it.”  He shook his head and let out a small laugh.  His eyes traveled over her and he bit back the goofy grin that was quickly spreading on his face; she gave off a very different aura than the other women in his town and she had a very natural beauty about her.  “I’m Ash, by the way.  I help out at my mother’s farm over in Bluebell.  Where are you from?”

She almost named the city she had last lived at, but she stopped herself. “Oh, I’m from here.”  Her blue eyes darted around the square.  She had been so determined a minute ago, but she was suddenly aware that she wasn’t used to seeing so many people at once and she felt her breathing begin to speed up again.  Claire began to wish she had stayed near Popuri and Rick.

“You mean Mineral Town? I don’t recognize you.”  The look on his face suggested that he would have remembered her if he had seen her before.

She let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah.  I’m new.  Uh, I mean, I moved here in the spring.  It doesn’t feel that new anymore.”  Why was she talking so much, and why did everything she say come out awkwardly?

“Well, that’s great,” he gave her a kind nod and began to stand up. “So, what’s your name?”  He took a small step forward and stumbled on the bale of hay, bumping foreheads with Claire with a loud conk.  His eyes widened as one hand flew to her forehead and the other covered his own mouth.  “Goddess, I’m so sorry!  Are you okay?”  He gently brushed Claire’s bangs away from her forehead and inspected it, oblivious to his sister’s small Mary Jane shoes stamping angrily on the cobblestones behind him.  Ash’s face turned red in embarrassment.  “I can’t believe I’m so clumsy!”

“It must be contagious,” Claire let out a shy laugh. “I’m fine, though.  Thanks for your concern.”  She accepted his offered hand to stand back up.  “I’m Claire, by the way.”

“Claire…” He repeated the name, a genuine smile forming on his lips as he studied her face.  “It was really nice to bump into you.  W-Well, not really…  Ah, you know what I mean!” Ash laughed a little too loudly and his cheeks glowed pink.

“Good luck in the Festival.” It was relieving to meet someone a little friendlier than the last rancher she had spoken with.  Claire vaguely remembered that she had never actually introduced herself to that surly man…

“My big brother doesn’t need luck,” the young girl beside him gave Claire a piercing gaze. “He is the best rancher in the whole world.  And he’s the nicest and sweetest, too!”  She sounded as if she had been holding her breath for the past couple of minutes and she couldn’t wait to get the words out.

He let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Ah, this is Cheryl, my younger sister.  Say hello, Sis.”

Claire gave her a little wave. The girl shook her head so violently that her immaculate blonde pigtails became disheveled and she clung to her brother’s waist, burying her face into his side.  He shrugged his shoulders, giving her a rueful smile.  “Ah, I’m sorry.  She must be shy.”

She had a feeling this wasn’t really the case. “It’s alright.  I should be going.  See you.”

“Okay. Bye, Claire.”  The farmer was unaware of the young man’s eyes following her curiously as she left.  She had, however, heard a bitter whisper from Cheryl.

“ _That’s right… Keep walking, sister…_ ”

Claire wondered if she had sounded that rude to Rick and Popuri earlier. She hated that Gray awoke such immature emotions and instincts.  She whirled around to see the young girl giving her a cold glare as Ash gave her one last shy wave.  Claire returned it with a weak smile; Ash was friendly enough, but that little girl made her think twice about going back over there.  She thought about apologizing to her friends for her behavior earlier; she could remember the startled look in Popuri’s eyes when she had been curt with her.  Claire bit her lip.  Maybe they didn’t even want to talk to her any more today…

Claire spotted a beautiful jersey cow on one of the posts, chewing on some dried grass. She let her thoughts of the siblings fade away for the moment as she observed the creature.  Eager to spend a little time alone with some of the animals, Claire looked around before seeing if a grouchy owner was nearby before deciding to pet the cow.

She looked at the nameplate on the cow’s post. _Moolah of Swag Farm, Forget-Me-Not Valley._ She let out a sigh of relief.  This was Pete’s cow; he wouldn’t mind if she gave her a few pets.  It was nice to see a name she actually had recognized.  Her eyes darted around the square to see if he was around, but she saw him talking to that person Vaughn had warned her about.  She turned back toward the cow and gently stroked the bovine’s back.

Maybe as early as the end of fall she could have a cow of her own, Claire thought excitedly. She had hoped to ask some of the ranchers a bit more about cow care, but she found it intimidating.  Perhaps she should just stick to the library.  She thought of the recent hug she had received from Mary.  Maybe it was time to visit the library again and spend some time with her.  She turned around to where Mary was standing earlier, and sure enough, Gray was at her side, laughing at a joke Basil was telling.  She bit her lip and pushed down the emotions churning inside.

 _Focus on the sweet, cute cows. Before you know it, you’ll have one of your own.  Mary can’t say that, now can she?_   Claire shook her head.  Why was she being so mean?  She hated that her mind was immediately going into that mode.  _Think of the fresh milk and the pride you’ll feel raising more animals all by yourself. Think of cute baby calves…_   A dreamy smile spread across her lips as she stroked the cow’s back, slowly forgetting about the librarian.

She leaned forward to get a better look at the cow when a hand grasped her shoulder and pulled her back sharply. She let out a surprised squeak as she whirled around, her hair whipping the man in the face.

He cursed under his breath, raking his free hand through his golden hair. “What the _hell_ do you think you’re doing here?”

Her jaw dropped in surprise. She had never seen a man with such terrifying eyes in her life, and his hard scarlet gaze made her blood run cold.  His grip on her shoulder was strong, but it didn’t hurt; however, she found herself unable to catch her breath as the middle aged man gave her a slightly rough shake.  Was he mad at her for petting the cow?  Sure, she wasn’t a rancher herself, but wasn’t the event open to the public?  She wished once more that she had just stayed at home and worked on watering her tomato plants.  Claire stared at his features, wondering if he was someone from the city she had forgotten.  His eyes glowed at her like a couple of hot coals and she found herself looking away from them.  He was on the tall, slender side.  Her eyes fell to his black combat boots; she was afraid to speak.  She didn’t recognize this man, but he was looking at her as if he was expecting her to say something.

“Well, are you going to answer me or not? Quit being such a stubborn ass, Rio!”

A woman with pale red hair quietly appeared behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. “Neil…  glasses…”

He let out an exasperated sigh. “I keep telling you that I don’t need them.  Besides, I didn’t even bring them today.”  He gave her a triumphant smirk.

She reached into her purse and flipped out a case, giving him a smug look of her own. Grumbling under his breath and rolling his eyes, he snatched them from her and put on the wire-framed glasses.  “Seriously, Rio, you-” his voice trailed off as he blinked a few times.  “Um…  My apologies, young lady.”  He immediately took a step back.

“She… _does_ look an awful lot like Rio did about twenty years ago,” the woman agreed quietly and nodded, giving Claire a rueful look as she adjusted her own black frames.  “Please forgive my husband.”  She bowed her head as if to add, _he’s an idiot, but he means well_.

“Oh, it’s, uh, okay.” Claire wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but she nodded politely.

“Rick, Popuri!” She didn’t think Neil’s face was capable of lighting up, but she was proven wrong when he saw the poultry farmer and his sister on the other side of the square. The siblings gave him excited waves and walked over, Popuri bounding ahead, her curls and skirts catching in the slight breeze.

“Hiya, Uncle Neil, Aunt Yuri!” her smiling garnet eyes danced as she gave the redheaded woman a hug.

“Ugh, how many times do I have to tell you, I’m _not_ your uncle?” Neil groaned but affectionately ruffled her pink hair as she moved in for another embrace.

“I’ve heard you refer to them as your… niece and nephew a few times,” Yuri let out a soft chuckle. “He’s growing soft in his old age…”

Her husband jammed his hands into the pocket of his camouflage pants and gave her the best sneer he could muster, but it was impossible with the children around.

Claire watched Rick uncharacteristically bounce on the balls of his feet. His posture was erect, and she never realized how tall he was; he was a few inches taller than Neil.  “So, any news?” he asked excitedly.  “Hear any news from Dad?  Maybe a return date?”

A small frown crossed Yuri’s lips and her husband shook his head. “Afraid not,” he kicked at the ground with his boots.  “Rod sent us a short letter back in spring, but it wasn’t very detailed.”

Popuri let out an ecstatic gasp. “D-Do you have it with you so we can read it?”

Neil scoffed. “I don’t carry that kind of stuff around.  How was I supposed to know you’d be here?”

The siblings’ faces fell and Claire intertwined her arm with Popuri’s. A couple of tears dropped from her eyes.  Claire reached for her handkerchief, but Yuri had already produced a lovely silk one with delicate flowers stitched on it.  The woman looked over at Neil and gave him a reproachful look.

 “Let’s go; they’re going to announce the winners.”  When he didn’t get a response right away, he realized the young woman hadn’t finished talking about his old friend.  “I’ll… call you guys and read Rod’s letter to you sometime, okay?” he muttered apologetically. 

“Oh, yay!” Popuri gave her brother a hug in excitement. Claire couldn’t help but notice that Rick was trembling a little, struggling to keep a smile on his face.  There was a deep pain in his eyes despite the fact that someone had heard from his father.  “Why don’t you paraphrase it for me now?  Oh, maybe that will ruin any surprises.  You don’t happen to have it memorized, do you?” Popuri giggled, pulling along Neil with one arm and Yuri with the other as they headed to the winner’s podium.  “Why are you two are always so quiet?”

Neil gave her a sigh as if to suggest that he and his wife preferred it that way.

Claire slowed down her walking pace to match Rick. His shoulders had slumped again to their usual posture, the invisible weight of carrying his family pushing back down on him.  She looked up at him silently and he let out a tired sigh, the remains of his happiness exhaled along with his breath.  The young woman’s blue eyes were gentle, but beseeching.  He found himself shaking his head as he ran his hand through his bangs.

“Y’know… I’m _surprised_ that I’m surprised,” he let out a soft but bitter chuckle as they continued along.  “Letters are nice, but everyone seems to forget that he’s sending them because he’s… not here right now,” his voice trailed off.  Something about Claire’s silent presence comforted him.  Perhaps this was one of the reasons why Karen spoke so highly of her friend.  As his girlfriend had reminded him in the past, it was his responsibility to be a good son and dutifully serve his family; he didn’t need to complain to Claire, too…

“Where _is_ he?” she inquired quietly.  “If you don’t mind my asking, of course,” she added politely as she quickly averted her eyes to the cobblestones.

He wished she would look back up at him. There was something soothing about her presence that he couldn’t quite place his finger on.  “That’s the thing.  He’s always traveling.  You know how Mom’s sick, right?”

Claire nodded sympathetically. She had no idea how Lillia remained so strong raising two children on her own while feeling the constant fatigue and chronic pains from her mysterious ailment.  The fact that she manned the storefront made Claire embarrassed that she had called in sick a few times back when she worked in the city because she had something as simple as a cold.  The aches and pains, lack of appetite and weakness – Lillia didn’t look it, but she was resilient.

“Dad’s traveling the world looking for the cure. Basil told him that there’s a flower that blooms only once every ten years.  Apparently, it has exactly what she needs to get better.”  His eyes got shiny and he quickly blinked, letting out a dry laugh.  “Sounds like something out of a storybook, huh?”

Claire couldn’t help but agree. Growing up in a culture where pills and medicines cured everything, moving to Mineral Town was like entering a different world.  The fact that the resident doctor based all of his medicines off of plants and natural ingredients was hard for her to believe.

“The whole thing’s… _st-stupid_ ,” he nervously wiped his glasses off on his apron.  They weren’t dirty, but he felt the need to keep his hands busy.  “What’s the point of searching years for a cure when you’re spending that time away from your family?  I…  I wish Dad could understand that she needs him _now_.”

She had grown so accustomed to speaking frankly with Cliff that the words rolled right off of her tongue. “And you need him, too.”  She wondered if she was being too candid, and she held her breath for his response, wringing her hands in embarrassment.

He looked up from his glasses in shock and carefully placed them back on his nose. He had always seen Rod’s leaving as his initiation to adulthood.  Needing him meant that he was still a child, and Rick had developed beyond that – or at least he thought that he did.  His eyebrows furrowed and his mouth screwed up into an ugly combination of smile and frown as a lump formed in his throat.  He didn’t know Claire that well, but she had managed to cut right through the armor he wore over his innermost thoughts, and he never felt so exposed.  “I…  I do…” he murmured his confession, blinking rapidly as he looked down at the ground miserably.  He slouched further, his walking pace slowing to a crawl.  He hadn’t even told Karen that, and he was afraid to.  Would she see him as weak?  He was startled when he felt a light touch on his shoulder.

“I… hope that I hear from my parents soon, too…” Claire gave him a sad smile. There was a melancholy quality to her expression that he had never seen before.  “And I hope we can both make our parents proud.”

His throat loosened up a bit at her words. She appeared to have her own set of problems.  “Yeah… you’re right.”  He looked around at the group of ranchers assembled at the podium and realized they had stopped walking.  While his father wasn’t there beside him, he had a feeling that Rod would be happy to know he was still attending the festival without him.  “Thanks, Claire… I see why Karen likes you so much.”

She shook her head; she wasn’t sure what he was thanking her for, but he seemed to have cheered up a bit. “You’re very kind,” she stammered, blushing.

“Dad used to bring us all here. He really loves animals.  Back when he lived Echo Village, he used to actually sell people pets.  He had a friend there that got him interested in chickens.  She was a farmer, you see…”  They pushed their way through the crowd and Rick raised his voice.  “He wanted to learn about all kinds of animals, and she showed him the chickens he kept.  He was so fascinated by them that when he moved here and married Mom, they bought a pair of chickens on their honeymoon.  One chick quickly became ten, and now here we are,” he concluded, a smile spreading across his face.

They made their way to the crowd and Claire squeezed between Vaughn and Neil, recognizing a backwards blue cap in front of them. She tapped Pete on the shoulder and he whirled around sporting rosy cheeks and a huge grin.

“Hey, guys! Wish me luck, ‘kay?”

“Of course!” Claire cheered him on.

He gave them a thumbs-up and nodded, turning back around. The crowd fell silent as Mayor Thomas made his way to the podium.

“I’d first like to thank everyone for coming to this event. It looks like we have a great turnout this year.  We know that some of you have traveled quite far to get here, and as the mayor of Mineral Town, I thank you for that.  We must always remember that while we come from different places, we all work for a common purpose – to provide food for people all over the world.  That is no easy task!  I’d like to give a special thanks to someone who lives right here in Mineral Town.  I feel like I can rely on this person and I know that things will only continue to get better as we all continue to do our best.  I’d like to ask you to please come up to the podium…”

Claire felt her heart in her throat; she hadn’t expected this at all. What if she tripped on the way up?  What was she supposed to say to this group of people?  She knew next to nothing about livestock!  She felt her face becoming damp with perspiration as she struggled to steady her breath…

“Mr. Barley Kuga!”

Claire’s lungs deflated as she was deafened by the clapping around her. She numbly slapped her palms together, her knees feeling a little wobbly.  As she watched the old man step onto the elevated platform, her cheeks were uncomfortably warm.  Who did she think she was, anyway?  Why would she have been called up there?  Barley was the one who specialized in cows.  Did she think that just because she was new and decided to show up for a festival that people would demand she give a speech?  She studied the stitching on Pete’s cap, feeling a wave of embarrassment for her illusions of grandeur.

“Thank you all for coming!” Barley’s high and scratchy voice rose over the crowd. “Thank you for the kind introduction.  We have a lot of great cows here today, folks!  As judges, Mayor Schulte and myself had a lot of debate over which cow truly deserved the blue ribbon.  As you know, the cows were judged in several different categories including milk quality, udders, teat size and placement…”

Claire’s eyes drifted out to the crowd. She had felt so sure about herself as one of them this morning, but the more she was in this setting, the more clueless she felt.  Her eyes drifted to Rick, who was listening intently.  She turned to her other side and the slight bobbing of Vaughn’s Stetson signified that he was mentally following along with Barley’s criteria.

“… Hooves and pasterns, topline…”

He may as well have been speaking another language to Claire. Her gaze moved to a young woman around her age standing near Popuri and Yuri.  She had short brown hair and wide chocolate eyes.  While she looked young, she carried an aura of experience; she was absorbed in what the old rancher was saying.  Claire felt a small wave of hope.  While ranching and farming were quite different, perhaps she could learn, too.  It wasn’t as if she was going to purchase a cow tomorrow.  Maybe a little bit of research and some hands-on experience with Barley would help prepare her for the next big step in expanding her farm.

“… And that being said, I would like to announce the winners.” Claire could feel the tension in the group as her stomach gave a flutter, enthralled with the excitement.  She hoped that someone she knew would win.

“Third place goes to Renee of Horn Ranch in Castanet!” A round of applause broke out, and Claire was pleased to see that the young woman she was observing walked up to the podium, a surprised smile on her face.  Although Claire had never met her before, she felt a surge of pride and happiness for her.  Renee shook Barley’s hand and stood on the third place podium, smoothing out her soft mauve frock with nervous excitement.

“Second place is Pete of Swag Farm in Forget-Me-Not-Valley!”

“Aw, yeah, I’ll take that!” Pete pumped his fist into the air as he let out a thrilled laugh among the cheering. Rick gave him a hearty slap on the back as he pushed his way through the crowd, giving Barley a rough hug that made Claire fear for the old man’s safety.  Barley let out a good-natured chuckle as Pete took his spot on the second place platform.  Claire and Rick let out hearty cheers for him and he locked eyes with the young woman, giving her a playful grin and wink.

The crowd grew quiet, eagerly awaiting the final results. Claire looked around the group of people, wondering how it would feel to someday be awaiting her judgment for a festival such as this.  Would she ever place?  Would she make new friends who also had livestock?  Her heart pounded with anticipation at the notion.

“And this year’s winner of the Cow Festival is Jamie of… Jamie Ranch in Flowerbud Village!”

The applause was the loudest for first place; Claire watched the curious person in the colorful poncho calmly walk up to the stage and curtly shake Barley’s hand. They had very little outward emotion as Pete offered a hand to help Jamie up to the top podium.  The winner scoffed at this gesture, choosing to use an awkward jump onto the highest platform, stumbling a bit.  A smirk spread across Jamie’s face as a set of cold blue eyes looked over the crowd, quickly onto the young woman sporting brown pigtails and a pink vest.

Mayor Thomas distributed the ribbons to the sound of applause. “How about a word from our winner?  Perhaps you have some tips or wisdom to share with the rest of us?”

Jamie scoffed, ignoring the mayor’s words. A hard gaze was focused on the rival farmer.  “Did you really think anyone else had a chance?  I came this way to show you how a _real_ farm raises a cow!”

Thomas let out an uneasy laugh. “Well, we all hope to see you next year!”

Jamie didn’t move from the podium as Renee and Pete stepped off of their platforms, giving each other handshakes in congratulations. “This contest was over before it began, Tina!”  Jamie’s eyes narrowed at the girl in pigtails.  “You didn’t even _place_!”  The crowd began to break up as the girl in the vest shrank down and whirled around, her pigtails slapping herself around the ears.  She rolled her eyes, but her face burned in embarrassment as she tried to creep away.  Claire had the feeling that Tina was embarrassed for Jamie.

As Rick pushed through the dispersing group to find his sister, Claire’s eyes remained on Jamie. How could someone be so mean-spirited?  Once again, she found herself ashamed of her earlier behavior.

“Wow, what a jerk,” Vaughn’s deep voice startled her.

“Ugh, I know, right?” Neil shook his head. “The idiot doesn’t know how to win gracefully.”

“A disgrace to the trade,” the rancher pulled his hat over his face with a scoff. His mannerisms vaguely reminded Claire of someone else she knew.

“Hey, kid, you wanna get a cold one at Doug’s?” Neil cocked an eyebrow at Vaughn.

He let out a snort. “Sure, if you don’t call me ‘kid’ and you’re buying.  I hear they have good local wines here.  So which cow was yours?”

The pair walked off together toward the inn and began talking about the competition. Claire watched them curiously.  It seemed even two people who seemed rather cold could find something in common.  She saw Pete bounding towards her and gave him a friendly wave, eager to spend some time around someone more positive.

“Hey, I saw you cheering me on from up there!” Pete laughed heartily, his face glowing. “It’s good to have fans!”

Claire’s stomach stopped twisting itself in knots, relishing in the farmer’s happy-go-lucky attitude. She found it amazing that while they had hardly spoken to each other, he treated her like an old friend.  “You did great.  You’ll have to give me some pointers.”

“Sure thing! We farmers have to stick together!”  He clapped her on the shoulder.

They walked across the square together, Claire giggling while Pete proceeded to tell her the story of how he dragged his cow all the way to Mineral Town. She was so absorbed in his story that she didn’t notice a shy wave from a young man clad in khaki coveralls and a blue baseball cap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This chapter took a while to write, but as you can see from the length of it, I’ve been pretty busy! I couldn’t help myself with the chapter name. Pretty sweet, huh? *Ducks and covers*
> 
> I was originally planning on bringing up the Cow Festival offhandedly, like mentioning it as something Claire had attended in the background, but I found this was a good opportunity to see herself and her presence in the community and how she relates to others. I didn’t imagine it would become my longest chapter so far!
> 
> As you can see, it kind of turned into a cameo parade. Let’s see if you can spot everyone! I had a lot of fun relating the characters’ personalities to the ways Claire was feeling about her actions, and I was eager to give Rick and Popuri’s family a little more back story. For those of you unfamiliar with “Harvest Moon: A New Beginning”, there is a bachelor named Rod who works with animals, and I felt he would make a nice link to Mineral Town, especially considering the fact that Rick and Popuri’s father shares the same name.
> 
> A couple more notes –  
> Barley’s last name is Kuga – Japanese; the kanji for ku meaning “long time” and ga meaning “self”. I wanted to convey a sense of loneliness with his name. I felt it worked well for him, May, and Joanna.
> 
> Thomas’s last name is Schulte – this is German for “mayor, judge”. Haha, not the most creative, but I’ve always seen him as German for some reason.
> 
> Once again, I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read my work. The fact that I still have so much interest in my story makes my heart really happy! I’m always so tickled to read your feedback and analysis on my writing. Thanks again for reading, and I’ll see y’all at the next chapter! :)


	58. Two Farmers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire spends some time with Pete on her farm, and she gets some tips from a seasoned farmer who is interested in her for more than just her produce.

“… So I ended up having to walk backwards most of the way dangling the cow treat in front of her nose. I got a few laughs from some people, but the way I see it, I brightened someone’s day a bit.”

Claire giggled, imagining the farmer pulling along his stubborn cow. She realized it must have been quite trying on anyone’s patience, but she had a hard time picturing someone like Pete getting flustered at all.  “I would have liked to see that.”

“Well, I gotta make the trip back tonight, so you can feel free to see me off. Hopefully she will be more eager to head home – I’d like to go to bed before it gets too late, you know?”

She gave Pete an emphatic nod. Claire had never placed much importance on going to bed early until she started running Mystic Acres.  A physically demanding job required sleep not only for a fresh mind, but as a chance for her body to repair itself.  When she didn’t get enough sleep, her sore muscles let her know it.  A smile crept across her face.  “Oh, by the way, I don’t have a full report on Mystic Acres for your reading pleasure, but I suppose I can give an oral report.”

“Huh?” Pete removed his work gloves and let out a small laugh.

Of course he wouldn’t have remembered that he wanted to hear all about her farm after they first met on Beach Day; perhaps he was trying to be polite at the time. “You said that you expected a report from me,” she reminded him with a shy chuckle.

A flicker of recognition flashed across his large brown eyes and he let out a good-natured laugh. “Sorry about spacing out!  You’re right, I did ask for that!”

“It’s okay!” she insisted, wringing her hands. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel uncomfortable; their interactions had felt so natural up until now.  “I know you have other things to think about, Mr. Swag,” she said with an understanding nod.

Pete laughed so hard he snorted. “M-My last name is not _Swag_ , _Miss Dumont_ ,” he clutched his sides and caught his breath.  “Hoooh…  Sorry about that…”  The young man cleared his throat and stood upright.  “My name is Pete Hayson, but please, just call me Pete.  No need to be so formal around me.”

“But I thought…” Claire looked at him curiously.  “So… does _Swag_ have a special meaning?”

“Yeah, it means ‘the goods’! All swag from Swag Farm come in a crate stamped with a great big S-W-A-G!”  His cheeks flushed slightly as he kicked at the ground.  He took off his hat and waved it at his warm face; it always embarrassed him to have to explain the name aloud.  “Ah…”  Pete lowered his voice.  “You ever think you have a really good idea when you’re a teenager and then realize once the papers are signed, you’re stuck with it?”

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped a bit. “Oh.”

“No real harm done, though, right?” he laughed it off, returning the cap to his head. “Besides, it’s kinda grown on me.”

“Well, Moolah did really well,” Claire gave him a nod.

He seemed flattered that she had remembered his cow’s name. He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck.  “Thanks, she’s the best.”

A smirk played at her lips. “I do have to say though… her name is a pretty weak pun.”

Pete shrugged and gave her a smug look. “What else am I supposed to name my cash cow?”

Claire laughed a lot harder than she meant to; she had a feeling Pete and Cliff should get together sometime and share jokes.

“All this talk about cows is making me hungry for beef. I know Kai sells beef franks at his shack.  Wanna get a corndog?”

She wasn’t sure whether to be amused or horrified. “Uh, sure!” Claire grinned, deciding that the young man was quite humorous.

0o0o0o0

Claire had only seen Kai’s Beach Shack this busy during Beach Day. There wasn’t a line, but all of the tables were full and the proprietor was scurrying around behind the counter, wrapping up cobs of roasted corn with foil in one fluid motion.

“Heyo!” Pete called out when they approached the cash register. Claire was surprised at his air of familiarity around Mineral Town, despite not being a resident.  She felt a slight wave of jealousy for his ability to fit in so easily with those around him – it was something that did not come natural to her.  She began to wonder, however, if she had improved a little bit with getting along with others.  After all, she was able to connect to people on a much deeper level than she had been able to in the city.  Perhaps she had changed more than she realized…

“Ah, business is crazy today!” Kai handed Claire her corndog, startling her out of her reverie. She accepted the food with a slight twinge of embarrassment; she hadn’t even heard Pete place the order and she forgot to offer to pay for her own.  “With the Cow Festival competitors, it’s been nonstop!  I’m raking in the cash, though, so I’m not about to complain.”  He flipped a few pieces of chicken on his grill as the two farmers stepped out of the queue and off to the side.  “The inn’s packed, though.  Doug kicked us boarders out of our own room for the night and all of us have to bunk in his bedroom while he shares with Ann.  I guess I’m not the only one that will be making a lot of money today.  Even all of the cots and roll up beds are taken.”

Apparently one corndog meant three to Pete. She watched in amazement as he expertly accepted the wooden sticks between his fingers to keep from dropping his food.  “Ah, Doug’s…  It’s been a few years since I’ve even been there.  How are things going?”

Kai bobbed his head to the reggae music playing in the background. “Good, good.  Can’t complain.  Made a new friend, and looks like business is going well for Doug.  They have more guests than ever.  I’ve never seen this many for a festival.”

Claire gave him a sympathetic smile. “It’s going to be crowded with the three of you guys, huh?  How will you determine who gets the bed?”

Kai shrugged. “Maybe I’ll challenge them to another swimming contest.”

“Or maybe all of you could squeeze in together,” Pete joined in, taking a huge bite from one of his corndogs.

The cook laughed. “Highly doubtful.  I think Gray would rather die than be caught sharing anything, let alone a bed.  The guy values his personal space like you wouldn’t believe.”

Claire found that she was laughing along with the two men, her heart feeling light. They waved goodbye to him and headed outside with their snacks.

She immediately remembered her manners. “Thanks so much for the food!”  She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten a corndog.  “Again, you didn’t have to do that, but I greatly appreciate it.”

“No prob,” Pete flashed her a grin as he twirled his first empty stick in his fingers and started on his second. “If you’re up for it, I’d be happy to take a look at your farm.”

She couldn’t help but feel like some sort of judgment was awaiting her once they arrived there. Nonetheless, she nodded her head and they began to make their way there.  Claire took a bite from her food.  The cornbread batter was very crispy but still quite hot; she covered her mouth with the paper napkin to conceal the fact that she was chewing with her mouth open in an effort to cool down.  She swallowed her hot food and let out an embarrassed chuckle.  “A little hot, huh?”

“Ah, yeah.” Pete exhaled deeply and Claire noticed with surprise that he had already eaten through half of his.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, and Pete quickly downed his remaining food while Claire slowly ate hers. He deposited his empty sticks as they passed a garbage can on the way to Mystic Acres.  “So, we get the _Mineral Gazette_ over in the Valley,” Pete rubbed the back of his neck and gave her an uncharacteristically shy smile.  “I read the article about your farm.”

She vaguely remembered getting a photo taken with Mayor Thomas shortly after dealing him a swift blow to the head – the man even wore a bandage for the portrait. Her face flushed with embarrassment.  “I never read the article,” she admitted.  In fact, when she had seen a copy of the paper in her mailbox, she had been so upset at the reminder of being swindled out of her money that the newspaper had gone straight to her trash can.

“Oh, it was just a short blurb,” he nodded, his cheeks turning a bright pink. “They did a fine job.  The photo looked nice.”

“Uh, thanks…” She wasn’t quite sure how to reply.  After looking at his face, she wondered what things they could have possibly said.  “I’m just glad that the overgrown weeds didn’t make the front page.  I hope they didn’t make me sound like an idiot…  CLUELESS CITY GIRL MAKES IMPULSE PURCHASE!” she pretended to read her fake headline in a mocking voice.  Claire’s eyes widened as she clamped her free hand over her mouth, startled at her tasteless joke.  It was one thing to make comments like this when she was around Karen…

A small frown crossed Pete’s lips, but he didn’t have a judgmental look on his face. “Do you regret becoming a farmer?”

Claire looked at him honestly, the flush fading from her face. “I was scared at first…  But, I don’t regret any of it now.  I know I’ve got a lot to learn and a long way to go.  I’m… a farmer now.”  A bright smile found its way on her mouth.

His frown was replaced with a gleeful grin. “You’re a what now?  I didn’t hear you.”  He playfully cupped a hand to his ear.

“I’m a _farmer_!” Claire yelled a little too loudly.  Her exclamation scared a few birds out of the trees as they walked past, laughing together.  That _was_ what she was now, she realized with surprise.  She wasn’t digging in a patch of dirt to plant flowers; she wasn’t nursing a few sickly herb plants on her windowsill…  Claire was providing food for the people of Mineral Town and the surrounding area.  She felt proud and powerful.  The young woman grinned until her cheeks hurt.

“That’s the spirit,” Pete cheered her on as they entered the gates to her farm. He watched Claire carefully wipe her lips with her napkin and felt his face get warm.  She really was even cuter than the photo in the newspaper…

They reached the farm and Pete’s face dropped. “Oh, Claire…”  His eyes scanned the fields and he looked back at her sympathetically.  “What have you gotten yourself into, girl?”  The slight twang in his voice sounded a bit exaggerated in his surprise.  He let out a small laugh for good measure, but his initial shock wasn’t lost on her.

Claire’s heart sunk as she looked out at her plots of corn and tomatoes. “I-Is it that bad?”

He put a warm hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound that way!  It’s just… wow…”  Pete wandered into her fields and looked at the rows and rows of plants heavy with ripe tomatoes.  “Have you considered hiring help for harvesting your crops?”

She wasn’t about to admit she didn’t exactly have the funds to pay someone to work on her property.  Not only that, but this was _her_ farm – it was her responsibility to make sure all of the work got done.  She had spent much of the past couple of cool evenings working well into the night to gather ripe tomatoes, but they were growing faster than she could harvest them.  The dread in the pit of her stomach continued to grow.  The first crop of corn had already been harvested, but according to Popuri, corn had a peak season coming up very soon.  Seeing her stalks heavily loaded, Claire knew that they would be ready any day now and she hadn’t really given much thought to what she was going to do when it really needed to be harvested.

Claire considered asking Pete what he did. From the sound of it, his property was larger than hers and he was producing much more.  Her eyes moved to the young man and he was staring out at her crops in awe, slightly shaking his head.  Her gaze shifted to the soil as her face burned in shame.  He was simply too polite to say what Won had told her yesterday – she had screwed up badly.

“There’s no shame in asking for help,” his voice was gentle as he turned back around, stuffing his hands into his overall pockets. He paused, carefully choosing his words.  “You should… ask Carter about some extra sets of hands for around your farm.  He would be able to find someone for you.”

It was likely the priest would attempt to round up some volunteers. Claire bit her lip.  She couldn’t think of anyone around town that had any free time, and once again, she didn’t have the spare money to pay anyone – all of her savings were being hoarded for getting a kitchen installed in her house.  As a matter of fact, she planned on having the renovations done shortly after fall started.  With cooler weather coming, the necessity for her to have a place to prepare food in comfort was becoming more and more urgent.  “Uh, sure…  I’ll keep that in mind,” she tried to sound more enthusiastic than she really was.

He could see that she was disheartened a bit. “Hey, it’s okay.”  He gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder.  “You can’t expect to get everything right on the first try…”  He snuck a glance at the young woman and could see that her eyes were very shiny and she was blinking rapidly.  “Hey, Claire.”

She refused to look up at him. She would not cry in front of him.  Claire battled with the lump in her throat, her face blazing with embarrassment.  She tried to think of something to say to diffuse the awkwardness she had created, but her vocal cords refused to cooperate.  Why was socializing with others suddenly so difficult again?  What had caused the change?

“No one is a pro when they start out,” Pete continued, rubbing her shoulder. “Heck, I planted my first batch of seeds so deep that they decomposed in the ground.  I hardly had any produce that first spring.”  He let out a laugh at the memory.  “But, hey, you move on and you learn.”  He continued to massage her shoulder and Claire let out a small sigh, comforted by his words and his touch.  “So, maybe next season you stagger your crops and don’t plant so many.  Better to have too much than not enough, right?”

Claire relaxed, her shoulders turning to jelly as her head rolled forward with a nod. Pete gave her a grin.  She was the kind of woman that was beautiful without realizing it, and she didn’t have to put any effort forth for it.  Her shoulders were incredibly tight – she had knots from the hard work she did on her farm.  There was something very sweet and endearing about her, but she was also tough.  He looked out at her fields.  So she went overboard – he couldn’t say that she wasn’t a hard worker and had ambitions.  Perhaps she was just the kind of woman he had been looking for.

“I didn’t have much when I first moved here,” Claire confessed. As her eyes traveled to her small farmhouse, she realized that she still didn’t own many things.  If she were still living in the city, she would have seen herself as poor.  Claire’s stomach turned as she wondered what her parents would think about her meager savings and her tiny, shabby house that could be mistaken for a shed.  “The house had basic furnishings, but it came with not much more than the clothes on my back.  It’s so different here than in the city.  You start to think about what’s really important, you know?”

Pete removed his hands from her and was watching her curiously. He took off his cap and tossed it back and forth between his hands before speaking.  “What caused you to make such a drastic change in your life, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“I needed out,” Claire admitted with a sad smile. It didn’t hurt quite as much to say now that she had been thinking more openly about it after discussing it with Cliff.  “I needed change.  I felt like everyone was making decisions about my life but me.  I was alive, but not really living…” Her face flushed at her final line, embarrassed she had said something that could be interpreted as corny.

Pete didn’t immediately reply, and her face felt warmer. She wrung her hands and looked down at them, unsure of what to say.

“Well… I think that’s very brave and shows that you have a strong will.” He gave her a friendly grin.  “I think… you’re, ah, I mean, I think that’s amazing.”  Color began to creep up his face but he laughed it off.

“You’re very kind.” A warm smile adorned her face and he chuckled a little too loudly in response, returning his cap to his head and accidentally putting it on properly with the bill facing forward.  He quickly flipped it around.  “You should come to the Valley sometime.  I can show you my farm and take you around to see the sights.  Not that it’s a huge city or anything – mostly farm country really…  But we could stop at Ruby’s for dinner and get drinks afterward.”

Claire vaguely wondered if he was asking her on a date, but she shrugged it off. Pete was just a friendly person, and the people out here in the country were much chummier than those in the city.  “Sure, sounds fun.  I’m always eager to hear more farming tips from a pro.”

Pete laughed heartily. “You make me sound more impressive than I really am.  Besides, I don’t want you to only see me as a farming resource.  I want you to see us as equals – as friends.”

She gave him a warm smile and her heart leapt at the fact that he was genuinely interested in her as a human being. Again, she was reminded how different life was out here.  “Alright.  I’m glad to be your friend!”

He ruffled her blonde hair, a huge smile spreading across his mouth. “That’s more like it!”  They walked across her farm and he spied a basket sitting in the grass.  “Hey, whatcha got in here?”

Claire followed Pete to the container near her shipping bin. It was stuffed with bundles of herbs and burdock roots.  Her face lit up as she opened the folded note tucked into the top parcel.  “Ah, today’s goods!  Or should I say _swag_?”

The young man gave her an amused grin as she read the note to herself.

_Burdock x 8_

_Mint x 12_

_Wild Blueberries – 3 packs_

_The inn’s crowded with festival guests, and Doug’s making us guys all bunk in his room tonight while he stays with Ann. There’s only one twin bed in this room.  You think I should suggest a fishing contest and the losers have to sleep on the floor?  That bed looks a lot more comfortable than what we have upstairs._

_Yours, Cliff_

She let out a delighted laugh. “Oh, I let my friend ship stuff in my bin.  Looks like he was busy today.”

Pete eyed up the bundles curiously. The distinctive knotting on the packages looked so familiar…  “You keep a percentage for yourself?”  He raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, come on! You’re as bad as Karen,” she teased, giving him a playful shove.  Her eyes flicked back to the note. 

Pete couldn’t help but notice that her gaze had lingered toward the bottom of the paper and a shy smile played at her lips as her cheeks blossomed with color. She wrapped a lock of hair around her finger as she read.  “He write you something unseemly?” he asked with a smirk.

Claire shook her head, getting hair in her mouth. The way he had signed the note threw her off guard and her heart was hammering in her chest. _I’m yours, Claire_.  She could almost hear his folksy whisper echo in her head, and her heart leapt into her throat.  She swiftly attempted to shake it off as she folded the piece of paper back up and stuffed it into her pocket.  “Yours” was a common way to close a letter, and it was no implication that it meant anything other than a friendly gesture.  Still, he had never signed it that way before…  Claire’s face burned as she patted her pocket.  “It was just a list of things he had shipped and a silly little note.”

Pete gave her a civil nod, his smile dropping a bit. He had seen the eyes she made at that slip of paper, and he was familiar with her expressions as she read.  It had been too good to be true, he realized.  Whether she was genuinely aware of it or not, her heart already belonged to someone else.  “Hey, why don’t you give me a basic tour of your fields and I can give you some pointers for next season?”

Claire felt a wave of relief. “I’d really like that.”  As she led the way out to her tomato plants, she decided that she would apologize to Rick and Popuri for her behavior earlier.  She wanted to be more like Pete – a ray of sunlight in everyone’s day.  She had a feeling that his presence was a source of happiness for people in Forget-Me-Not Valley and she wanted to be the same for those living in Mineral Town.

She was a farmer, after all, and her job was to take care of them. A well of pride rose in her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I feel like all too often, Harvest Moon fanfic writers seem to forget that the farmer characters are, well, farmers. I want Claire’s identity as a farmer to be a theme throughout the entire story. I also was craving some interaction between a couple of the farmer characters. Hope you enjoy!


	59. Kisses in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a heated evening, Claire struggles to find the words to describe the feelings in her heart. It's lucky Karen knows exactly where to seek help - in the wine cellar at Aja Winery...?

The crickets and frogs could be considered deafening on this warm summer night, but Claire was hardly paying attention to what was going on outside. She stumbled backward in the unlit farmhouse with a small squeak, her partner catching her by the waist.

“Careful, now,” he whispered with a slight chuckle, returning his lips to hers.

She let out a soft moan and melted against him, her heart throbbing so hard she wondered if he could feel it.

A pair of strong arms gently held her. His loving hands tenderly traveled up to her shoulders and her heart leapt for joy as she threw her arms around him.  She could not see much in the dark room, but the way his calloused fingers admired every inch of her skin was almost too much for Claire - she was so happy she found that she was holding back tears.  He didn’t have to say a word; she knew exactly what he was communicating.  This swell in her heart, this strong emotion that threatened to make her very being burst could only be adoration, devotion, love.  She was whole, and he made life amazing.  Every minute, every moment had been made all the more special because he was part of it.

“I love you,” he breathed into her ear.

“And I love you, too,” she buried her face in the crook of his neck, exhaling deeply. She stood for a moment, simply relishing in the sensations of being drunk on love.  The young woman wrapped her arms around his neck and he slowly carried her to the bed, kissing her the whole way there.  With each step, her heart pounded harder.  His affection was the perfect combination of loving and gentle with the right amount of allure and seduction.

It was so dim in the house that she could only make out the silhouette of her lover in the dark. He crawled into the bed beside her and nestled against her.  She marveled in how perfectly their bodies fit together and he let out a happy sigh into her hair.  The young woman rested her eyes as he cradled her in his arms, breathing into her shoulder.  He smelled of rosemary.

A warm smile crept across her face. “Never leave my side, my love,” she murmured, resting her hands on his.

He planted a couple of light, feathery kisses on her neck and she let out a shiver of pleasure. “I never will.  I’m yours, Claire.  Sleep well.”

How good it felt to hear him say that! She felt so safe, so secure, so precious and cared for…  Her heart melted as she drifted off to sleep.  “You, too…” she mumbled his name in an incoherent slur as she lost consciousness.

Claire’s eyes fluttered open to the sound of Koro lightly snoring into her hair. Her face was smashed against her pillow, and she could smell the rosemary she had tucked into the pillowcase the night before.  She shifted her head and the young dog let out a small whine.  Claire let out a similar cry – her lover was gone and had been replaced with a snoring dog.

“Koro… You’re on my hair,” she grumbled, tugging on her blonde locks.

The puppy rolled over after a few nudges and released her tresses as Claire sat up, rubbing her eyes, unaware of the disheveled bird’s nest that had become of her tresses. She could still feel the warm arms around her, his soft voice in her ear…  The fact that he not only was gone, but was never there to begin with wrenched at her heart.  She had never felt so lonely in her entire life.  Claire began to weep bitterly for a few minutes as she curled herself back up on her bed and buried her face into her pillow.  Koro sprang awake and nuzzled her face, attempting to give her kisses.  The young woman swallowed the lump in her throat.  She wanted _his_ kisses, not Koro’s.  Claire hiccoughed as she forced herself back up, struggling to calm down her emotions.

 _Whoever_ he _was…_

Dwelling on her dream wasn’t helping, she realized. Claire brushed her teeth and gargled as her thoughts wandered and inevitably came back to her mystery lover.  She recalled the sensations from her dream – the heart flutters, the gentle caresses paired with hungry kisses…

 _Whoever he was, he certainly knew how to handle a woman_ , she thought with a hum of satisfaction, a smirk playing at her lips.  Their kisses were much deeper and full of love than her few clumsy attempts at making out as a teenager and stilted pecks on the cheek after blind dates that felt obligatory.  Something about his contact felt so familiar, so comfortable.  He was gentle yet confident and his lips tasted like sugar and sweet grapes; she couldn’t get enough.  Figment of her imagination or not, at least he knew how to use his tongue without cramming it down her throat, she thought with a laugh.  It was about so much more than the physical contact, though.  Those strong waves of love in her heart – she had never experienced that with anyone before, but it had felt so natural, as if they had known each other forever.  Her face still flushed at the memory: the affection, the sweetness, the intoxicating attraction.  Unfortunately, it had only been a dream…  Her heart wasn’t the only part of her body that had cried out in protest at this sad fact.

She was startled from her thoughts as her puppy let out a squeaky yawn, extending his long, pink tongue as he did so. She nearly choked on her mouthwash at the sight.  Her skin crawled as the dog blinked his large dark eyes, noisily licking the tip of his nose as he stretched.  Not taking any chances, Claire applied more toothpaste to her toothbrush and scrubbed vigorously.

0o0o0o0

Claire sat in the shade of her apple tree, struggling to catch her breath in the summer heat. Her shipping bins were all overflowing with tomatoes, but she had hardly put a dent in the fruit in her fields.  She was reminded once again of her foolishness in overplanting.  The young woman pulled herself up to her feet, panting and staggering a bit.

 _Fill one more burlap sack of tomatoes and you can have a nice, cold drink… Maybe lay down for a minute and think of…_ him _…_

The silly smile on her face quickly faded as her eyes traced the abundance of red fruits heavily weighing down the branches of her tomato plants. The fact that a seasoned farmer had stared at her fields in horror caused a new rash of embarrassment and frustration.  The thought of anyone seeing her farm in this condition left her self-conscious.  With a wave of newfound determination, she stumbled back into her fields with an empty sack, blinking the sweat out of her eyes.

She let out a shriek in surprise when she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist. The touch wasn’t nearly as loving as that in her dream, but the physical contact had brought back memories of last night.  She was immediately reminded of her dream and stifled a cry of excitement, briefly remembering her lover’s warm embrace.

“Uh-uh! I don’t think so, girl!” Karen’s voice wasn’t all laughter as she pulled her friend back to the shade of the tree.

Claire’s heart crashed again as she looked back at her, trying to hide the indignation in her glare. She wasn’t sure who she had been expecting, but she didn’t have time for games.  “Karen…”  She focused on keeping her voice level.  She looked back at her fields with frustration and attempted to take another step forward.

“You need to cool down. You’re shaking and you feel far too warm.”  Karen tightened her hold on her friend and the smile dropped from her face.  “You apologized to me for taking things too far at the beginning of summer.  I don’t want you to have to apologize again.”  Her voice softened.

Claire felt a lump form in her throat and her stomach twisted with guilt. The memory of letting her friends down wasn’t a particularly happy one.  She still felt a bit ashamed for worrying them and causing herself more trouble in the long run with her poor choices.  She weakly nodded her head and sat back down under the shady tree.

“That’s better.” Karen took a seat in the grass beside her, thrusting her canteen into the blonde’s trembling hands.  She watched her suck down the water thirstily, hardly stopping to breathe.  “Hey, you keep that technique up and you might be able to beat me in a drinking contest at Doug’s,” she laughed softly.  “Slow down or you’re going to make yourself sick!”

Claire fought the urge to rebel, but her stomach began to churn; she put down the canteen and panted, leaning back against the tree trunk. Her field of vision began to shake a bit and she closed her eyes, wiping the sweat from her forehead.  Her tomato plants danced in the slight breeze, the hazy hot rays of the sun causing them to wave back and forth.  Karen was right; it was time to rest.  Claire put her canteen back up to her lips and let the cool water touch them.  Her mind drifted back to her dream – there was something she’d much rather have touching her lips…  Sweet like candy, but mature and loving… surely he had to exist somewhere.  Her heart dropped a bit.  That was the nature of dreams, she realized.

_You can wish and dream for things, but that doesn’t make them real…_

But it had felt like he was right there. She could still recall the loving way his fingers traveled up her arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake.  There was something so very tender about his touch and he had made her feel as if nothing existed but the two of them.  Her heart swelled at the very idea.  She was in love with someone who did not exist.  The notion depressed her a bit, but it didn’t stop her from closing her eyes and imagining the sensation of his soft lips on hers.  He was hers, as long as she closed her eyes… 

“Claire…?” Her friend’s curious voice snapped her back to reality.

“Hmmm?” She choked a bit on her water, realizing at once that she had been pouring it down her mouth and onto her lap; the large wet spot quickly spreading across the denim looked as if she had trouble controlling her bladder.  She set down the vessel and let out an embarrassed chuckle.  “Well, at least it will dry quickly with this heat.”

The young woman was not usually this clumsy and Karen couldn’t help but wonder if her behavior was heat related. “Are you still feeling out of it?  You want me to take you to see Trent and Elli?” she frowned.

She shook her head. “No, no!  I’m fine!”  Color began to creep across her cheeks as she began playing with a strand of her hair.

Karen watched her friend carefully and raised an eyebrow. She had seen Claire make that expression from time to time, but it seemed to be increasing lately.  The wide eyes and flushed face, a hint of a smile playing at her lips – she looked love struck, despite the fact that she was talking less and less about Gray.  Karen found this bit particularly encouraging.  A smirk crossed her lips.  “So, was he a good kisser?”

Claire’s eyes dreamily moved to the leaves hanging over their head for a brief moment before her face went from pink to red. “Wait, what?  H-He was… I-I don’ t know who or what you’re talking about!” she sputtered, avoiding her friend’s gaze.

Her reaction was more entertaining than Karen had bargained for. “Oh, my…  What _have_ you been up to, Claire?”

“Absolutely nothing!” she squeaked defensively, realizing that she was making herself sound even more suspicious. “After the cow festival, all I’ve been doing is harvesting tomatoes for the past couple of days.  I haven’t even been to the inn!”  Claire added for good measure.  She looked out at her fields, frustrated that she still was having trouble keeping up with them.  There simply weren’t enough hours in the day to tend to her crops.  “The only people I’ve seen for the past couple of days are Cliff when he leaves in the morning for the mountains and Zack when he comes to get my shipments.”  It had been another week of avoiding a certain grandfather/grandson duo out for their weekly mountain hike, she realized sadly.

“Huh, that’s right. I haven’t seen much of you.  So I guess I’d better ask you now: what are you planning on wearing tomorrow night?  Plus, I know Kai said gifts weren’t necessary, but I figured since we were pretty close I’d get him one anyway…”

Claire slapped her forehead with exasperation as she looked once more at her rows of tomatoes. “Kai’s birthday!” she let out a frustrated groan; she couldn’t believe that she had completely forgotten.  She was disappointed in herself for not thinking of him.

“Yeah, silly! He put a message on the town bulletin board and everything.  It’s an open invitation.  Gifts aren’t required, but he asked people bring a dish to pass at the luau.  He said he refuses to cook on his birthday,” Karen giggled.  “There’s going to be a ton of food, music, dancing, and just hanging out.  I told him you were going to be there.”  Her laughter faded as she realized she should have asked her friend’s permission first.  “Is that alright?  I mean, he’s not going to be in town for much longer; he leaves at the end of summer.”

Claire frowned at her fields. The overloaded branches looked like waves of red.  Karen could see that her friend was conflicted.  “Hey, the party won’t even start until evening, so it’s not like you have to devote the whole day to it.  Just come meet us at the inn in the morning to cook the food, and meet us at the Beach Shack tomorrow night.  You deserve a chance to party like the rest of us.”

She was about to reply that they had just attended a party, but it hardly felt fair to celebrate one friend’s birthday and not another. “Alright.  You can count me in.  I’ll need to come here in the afternoon to work, though.”

“Okay, just don’t work yourself too hard,” Karen gave her a stern look despite her soft voice. “And be sure to wear something cute.  Just tell him that’s his birthday present!”

Her friend frowned; despite the fact that he seemed fine without receiving presents, she didn’t feel right not getting him something. “But I really should get him an actual gift…”

Karen shook her head. “Kai has enough trouble getting all of his things together when it’s time to leave Mineral Town anyway.  He doesn’t need more stuff.  Honestly, he’d probably be more than happy with a bushel of tomatoes.”

“That’s what he’s getting, then,” Claire quickly decided, pushing away her guilt at not coming up with a more thoughtful gift such as the pinwheel she made for Ann.

Karen smirked. “Always eager to please, huh?”  Her friend was far too concerned with what others thought of her; she knew for a fact that Kai would just be happy if his friends showed up to his party with food.  She wished that Claire could understand that people were happy with her just the way she was.

 _Eager to please…_ Claire closed her eyes and was reminded once again of her dreams.  Her lover had been so excited to show her how much he loved her and she had been thrilled to do the same.  The summer breeze caused her hair to rustle against her cheeks.  Her skin was sensitive to the touch and her face flushed pink.

Karen looked at her friend curiously. “What has gotten into you, Claire?”

The farmer’s eyes snapped open in surprise. “Uh, I um…  I was just thinking about a dream I had last night…”  She ducked her head in embarrassment as her gaze moved to the grass.  “It’s been on my mind all day…”

The brunette gave her a knowing look. “Pondering the meaning?”

“Exactly,” she replied a little too quickly and let out a nervous laugh and was grateful that Karen didn’t pry further.

“Come on; we’re going out.” Karen stood up suddenly, dusting off her shorts and running her fingers through her long hair.  Claire looked out at her fields with uncertainty, but her companion shot her a stern look.  “Just an errand in town.  We won’t be gone long, and we’ll get to sit somewhere cool for a bit.”

The blonde pulled herself to her feet; it was hard to argue against that.

0o0o0o0

Claire wished she could say she was surprised that her pants had dried by the time they made it to town, but the heat had made frying eggs on the cobblestones seem possible.

“Ah, Karen, I haven’t seen you here in a while. I was starting to get concerned,” Duke laughed, fidgeting with the pruners in his hands before putting them in a sheath in his pocket.  He looked spent; his discarded vest was hanging on the fence and his usual dapper appearance was disheveled.  Perspiration dotted his forehead and sweat could be seen soaking through his shirt.

“Oh, come on!” Karen gave him a playful shove on the shoulder. “We danced at that midsummer’s fling just over a couple of weeks ago.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” he laughed, grabbing a broom that was propped against the wooden fence. “No Karen around the vineyard for so long?  I was starting to think you had given up alcohol.”  He ignored the brunette rolling her eyes as he turned toward Claire.  “Well, anyway, I see you brought your friend along.  How have you been, Claire?”

“I’m well, thank you. And yourself?”  She curiously watched him swing the broom around through the green leafy trellises and a multitude of dark birds flew off, letting out a series of sharp, piercing chirps.

“I’d be better if it weren’t for these damn starlings. It’s the same every year with these monsters!”  Duke waved the broom at another trellis and the flock shifted to another.  “You wanna whack at it, Karen?”

A smirk played at her friend’s lips, and Claire got the feeling this was a fond pastime for her. “Alright, maybe just once…  But we’re here to see Manna.”

“Alright, just be sure to buy a lot! I’m hoping business will pick up this year.” Duke wiped the sweat from his brow as he watched Karen clumsily wave around the broom, making her own squawks at the birds.

“The grape vines are growing so fast already.” Claire’s eyes widened as she stared out at the vineyard. Lush, green leaves covered the wooden structures.  Upon closer inspection, the vines were adorned with small clusters of what looked like peas.  Her gaze excitedly moved across the trellises and saw varying sizes of the berries, some the size of barley grains.  They almost looked like underwater sea creatures she had seen on an educational program as a child.  “Aw, little grapes!  How cute!”  The young woman’s face lit up as she admired the fruits.  She was once again reminded how satisfying it was to watch things grow.

“Those will make some delicious chardonnay before we know it,” Duke grinned, watching Karen swing the broom around like a madwoman, laughing a little too loudly to sound sane. He pointed to a cluster of what looked like small, violet jewels with small emeralds sparsely distributed throughout.  “And these are our precious cabernet sauvignon.”

“Cabernet sauvignon,” Claire repeated the name, enjoying the way it rolled off of her tongue.

He gave her an enthusiastic nod. “Unfortunately, those damn birds like them too.  I swear they get worse every year.  And those vines I planted a few years back should be ready for fruit this year.  We should have a big harvest if those little bastards don’t eat them all first.”  He let out a halfhearted sigh as he shook his head at the vines.

“Oh, come on, Duke. I think you kind of like chasing them,” Karen panted, her cheeks glowing with exertion.  “You wanna go at it, Claire?”  She shoved the wooden broom handle in her hands before she got a chance to respond.  “It’s pretty fun scaring them.  Don’t worry; you’re totally justified.  Those birds are jerks, eating _my_ grapes…”

“ _Your_ grapes?” Claire cocked an eyebrow, amused.

She shrugged, tossing a sheet of brown hair over her shoulder. “Well, sure!  I’m gonna end up buying them when they become wine.”

“You’re just investing in your future drinks, huh?” Duke laughed. “Well, I’ll expect you to be drinking heartily in the future.  I was just telling Claire how we’re going to have a lot of grapes this year.”

The blonde looked down at the broom and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm. The thought of chasing after birds didn’t seem particularly appealing to her.

The winery owner gave her a laugh. “I hardly blame you if you don’t want to chase starlings in this heat.”  He held out his hands for the broom and Claire returned it to him.  Duke let out a tired sigh as he reached into his pocket to retrieve a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow.  “Ah, it’s far too hot.  I think I’m off to Doug’s to get a cold one and see what he’s up to.  Manna is probably in the wine cellar.  See you ladies later.”  He waved to them and wasted no time heading next door for a break.

“Yeah, let’s get out of this heat.” Karen led the way to the side building and opened the door for Claire.  Both of them let out sighs of relief as the cool air hit them.  The cozy smell of oaken flasks and fermenting fruit greeted Claire’s nose as they walked down the creaky steps.  “Maaannnnaaa~!”  Karen sang, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

“Kaaaaarrennnn~!” A perky voice sang back to her as the woman turned around from organizing the shelves of alcohol behind her.  “How is my favorite customer?  Oh, hello, Claire!  It certainly has been a while, hasn’t it?  I don’t think we really got a chance to speak at the midsummer’s dance.  You really looked lovely, honey.  A lot of us ladies were saying so!  And such a good dancer, too!  Cliff was certainly lucky to have such a sweet lady on his arm all night, huh?”

Claire stopped waving and her eyes widened in surprise. What kind of idea had everyone in town gotten of her?  She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about this.

Manna read her facial expressions and didn’t miss a beat. “Of course, anyone would be happy to be around such a kind and hard-working young woman.  I hear that your farm is coming along really well.  You know, we used to rely solely on the farms over in the Valley for produce around here, so your effort here definitely isn’t going unnoticed.  Why just the other day, Anna brought over the most delicious tomato salad and we shared it for lunch.  Oh, but listen to me!  I just keep going on and on, don’t I?  What brings you ladies here today?”

Karen was browsing the shelves. “A little birdie told me you had a fresh batch of tepache ready.”

A smirk crossed the woman’s features as she reached for a liter-sized jar with chunks of pineapple floating in the top of it. “Just finished a couple of days ago.  Pete’s pineapples are fantastic this year, and he produced so many!  Even Doug was considering adding tepache to the menu this year but he was afraid that it might not be very popular, as a lot of people around here have never heard of it before.  But I say, what’s the harm in trying?  People aren’t going to learn about a new product if they don’t give it a taste, right?”

Claire was watching the slices of fruit bob in the jar and jumped when Karen let out a hearty laugh. “You’ll say anything to sell a product, you little sneak!  I’ll take three jars!”

“Ah, Kai’s birthday is tomorrow, right? He’s such a sweetheart.  I plan on showing up with the girls tomorrow.  I’m bringing my ambrosia salad.  A little taste of the islands should make him feel at home, right?”  Manna swiftly took the offered coins and counted them before dropping them into her pocket and grabbing a couple more jars from the shelf.  “I think Anna’s baking some melon bread and your mother is bringing some mochi.  Karen, dearie, you don’t have to trouble yourself with cooking anything for the party.  Drinks will be fine – we all love your spiked punch, even if it does knock Anna on her ass!”  Manna stuck out her tongue and let out a playful giggle.  She cupped a hand to her mouth as if someone was listening in on them.  “And just between the three of us, that’s when she’s the most entertaining!”

Claire cracked a smile, but Karen was not amused at Manna’s suggestion that she bring the drinks. “But I was going to make my specialty – Chocolate Curry Dip!  Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten about it!” she pouted as Manna placed the jars into a sturdy paper sack and handed it to her.

“Well, that definitely was an interesting dish. Whatever you decide to do will be fine, I’m sure,” Manna replied soothingly with a nod.  “Anything I can get for you today, Claire?”

The young woman stopped staring at the walls of jars and bottles behind Manna and shook her head. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“Actually…” Karen gave her friend a sideways glance and then looked back at the winery owner.  “Maybe there is something you can do.  You see, Claire’s been pondering the meaning of a dream.  She’s been a little spacey today.”

She let out a small gasp in surprise that Karen would say anything about it to someone else, but before she had a chance to say anything, Manna swiftly dug in the shelf behind her and produced a large leather-bound tome and set it on one of the worktables. “So, what did you dream about, Claire?  I’ll help you sort through your subconscious thoughts,” Manna beamed, idly ruffling the thick pages.

“Well…” If it meant she’d have a chance of meeting the man in her dreams in real life…  Still, saying what had happened in her dream was a little embarrassing.  She shyly shook her head, her face feeling unnaturally warm.

“You show up at the farm with no pants?” Karen guessed. “Maybe you and me were in a magical-girl style death match?” She let out a cackle.  “Or maybe you had a dream that you were married to Mayor Thomas?”

“No, not him!” Claire stammered. “I dreamt I was with… _someone_ …”  Her voice trailed off.  She couldn’t believe they were having a discussion about her dreams.  Normally, she wouldn’t mind, but this particular dream had been very personal…

“Like you were with someone, or you were… _with_ someone?  Hubba, hubba, Claire!  Are you starting to have your first erotic dreams?  They grow up so fast, don’t they, Manna?”  She clapped her friend on the shoulder.

Manna let out a soft chuckle as Claire whirled around to give her friend a pout. “Not quite _that_ far…  Uh…”

“Oh, come on; it can’t be that bad. Manna’s interpreted my saucy dreams tons of times.”  Karen shrugged casually and Claire’s face burned with embarrassment – partially for herself, and a bit for her friend.  Manna’s kind gaze caused her to calm down a bit.  Despite the fact that she was a generation older than the two of them, she had a very open and understanding aura about her.

“It didn’t go beyond kissing and cuddling,” she was sure to point out, her eyes quickly drifting to the floor. She immediately regretted saying anything as her face burned.  What if Manna told her friends about this dream?  She wasn’t keen on everyone in Mineral Town hearing about the pathetically lonely thoughts she had in her sleep…

Her friend’s eyebrows rose with interest and she looked over at Manna, who smirked as she looked back down at the book on the table.

“So, who was the lucky partner? A friend?  A crush?  Perhaps an ex-lover?” Manna noisily turned the pages in her book.  “These can all mean very different things, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be romantic.  You have nothing to be ashamed of, Claire.  Our dreams are just the way our brain processes what we’re thinking.”  The tone of her voice became gentle, and Claire found herself relaxing a bit.

“Was it me? It’s okay, Claire.  I’ll just take it as a compliment,” Karen smirked.

After looking at the two women for a moment, they gave her a kind gaze and she realized at that point that nothing was going to leave this room. “I couldn’t tell who it was.  The house was so dark I couldn’t see.”  She had to admit that the whispers had sounded so familiar to her, but they were like wisps of smoke; she couldn’t remember the subtleties in the voice.  “I don’t even know if it was someone I knew.  Maybe it was a stranger.”

“Huh. Very interesting!”  Manna scanned the page with the finger.  “It says here that if you are groping around in the darkness, it can signify that you are having a hard time making a clear decision on something.  It can suggest that you need take your time before making conclusions and big choices.”

Karen was giggling like an immature teenager. “Groping in the darkness…”

Claire elbowed her friend in the side and shot her a sour look. “I already said it wasn’t like that,” she reminded her defensively.

“And a stranger can represent someone who is offering you advice and wisdom on a situation. It can also portray a part of yourself that you keep hidden away from others.  Therefore, if you are kissing a stranger, it can show that you are learning to accept a part of yourself that you keep repressed.”

Karen stopped giggling. “Wow, that’s actually pretty profound…”

“Also,” Manna held up a finger before turning the page with a relish, “there’s an entire section here on what kissing can represent.” She scanned the page.  “It can show love, contentment, harmony, or affection.  Have you ever kissed anyone before?”

“Well, yeah,” Claire averted her eyes and wrung her hands to keep herself occupied. “I had a couple of boyfriends when I was younger.”

Manna looked back down at the tome in a businesslike manner. “Alright, so that rules out you dreaming of your potential first kiss.  Let’s see… a kiss on the hand can depict admiration and respect…  If it’s on the cheek, it can show friendship, respect, or courtesy.  Oooh… a kiss on the neck represents passion and lust…  This can represent you giving in to your physical wants and desires…”

Color rushed to Claire’s cheeks; she could still feel his lips on her neck as he breathed his words of love to her. The young woman didn’t say anything, but Karen’s laugh at her expression had told Manna plenty.  “We… we were deeply in love,” she admitted shyly, as if to justify her reaction to Manna’s explanations.  “It was almost as if…” Her voice trailed off; she was too embarrassed to finish the sentence.  It was far too absurd.

_It was almost as if we were soul mates…_

“Oooh!” The woman tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear as she eagerly moved to a bookmarked page.  “Feeling love in a dream is a big one!”

“Ah, it is?” Her face glowed as she timidly joined Karen behind Manna and peered over her shoulder.

“Definitely! Dreaming of love and other strong emotions can suggest that you are content with where you are in your life.  It can also mean that you have some feelings that are carried over from a waking relationship…”

“Oh, interesting…” Claire casually stuffed her hands into her pockets.  She decided to stick with the first explanation; thinking about Gray wasn’t high on her list of desires today.  “Well, I am a lot happier here than I was in the city.  Maybe that is what my dream is trying to say…?”

Karen looked over at her friend, curious to see her expression. She had a flushed face, and there was a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.  The brunette began to wonder if Claire was telling the truth about not knowing who the dream involved, but she decided not to question her on it.

Manna had seen Claire lovingly press her cheek against Cliff’s as they looked up at the clouds together the other day. They had looked so comfortable and natural around each other and she saw them very regularly passing by the vineyard together.  For one of the few times in her life, Manna bit her tongue; it wasn’t her place to tell Claire that her interpretation of the dream was wrong.  “That’s definitely a possibility,” she had to admit.  “Your dream could mean that you are embracing your new life and the new decisions that come with your new lifestyle.  It can also mean something else…”

“Oh?” Claire wasn’t sure why her heart was pounding in her throat as Manna said this.

“Feeling love in your dream can simply mean that you feel like you are not getting enough acceptance and love in your life. Your mind is just playing out your desires to have a relationship like that.  Are there any other details about this mystery man that you can remember?  Think of the other senses that you had available to you in your dream.”

She thought of his calloused hands, but the symbolism of hard work was so obvious to her that she decided not to bother saying that one out loud. She closed her eyes as her mind replayed the dream and she felt her heart pound with pleasure.  She was grateful that she could still visit her lover in her daydreams.  “Ah… he tasted like grapes and sugar,” Claire answered dreamily, recalling his precious kisses.

“Hubba, hubba, Claire. Does he have a brother?” Karen teased.

Her eyes flicked open and she felt her face get hot. She moved her gaze to Manna, quietly awaiting her analysis.  The woman was no longer looking at the book, but she looked up at Claire with a smile.  “I have the entry for grapes memorized.  They symbolize decadence and prosperity.  Sugar, however, can represent that you are denying yourself pleasure and joy that you truly desire deep down.  Anything else you can recall?”

“He… smelled like rosemary,” she replied. “But I usually put some in my pillow to sleep, so it probably carried over into my dream.”

Manna gave her a courteous nod. “That might be the case, but rosemary symbolizes sadness and remembrance.  This can also mean you are reflecting on something…  It’s a lot to think about, huh?”  She reached on one of the shelves behind them and produced a bottle of wine.  “Well, there’s nothing better than thinking and drinking!  It should be a little cooler out now, I think.  Come on, ladies.  Let’s head outside and split this fresh bottle of wine.”

Karen eagerly padded behind the woman and Claire followed, feeling a strange sense of relief.

0o0o0o0

Cliff was walking past the winery, his bangs clinging to his sweaty forehead and a few bags strapped to his back.

Manna waved to him. “Hey, cutie, come over here!  I’ve got a glass of wine with your name on it.  Come sit with us pretty ladies and relax a bit!”

He looked around him curiously before pointing to himself in confusion. Manna never spoke much to him before and he wasn’t sure why she was starting now.

She giggled. “Do you see any other people around you?”  She beckoned him with her finger.  “I won’t take no for an answer.  Get your adorable keister over here.  You’ve been sneaking past here without saying hello for far too long, hon!”

“Oooh, Manna’s on the prowl,” Karen laughed, taking a swig of her wine.

“You better believe it. I like my men hot and sweaty,” she smirked, her eyes traveling over Cliff’s body with a satisfied nod.  He was busy shuffling his bags on his shoulders, shyly making his way over to them.

“H-hello.” Claire and Karen’s company didn’t intimidate him at all, but he knew next to nothing about the winery owner.

“Take a seat, hon. You look exhausted.”  Manna pointed to the empty barrel beside them.  After he set down his things, she poured a very full glass for him and he received it with shaking hands.

“That’s very kind of you…” He made no motion to drink; judging from his reddened face and trembling hands, Claire could tell he was dehydrated.  He eyed up the water pump on the far side of the fence.  “Ah… pardon me, but may I use your water pump?”

Manna shrugged, surprised he was asking permission. “Sure.”

He carefully set down the glass. “Thanks.  I’ll be right back.”  He walked to the pump and drank from his cupped hands for a minute or so, attempting to cool down.  Claire watched the water drip from the curve of his lips down the front of his chin and suddenly felt quite thirsty herself, wondering if it had suddenly gotten a lot warmer out.

Manna fanned herself with her hand as she watched him splash some water on his face, the drops of water glistening in the sunlight. Claire studied the way the water dripped from his eyebrows and the tip of his nose as he blinked, letting out a soft sigh of relief.  Some of the droplets traveled down his neck, dampening his shirt and causing some wisps of his hair to stick to his cheeks.  “Dear goddess…”  Manna took a heavy drink of her wine as she watched with great interest.  “He’s not bad-looking by any means, is he?  You’d think someone that looks the way he does would carry himself with a bit more confidence.  When he’s not looking worried or frowning, he’s actually quite attractive.”

Claire found herself rolling her eyes as Karen laughed heartily, but she still found herself watching Cliff intently.

“You could make it a little less obvious, you know. The kid’s a bit naïve, but he’s not blind,” Karen chortled.

Claire nearly choked on her wine and her eyes quickly flew to the dirt, realizing how she had been staring at him. Karen was right – Claire was being rather rude.  She decided her face must have felt hotter than Cliff’s.

“Oh, you’re no fun!” Manna pouted. Claire let out a sigh of relief when she realized she wasn’t the one Karen had been heckling.  “Watching them squirm is half of the fun with shy guys.  They look so cute when they get flustered.  You know, I’ve always been rather fond of the clean-cut look, but I’d say Cliff pulls off his own style rather well.  He must be from far away; no one around here dresses like that.  There’s something endearing about him, though, besides him just being cute.  Something that makes you just want to squeeze him.  I think it’s those eyes.  What do you think?”

“He definitely has the lost puppy look down, but I’d have to say… he’s not bad,” Karen brushed her blonde streaks out of her eyes with a smirk. “What do you think, Claire?”

Her heart skipped; she hadn’t really intended on being included in the conversation. Her tongue tripped over her words.  “Ah… I… he’s p-pretty handsome,” she mumbled, her eyes moving back toward him.  Water had dribbled from his chin onto his shirt and she waited with her heart in her throat, wondering what he was going to do about it.  She scolded herself at her disappointment when he did nothing but gently tug on the fabric a few times to air it out before he began to walk back over to the group.

“Feel free to use the water pump whenever you like, sweetie,” Manna raised her eyebrows with a grin as Karen buried her face in her hand to conceal her laughter.

He was suddenly aware that they were all staring in his direction and he looked behind him curiously. “Huh… is something back there?”

Manna opened her mouth to speak, and Claire looked at her in horror. “Ah, starlings!” Claire squeaked, determined to keep Manna or Karen from embarrassing all of them.  “Duke… he says they’re bad this year.”

“Ugh, they’re bad every year!” Manna sighed as Cliff shyly took a seat on the barrel beside Karen. Claire was relieved that she seemed content with the topic of conversation, even if she was complaining.  “Chewing holes in our produce, munching on our precious cabernet sauvignon grapes…  Really, if they keep coming at this rate, the whole vineyard will be full of them by the end of fall.”

Claire scoured her brain for ideas that were included in the farming book she had read from the library. “What about a scarecrow?” she recalled.

“Hmmm…” Manna pressed a finger to her lip.  “They seem pretty smart.  A scarecrow of a predator of some sort would have to be moved constantly if we wanted it to work at all.  Then, there’s always the chance that they won’t even feel threatened by it.”

“Oh!” Cliff’s face lit up. He was about to suggest a solution when he tasted his wine.  He fell silent, his eyes widening and his mind drawing a blank.  “Ah, M-Manna…?  What kind of wine is this?”

Despite the fact that he looked stunned, there was a deep joy in his eyes. “It’s the cabernet sauvignon,” Manna chirped happily.  “It had finally ripened – our old vines got decimated by those darn birds.  We haven’t been able to produce any for years.  It’s a shame, really, because it’s a pretty standard red.  I mean, how embarrassing is it that we don’t carry one of the basic wines?  We had to replant them a few years back.  Now that the vines are growing, we’re going to start making it again this year.”

He noticed they were all staring curiously at the shock on his face and he knew he had to think of some sort of explanation. “Ah, I… I thought I tasted this before.  It’s very distinctive.”

“It’s the aging that does it. It brings out the chocolate notes.  There are also hints of dried fruits and fig in there.  I think this batch turned out wonderfully.”  She looked proudly around her as her companions sipped quietly, nodding in agreement.

Karen looked at her friend curiously. “How could you have tasted this before?  Doug doesn’t carry it, and you said you never had alcohol before moving here.”

He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t anticipated anyone asking that question; his face nearly turned as red as the wine.

“What’s got you all flustered?” Karen asked amusedly, swinging her feet.

He chose his words very carefully. “Oh, I just dreamed I was drinking this just last night,” he laughed weakly.  “Weird, huh?  It’s like I knew the flavor before I tasted it.”

“Hey, we were just talking about dreams,” Manna nodded importantly. Claire’s throat tightened.  Manna had promised not to tell anyone else about her dream; was she going to go back on her word?  “Tell me about yours.  I’m great at reading them,” she gave Claire a friendly smile and the farmer felt her heart relax.  It seemed that as much as Manna liked to talk, she took her interpretations seriously and was respectful about them.

Cliff’s eyes flicked toward Claire and his heart hammered in his throat. “Uh… j-just a dream about drinking a huge glass of wine.  It was very refreshing.”

“Now that’s my kind of dream,” Karen grinned. “Maybe your dream means you should drink more.”

Manna shook her head. “Wine represents celebration, companionship, and success.  Also,” she raised her eyebrows, “Red wine in particular can depict sensuality and excess.”

He laughed a little too loudly and shook his head. “Dreams can be i-interesting, huh?”  His eyes met Claire’s and they shared a warm smile.  He still could recall every detail of his dream the night before and he truly doubted that he needed an interpretation to know what it meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Wow, seriously, thanks everyone for all of your awesome reads, reviews, comments, follows and favorites! You guys are fantastic! Again, the support from everyone just makes my heart burst!
> 
> I’ve got quite a huge chapter here! I’ve been dying to write Duke and Manna again and thought this would be a fun way to sneak them in. Fit in all other kinds of stuff, too – Claire’s saucy dreams and perhaps getting real cozy with Koro (haha!), more tomato woes, an upcoming luau, dream interpretation (I actually did a lot of reading on it for this chapter!), and don’t forget the fanservice! I sincerely hope y’all enjoy. Feel free to let me know what you think! See you next chapter. The big 60! Wow, I can’t believe I’m there already!


	60. Everyone Needs Help Sometimes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After preparing a dish to pass at Kai's upcoming luau birthday party, Cliff asks to have a word alone with Claire.

“This is so much easier with a spatula,” Karen grinned as she stirred the sauce in the pot. She dipped a spoon into the food and handed it to Claire.  “Give it a try!”

She blew on the utensil before giving a small taste. Karen had really loaded up the spoon, and the unique yet familiar flavor brought back memories of the cooking festival.  Her mind flooded with the images of their clumsy practice efforts with limited cooking equipment, seeing a snarky, playful side of Gray, getting to experience Cliff becoming a little more confident in himself, and witnessing Karen’s joy at seeing the pride she had brought to Sasha.  The thoughts brought a smile to her face.  “Ah, it’s good, just like I remember.”  She turned toward Cliff and held a protective hand under the spoon, still half full with sauce.  “Open up and give this a try!”  Claire let out a delighted giggle.

Cliff set down his knife and color crept into his cheeks when he noticed that Karen was silently watching them, giving him a knowing wink. “Uh, okay…”  He complied with her request and was rewarded with a spoon that had just touched Claire’s lips.  The unusual flavor distracted him from getting too flustered.  “Huh, it’s pretty interesting.”  He found that he already wanted more.  “The curry makes it kind of addicting.”

Karen and Claire both nodded emphatically in agreement. Karen took a shot glass from the cupboard and dipped it into her pot of sauce.

“Hey, don’t eat it all before the party starts!” Claire scolded her with a giggle.

“Hush, you!” Karen scolded in mock indignation. “Finish your own dish so that people won’t eat all of mine.”

The blonde returned to dicing her tomatoes with a grin. “How’s it coming, Cliff?”

He had a pile of diced smoked salmon beside him. “The onion’s next.  Then we just need the tomatoes you’ve been working on and we will be finished.”

Claire set another tomato on her cutting board after scooping her diced fruits in a pile. As she continued to work, she watched him gather the diced fish and tomatoes in a large bowl.  He jumped when Ann tugged on his ponytail as she entered the kitchen.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she sang, giving him a swift hug around the shoulders before donning an apron.

“Er, you’re welcome?” He shrugged, turning around to watch her curiously.

Ann sifted through the inn’s refrigerator with expert speed and grabbed her favorite mixing bowl. “You’re the only tenant who does his own laundry.  I normally don’t mind the extra pocket change, but I wanna work on these cookies before the lunch rush comes.”  She quickly began reaching into the cupboards for her ingredients.  “We’re all gonna eat like kings tonight~!”

Cliff gave her an exasperated sigh. “Just make sure you only eat like one king, and not an entire royal court.”

Ann brandished a wooden spoon like a royal scepter. “You better watch it, or this monarch will order you flogged by _Ye Olde Wooden Spoon_!”

Karen took a swig from her shot glass of curry sauce and licked her lips. “Ooh, you better be careful, man, or she’ll get you back for those birthday spanks.”

The redhead’s face lit up as she measured her flour. “Ah, that’s right!  Tonight we’ll get to celebrate Kai’s years on this planet in the form of corporal punishment!”

Claire snickered. Ann looked a little too excited for that part of the party.  She decided to finish chopping her tomatoes before her friend remembered that she had given Ann most of her birthday spanks at her party, and she was sure that between both her and Cliff, Ann had received far more than twenty-three.  She scooped up the fruits and added them to Cliff’s bowl.  “Thanks for finding this recipe.  I had no idea what to make.”  She gave him a friendly smile.  “We make a good team, huh?”

His face lit up as he incorporated her addition to the salad. “Definitely.”  As Claire removed her apron and put her things away, she noticed that he looked like there was something more he wanted to say.  “Hey, Claire…?  Um…”  Cliff shyly looked on the other side of the kitchen and noticed Karen was busy giving Ann samples of her chocolate curry dip.

“What’s up?” She gave him a concerned look as she turned toward him, her loose topknot bobbling as she did so.

“I know you’re headed back to the farm… Mind if I walk you home?”  He swiftly packaged up their dish and put it in the refrigerator, removing his own apron.

She could tell that there was something on his mind, and she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. If it was something he didn’t feel comfortable saying in front of their friends, she hoped that it wasn’t bad news.  “Of course.  Thank you.”  Claire looked over at Ann and Karen.  “I’m headed back to work.  See y’all tonight.  Don’t eat all of that dip before the party,” she mildly scolded, putting her hands on her hips.  She headed out of the door with Cliff and the two women stared at each other.

“She really thinks I’m going to eat that whole pot?” Ann asked in mock surprise. “That sounds like a challenge, don’t you think?”

Karen snorted and refilled her shot glass with sauce. “She said _y’all_.  Those two are hanging out too much.”

Ann reloaded her ladle and slurped more curry. “I’m gonna laugh if she picks up that accent.”

0o0o0o0

“Claire… w-we’ve always been honest with each other, right…?” Cliff nervously rubbed the back of his neck as they headed toward Mystic Acres.

The young woman let down her hair and it fell down in a soft golden sheet. She looked over at her friend.  “Of course.  We’ve always been… _equals_.  I tell you what’s on my mind, and you tell me what’s on yours.  Is… something wrong?” she asked nervously, jamming her hair tie in her pocket.

He frowned and bit his lip. He didn’t want his words to come out the wrong way, and the last thing he wanted to do was offend her.  However, he had been thinking about this for the past few days, and if he didn’t act soon, the opportunity for both of them was going to pass.  “Mystic Acres is… _amazing_ ,” he began.  “I can’t begin to tell you how proud you should be for all of the things you have done with the place.”

“Th-thank you,” she stammered. While she appreciated the kind compliment, she couldn’t help but feel that Cliff was preparing to soften a blow.

He gave her an apologetic smile and she wondered if he had read her thoughts. “I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.  The truth is that I lived in the mountains for a couple of months before actually moving into the inn.  Remember that cave where Cain lives?  I lived in there with him.  I _really_ wanted to move into Mineral Town, but… I was afraid.”  He decided not to touch down on what made him so fearful at the moment.  “For a while, I never really went beyond the border of what is now your farm.  So I got a good look at it before you moved in.  Overgrown, neglected…  It hardly looked like something that was once a thriving farm.”

“Ah, it was a lot of work,” Claire chuckled. She remembered Cliff mentioning before that he did a lot of camping while traveling.  The cave that Cain was staying in looked rather homey, and she wasn’t very surprised to hear that he had lived there for some time.  In a way, she wished that she had his ability to adapt to different environments the way he did.  Perhaps he was saying that she had been able to in transforming the farm, she realized.  “I didn’t think I would be able to do it, honestly.  And I know I have a long way to go.  I expanded my fields so much since the spring,” she added as they walked onto her property.  She looked out at the rows of red – the tomatoes had become such a problem that she could hardly remember a time where she wasn’t drowning in them.  She frowned at the plants, and a wave of stress fell back onto her.  While she didn’t mind talking to Cliff, seeing the overabundance of tomatoes was distracting and she knew she needed to get right back to work.

Cliff studied her face. She nervously tied her hair back up and he noted the worry lines on her forehead.  He knew she was thinking about her crops, and he was glad that the conversation was going to steer itself from here.  He sincerely hoped that their discussion would allow her heart and mind a bit of relief.  He took the basket sitting beside her shipping bin and slowly led her out to the fields, plucking the fruit and putting it in the basket.

Claire shot him a relieved smile and joined him. She was glad that he could understand the need for her to catch up on her chores, and he didn’t seem to mind helping.  They worked quietly for a minute as Claire watched the speed at which her friend worked.  They swiftly cleaned off one plant and moved to the next.

“Claire…” Cliff cleared his throat nervously as he stopped picking tomatoes to look up at her. “Let me work with you.  I can help you harvest tomatoes until the end of the season.”

She couldn’t fight the smile that began to spread across her lips. Full days with her friend, talking and laughing while chores got done twice as fast…  She didn’t realize how badly she wanted it until he said it aloud.  However, her grin faded as the guilt settled in before she got a chance to feel happy about it.  It was bad enough that she had enlisted Cliff and Karen’s help when she was recovering from heat exhaustion.  “I-I can’t ask you to do that.  This farm is my responsibility.  Besides, I know you’ve got things to do – you’ve been so busy shipping things.”  She recalled the long daily list he gave her with the large variety of herbs in the mountains.

He quickly shook his head. “Not a big deal at all.  I’d much rather do _this_.”  He picked another tomato and put it in the basket, looking at her pleadingly.  “Claire…  You _need_ some sort of help with this.  One person can’t do it all.”

She gave him a wounded look. “B-but…  I...  It’s _my_ fault!”  A lump formed in her throat as she recalled that hot day at the beginning of summer where she pushed herself too hard, her sheer stubbornness getting the better of her.  She picked another tomato in each hand and placed them in the basket.  “I shouldn’t have planted this all at once!  I shouldn’t have been so insistent!  I shouldn’t have made you and Karen so worried!”  Her last line came out as an upset cry.  “I-it’s _my_ fault!”  Her voice rose into a shriek.

He grasped her hands firmly and she fell silent. “I don’t care whose fault it is.”  His eyes met hers with a seriousness that pushed away any sort of reply she had.  “It’s not about fault.  It’s about one friend helping another.  I can come here every morning after I check on Cain.  I will stay as long as you need me to.  It’s not about what you should have done or why things are the way they are now.  I’m here and I want to help.”  He gave her hands a squeeze and his eyes softened.  “Claire, _please_ …”

They knelt silently beside each other and Claire listened to the summer breeze rustle her rows of corn stalks. The plants were now taller than her and would be ready for harvesting very soon.  Her eyes swam with red as she looked out at her fields, her tomato plants weighed down by the sheer amount of fruit.  There was simply too much to do and not enough time.  Her focus moved back to her friend.  Cliff was watching her silently, waiting for an answer, his eyes begging for permission to help.  Her eyes traced his slim body; he was slender when they first met and he had steadily been losing weight.  Her eyebrows furrowed with concern.  She knew that he was shipping everything instead of eating it.  She wasn’t the only one who wasn’t being completely responsible.  “Cliff…”  She took a deep breath.  Although she knew that they spoke honestly with each other, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.  “I-I would really appreciate the help, but…  In exchange I will pay you for your work and I will provide the meals.”

A wave of relief washed over his face at her allowance of his help; however, the mention of money caused his posture to stiffen. “I didn’t ask to help you to get paid, Claire.”

This time, Claire squeezed his hands. “You said you’ve been looking for work around town.  Why should my job offer not include me paying you?” Her lips turned into a slight pout.  “I will compensate you for your work, and I will make sure we have plenty to eat so that we have the energy to get the work done.”

His frown grew. “I can’t accept your money; I’m your friend.  I didn’t mention you needing help in an effort to make money off of you or get free meals.”

She shook her head. “I know you didn’t.  But this can work.  I need someone to help me.  You… well… you need money, Cliff…”  Her eyebrows rose in concern as her voice faded.  Surely his stash of money couldn’t last him forever, and his increased shipping list and lack of eating was making her worried.  She could see that she had embarrassed him, as he immediately averted his eyes and his face flushed.  Claire rested her hands on his shoulders.  “Hey, it’s okay.  You have nothing to be ashamed of.  It’s like you said – we are friends.  We can help each other out.”  One of her hands drifted toward the back of his neck and she rested her hand on his hair, giving him a small smile.

His body immediately relaxed at her touch and his gaze slowly moved back up to her. “I want to be able to help you,” he said earnestly.

“And I want to do the same for you,” she replied, patting his shoulder. “Do we have a deal?  I really could use your help.”  She looked over at him, silently pleading for him to agree.  She hadn’t been so aware that they needed each other until right now.  She now had the income from her previous harvests, so she had money available to pay him.

He really needed hers as well, but admitting it aloud would probably make her realize how pathetic he was. After all, since he was seventeen, his life had revolved around being able to provide for himself, and he was still struggling with that.  Cliff looked down at the dirt for a few moments.  He had spent nights dreaming about the two of them working side by side, an unstoppable team making Mystic Acres the most beautiful land in the world.  He would stand in the tall, fresh strands of grass, watching the crops wave in the breeze.  Claire would come out of their barn to greet him, the wind playing at her golden hair.  He would say hello with a soft kiss; her lips would be as sweet as the juicy apples growing from their tree.  They would harvest the vegetables, plow new sections of the dirt for the next set of seeds, and plant into the early evening - taking breaks under the shade with cool water and lovely company.  As the sun was falling, they’d look out at their property with pride, grateful that they had a day to work together as they watched the vivid colors of the sky paint their farm.  They’d walk back to the house, hand in hand.  Dinner would be simple but delicious and punctuated with laughter and stories.  After eating, they’d settle in for the night, but they’d need to do something about their uncomfortable, sweaty work clothes first…

“… Cliff?” Claire’s voice was soft, but it had startled him so much that he jumped. She gave him a rueful smile.  “Ah, I-I’m sorry…  I didn’t mean to pressure you.  If you don’t want to, I understand.”  Her eyebrows were furrowed in worry despite her kind tone.  Her throat tightened; she had really thought that this would be a good opportunity for the both of them…

“I would love to,” he replied as if it were the simplest decision he had made in his life. He shook the silly fantasies from his head as he focused on her.  “Let’s help each other.”  His face lit up as he placed a hand on her shoulder.  He took her hand in his free one and ran his thumb along her knuckles, admiring the calluses that had been forming since spring.  She noticed his gaze and shyly looked away, feeling self-conscious about her less-than-dainty hands.  “You’re a hard worker, Claire,” he said in reply to her reaction.  She looked back up at him and was taken aback by the wide-eyed gaze he was giving her.  “But…  Everyone needs help sometimes.  And… that’s okay.”

She nodded. “ _Everyone_ does.”  She slipped her hand out of his and began to add more tomatoes to her basket.  Cliff grinned and eagerly joined her.

After all, he wasn’t alone anymore, and neither was she.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I was planning on Kai’s birthday luau being a one-chapter ordeal… haha, yeah, right! Well, I hope you’re all looking forward to a crazy party with lots of action and fun! See you at the next chapter, and thank you all for your support, as always!


	61. Spiked Punch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aloha! Welcome to the chaos of Kai's birthday luau! Old rivalries, flirtations, surprise guests, unexpectedly low necklines, and don't forget Karen's famous spiked punch!

Claire brushed out her hair and studied her reflection in the mirror. Cliff had gone back to the inn around an hour ago so that both of them would have time to clean up and get dressed for the evening’s events.  The floral printed dress she had purchased from Won was surprisingly comfortable, although the neckline was a bit lower than she was anticipating.  It was decidedly more grown up than the dress she had worn a few weeks ago to the dance.  She smoothed out the skirt and admired the way the bottom puffed out a bit; it was a very pretty dress, she decided with a nod.  The young woman added a light coat of makeup with a grin.  If she didn’t know any better, she would think she was getting ready for a date.  She knew Karen had been kidding when she told her to look cute as her present, but after the bargain she made with Cliff, she was so excited and happy that her heart was full of joy and she wanted to look her best, not really caring who approved of the way she looked other than herself.  Her face lit up as her eyes traveled to the burlap sack full of tomatoes waiting by her door.  She hoped Kai liked tomato juice, tomato sandwiches, or tomato salad – he would probably be eating a lot of them before the season was over.

As she buckled up her new sandals, she remembered that the invitation list was open. Would all of Mineral Town be at the beach shack tonight?  Maybe she’d get to speak with some people she hadn’t seen around lately.  Her heart pounded with excitement at the thought as she grinned at her reflection once more.  She blinked in surprise at her own behavior.  At what point did she actually start to look forward to spending time with people?  It seemed like only yesterday that Trent was giving her medical advice for her social anxiety issues.  Claire shook her head; all of the excitement from working with Cliff had made her giddy and silly.  She bit her lip.  Why shouldn’t it, though?  Why did a change in her behavior have to be a bad thing, and why did she have to dismiss it?  She allowed the grin to spread back across her entire face as she continued to get ready, her heart throbbing in her chest.

It was much more fun to have this mindset, she realized.

0o0o0o0                            

“Hey, Popuri, you look super cute today. Ah, here you go!”  Kai looped a lei of flowers over her pink head, letting out a hearty laugh.  “Consider yourself lei’d by yours truly!  Aloha and welcome!”  The color immediately drained from his face when an older version of the girl walked into the beach shack behind her giggling daughter.  He had not expected Lillia to show up for the party, as she rarely left the house, and he had always been determined to leave a good impression on her. _So much for that…_ “Oh, Goddess!  Er, I, um…  Just a stupid joke in poor taste!  I-I meant no disrespect!”  His blood ran cold as he rubbed his arm, averting his gaze.  He cursed himself under his breath for not paying attention to whether or not Popuri had brought someone along with her.

“I’m not without a sense of humor, Kai,” Lillia’s sweet voice replied, shaking her head so that her cotton candy locks bounced. “Happy birthday.  I brought some deviled eggs to share with everyone.”  She held up a covered dish in offering and gave him a small pout as if she was waiting for something.  “Are you telling me I’m too old to get lei’d by a handsome young man such as yourself?” She let out a soft chuckle.  “I’m probably younger than you think.”  He thought he saw her give him a quick wink.

“Ah, let me guess… Are you twenty-nine?” A relaxed smile found its way on Kai’s lips as he slipped another lei over Lillia’s head.  He heard an exasperated sigh behind her and knew that he should have checked for more guests.  Once more, his mood deflated.

“Happy birthday.” Rick’s voice was so flat and unenthusiastic that Kai couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for being born on this particular day.  He awkwardly held out a bowl.  “Eggs.”  A dozen eggs in brown shells were tidily nestled in the bowl.

A pair of dark eyes widened in a combination of surprise and amusement. Did Rick think he wouldn’t know what they were?  Was he implying that he thought Kai was an idiot?  The young man pushed the thought from his head; Rick wouldn’t be that rude in front of his own mother, would he?  “Uh… thanks.  So…” Kai accepted the wooden bowl and looked at Rick in confusion.  Was he expecting them to be served in the buffet line? “Are they raw, or…?”

Rick pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and slapped his forehead in frustration, annoyed that Kai could be so stupid. He wasn’t sure if he was intending on playing mind games with him, but he wasn’t in the mood. _Is he trying to egg me on?_ He let out an annoyed groan at his own wordplay; Popuri had been trying to incorporate more puns in her language ever since she went to Ann’s birthday party.  They were usually pretty bad, and she always said them with a really thick backwoods accent.  What had happened that night, anyway?  Rick shook the thoughts from his head; he was getting distracted.  His eyes curiously drifted back to Kai, who was looking down at the bowl of eggs, a genuinely puzzled look on his face.  He looked back up at Rick and said nothing – no doubt he had read Rick’s annoyed grunt from as directed at himself.  Rick debated whether to answer his question or not; saying nothing would leave Kai in a defensive mode, which was something that Rick was typically more than happy to do.  Determined to remain mature, not only for his mother, but for Popuri and Karen as well, Rick removed his hand from his forehead.  “They’re spa-boiled.  I made them this afternoon.”  He managed to keep his voice level and even attempted to smile.  It ended up looking like more of a grimace, but it was a start.

“Oh! Well, thank you.”  Kai placed the plates on the buffet table, avoiding Rick’s gaze.  “Come on in and make yourselves at home.  There’s plenty of food and dancing.”  A record was playing and a few people were moving to the beat.  A few guests were helping themselves to refreshments.

Popuri stifled a giggle and cleared her throat. The excitement in the room made her heart pound.  She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to read something on the back of her eyelids.  “Ummm… _H-hau’oli la… ho… ho’omana’o_!  … Yeah!”  Her garnet eyes popped open and she nodded proudly.

Kai’s face lit up at her words and the obvious effort she put into memorizing the Hawaiian phrase for happy birthday. In truth, he didn’t speak much Hawaiian back at home, but he knew a few key phrases.  “ _Mahalo_!  Thank you!”

The young woman nodded giddily and blushed fiercely. Suddenly overcome by shyness in behaving this way in front of her family, she pulled her mother by the arm to the table of food and Rick lingered behind, nervously rubbing his arm.  Kai feebly held out a lei to him.  After all, he would be a poor host if he didn’t treat all of his guests with the same hospitality.  “Uh, you want a…?”

A sharp look made the young man nearly drop the necklace. “I only came because Mom was insistent.  Don’t get any ideas.”  Rick averted his gaze, focusing on his girlfriend dumping bottles of alcohol into a punch bowl.  She looked up and gave him a wave and wink before continuing her pouring, implying she would get with him as soon as she was finished.  Lillia turned around and shot her son a sweet smile that Kai noticed had a sternness behind it, as if commanding him to behave himself.  Rick snatched the lei out of his hand and threw it around his neck.  “Fun.”  He was determined for his mother to have a good time tonight.

His eyes traveled around the room. He hadn’t actually set foot inside of the building before.  It was a nice enough setup – it had an open kitchen and counter for taking orders and a few tables for those who chose to dine in.  His gaze focused on the décor.  It was a bit tacky for his tastes; the fishing nets hanging from the ceiling were a bit unnecessary and the mural of ocean waves made him roll his eyes. 

He was busy staring at a poster of a tropical penguin when he spied Gray standing in the corner with Mary. The young man’s pale blue eyes were focused on Rick and he felt his blood run cold.  He was well aware that Gray and Kai were best friends and having him stand in the background was a little intimidating.  Rick wasn’t necessarily on the best terms with him, mainly because he was so close with Kai.  The second reason was that Rick performed routine maintenance on their machinery at the poultry farm and Gray’s services weren’t needed.  Rick hid a smirk; Gray liked to think that just because he had worked in the city as an appliance repairman, he was the only one in Mineral Town who knew how to operate and fix machines.  Their eye contact broke when Rick heard his mother over near the kitchen.

“Fresh juice pops? Sounds really good,” Lillia was leaning over the counter with Popuri to read the menu of the daily specials.

“They’re really yummy,” her daughter replied enthusiastically. “He adds a little bit of honey to make them super sweet and tasty.”

“Maybe I’ll have to come sometime when he’s open for business and have one with you.”

Popuri’s face lit up. Her mother hadn’t mentioned stepping out of the house since the cooking festival back in spring.  When she requested that the whole family go to the luau tonight, her children couldn’t have been happier.  Even Rick had a hard time not being excited for her desire to move around and get some fresh air.  She had spent a lot of time lately bedridden, so this change was more than welcome.

“Kai, you’ve created a nice relaxing atmosphere here,” Lillia commented, smiling at the ocean waves painted on the walls.

While he was glad to see a happy expression on his mother’s face, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. She hadn’t been into the hen houses to see Rick’s work and comment on it, and hearing her do that for Kai hurt a little.  “I would think that spending all of your time on the beach would do that, seeing as you get a summer vacation all year round.”  He couldn’t help himself.

There was a very strained silence as Kai’s mouth moved into a thin line. His eyebrows began to furrow ever so slightly.  It was hardly a secret that Rick thought Kai only goofed off on the beach all day, and he could feel that an argument was brewing.  Just because he knew how to relax and did what made him happy gave Rick no right to judge the way he lived his life.  His brown eyes moved toward Lillia and he pushed down his frustration.  Kai would not give him the satisfaction of making a scene at an event he was hosting.  He shot the bespectacled man a warning look and got one in exchange, as if to suggest that he had started the commotion.  Kai let out a sigh of relief when Rick turned away to watch Karen dump an entire bottle of peach schnapps in the punch bowl.

The brunette pulled the cork out of another bottle and continued to pour. “Be sure to drink up.  I was generous enough to bring _two_ things tonight!”

Cliff wandered over to the table with Ann and his blue eyes traced the punch bowl along with the rather small bowl of curry dip beside it. “That whole pot of curry dip from this morning fit into that small bowl?” he teased, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.  After seeing Karen drinking it from a shot glass that morning, he had a feeling that she and Ann had polished most of it off shortly after he left the inn with Claire.

“We don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ann replied, giving the young man a nudge in the ribs. She took a paper plate from the end of the table and grinned.  “Okay, everyone.  Slap a bib on me and watch out!”

Karen laughed and gave them a friendly nod, leaving to accompany Rick and diffuse the tension she was sensing. She didn’t do so before pouring herself a rather large glass of punch, taking a large swig, and topping it off once more.

Cliff took a plate of his own and followed Ann, trying to keep from drooling at the wide variety of food. A large bowl of Lomi Lomi Salmon that he had prepared with Claire that morning at on the table beside a slow cooker full of roasted pork, and plates of sweets and snacks covered the surface of the buffet.  To say that he wasn’t excited to try a bit of everything would be a lie.  Before he could get too engrossed in filling his plate with food, his ears perked up at a sudden sound.

The cowbell on the beach shack’s doorknob clanked, signaling another guest at the party. Claire pushed open the door and Kai bounded over to greet her, giving her a warm hug after she set the bag of tomatoes on the floor.  Cliff watched his friend as Kai placed a lei around her neck and gave her a gentle twirl, complimenting her on her appearance.  Cliff’s lips curled into a warm smile as he watched her; she truly was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  His eyes traveled over her golden sheets of hair and bright sapphire eyes, quickly moving over her feminine curves before being drawn to a new feature – a bit of cleavage peeking out of the top of her breezy cotton dress.  He had never seen her wear the garment before, and she looked comfortable and natural.  The overall look was such a staunch difference compared to her usual flannel and denim, but he found that he rather liked it as his eyes lingered.

“Hey, you wanna pick your jaw off of the floor before she catches you?” Ann nudged him and his face went scarlet as he nearly knocked over his glass of punch on the table. “Wow, you’re no better than a teenage boy.”  She slapped another spoonful of slow cooked pork onto his plate with a loud plop and gave him a meaningful look.  “Don’t let your eyes do all the feasting.  You better pile up your plate and tuck in.  You’re looking hungry today.”

Despite the fact that she had quickly changed the subject to that of food, Cliff couldn’t help but feel a sharp sting of guilt for shamelessly staring at their friend like that. Silently promising himself it wouldn’t happen again, he shot Ann a pout as she impatiently gestured at the buffet.  Within the last few days, he could swear Ann was attempting to fatten him up like an animal for slaughter.  She wouldn’t let him leave the inn without at least a bun or piece of toast despite his refusals, and when he returned in the evening, she had left an offering of leftovers from the kitchen on the small table beside his bed.  In some ways he didn’t mind; he was able to sell everything he foraged and caught and live completely off of her little gifts of food.  However, a slow, yet steady wave of guilt had begun to rise up within him.  He couldn’t keep taking from everyone.  Wasn’t that the reason why he had started this whole journey in the whole place?  “I can get my own food.  I’m an adult, after all.”  His eyes widened as he said this statement aloud.  What was he referring to, really – the buffet table or his overall need for independence?

She shot him a grin as she loaded up her plate with a few rolls and some pork. “Using one of Gray’s favorite lines, I see.  Don’t get sassy with me.” 

At her giggle, he relaxed a bit; tonight was about celebrating with Kai. After spending a few months with his new roommate, Cliff had quickly learned that Kai had a very warm, welcoming way about him.  The whole party revolved around everyone sharing what they had and there was no need for him to feel self-conscious.  When he jokingly gave her an overdramatic scoff, Ann giggled and stuffed a sweet bun in his mouth as she popped another one in her own, their laughter muffled by the melon bread as they looked at each other.

Claire approached them at the buffet table; she giggled at the sight of her two friends carrying the food in their mouths as they acknowledged her with nods. Her heart felt light.  The room was decorated with vibrant colors and relaxing ukulele music was playing on Kai’s record player.  With a playful smile, she joined them as she prepared up her plate with delicious things to eat.  There was a wide array to choose from, and she could see that Ann was taking full advantage of this, a plate in each hand.  Claire opened her mouth to say hello to them and Ann immediately stuffed a bun into her mouth in greeting.

Her heart swelled at the generous offerings from the people of Mineral Town. There was meat, fresh produce, and no shortage of sweets.  She spotted the dish she had made with Cliff that morning and felt grateful to be able to be part of it all.  Claire was reminded of the old widower who lived down the hallway at her apartment complex in the city who would share leftovers with her.  It had been such a relief to have one kind soul in the lonely city.  She now realized she had moved into a town where everyone looked out for each other and celebrated together.  Maybe she would mention that in the letter to her parents.  Perhaps they would finally write back.  She wasn’t crazy for enjoying it here and wanting to live a different kind of life, she insisted to herself with a slight frown.  She wasn’t wrong wishing to do something that wasn’t necessarily the same as the rest of her family.  Claire nodded to herself as she took a seat at a table next to Ann and Cliff.  She would write another letter to her parents real soon…

“So you’re Cliff’s boss now?” Ann shoveled a forkful of pork into her mouth and used her melon bread to mop up the juices from the meat. She had a methodical approach to the way she ate, always seeming to be in a hurry and consume her food as efficiently as possible.

Claire shook her head as she carefully loaded her fork with Lomi Lomi Salmon, the thought of her unhappy parents slowly fading from her mind. “I don’t really see it as an employee/boss relationship.  He’s helping me and I’m helping him.  We’re more like partners.”  A smile crept across her face at the notion.  “Right, Cliff?”

Being referred to as her partner sounded very nice to him. He looked up from his plate with rosy cheeks.  “Yeah, partners.” _Maybe someday we could be more than just work partners_ … his cheeks burned as his eyes quickly moved back down to his food, and his hammered in his chest at the very thought.  Cliff swiftly shook the ideas from his head; it was becoming increasingly difficult to refrain from daydreaming and fantasizing about Claire.  If he kept this behavior up, she was going to start wondering what was wrong with him.  He shyly looked back up and saw her take a bite from a piece of mochi, watching him with kind, interested eyes, her earlier worries about her parents a faraway memory.  Her face lit up at his gaze and her smile grew.  He looked over at Ann and felt a wave of relief to see that she had been so focused on her food that she didn’t notice his awkward behavior.

Claire noticed that Cliff’s face was rather pink and she realized with embarrassment that she had been staring at him once again. She wiped her mouth and sat back in her chair, looking around the room.  Karen and Rick were sitting with Popuri and Kai, the girls in animated conversation while both of the men sat silently.  Manna, Sasha, and Anna were seated at a table, their loud conversation peppered with giggles.  Mary and Gray were talking to Harris, who was frowning and sighing at the door as the cowbell clanked once again, revealing a swaggering Thomas carrying a bowl of macaroni salad, clad in a loud Hawaiian shirt.  As always, the mayor never removed his red top hat, and it somehow coordinated with the hibiscus flowers on his shirt.  Kai looked visibly relieved to get up from his seat across from Rick to greet his new guest.

“Ah, Mayor! I’m… surprised to see you here.”  Kai held out a lei to his guest and Thomas eagerly leaned his head forward to receive it.

“Of course I’m here! I came to bop with the cool kids!”  He gave an emphatic nod as his eyes traveled across the room.  “You have a good crowd… _If only we could get this many people to show up for the festivals…_ ” he muttered under his breath.

Kai added the bowl to the table and looked at him curiously. “What was that?”

Thomas laughed a little more loudly than he meant to. He hardly wanted to call attention to the fact that he was unable to attract people to his own events.  “Ah, nothing!  Well, I guess it’s time to dig in, eh?”

“Sure, help yourself,” Kai gestured toward the buffet. He found himself unable to keep from watching the mayor in amazement.  A lot more people had shown up for the party than he was expecting.  The tension he had felt earlier from Rick began to fade.  Maybe he was more liked than he originally thought.  He allowed a smile to appear back on his face and relaxed a bit.  This was a party, after all; he wasn’t sure why he allowed Rick to let him think that he needed to stay on his guard.

0o0o0o0

Kai put on a fresh record and the people in the room began to sway to the relaxing beat. He gracefully twirled Popuri, her skirts fanning out in a flourish.  Claire was hardly surprised to see Mary shyly looking up at her boyfriend who was rather pink in the face as he offered her his hand.  She found that this didn’t upset her too much the moment she felt a soft touch.  Cliff didn’t say anything, but he covered her hand with his, silently asking if she wanted to dance.  A grin crept across her face as she remembered once again what a beautiful shade of blue those eyes were and her heart pounded in excitement at the fun memories she had of them dancing not too long ago.

“Ah, Claire! I’ve been hoping to get some time with you this evening!”  Thomas huffed over and shot her a grin.  His eyes apologetically moved toward Cliff when he noticed that they seemed to be in wordless conversation.  “Oh, of course I can always come back later! _No biggie_ , as the kids say it. _It’s all good in the hood_ …  It’s _a’ight~_ …”  Claire cringed as he stroked his moustache, trying to think of more slang to share.  It was fair to assume he had already had a generous helping of Karen’s famous spiked punch.

Cliff’s eyes met hers and he gave her an apologetic look as he silently asked her to comply with Thomas’s request, letting go of her hand. “You wanted to talk about something?” Claire gave him a polite, yet stilted smile.

The mayor’s eyes were drawn to the dancers. He was determined to be part of the action; he would show the people of his town that he knew how to have a good time.  “We can dance and talk at the same time, if you’d be willing.”  He offered her his hand after getting a polite nod from Cliff.

“Ah, sure.” She took his hand and he led them out to the floor, bobbing his head to the music.

Cliff couldn’t help but notice that Thomas looked rather proud of himself for having such a beautiful woman on his arm. He bit back a frown; he had planned on being the one at her side, and he knew that such wishes were not only immature, but unreasonable.  He turned his eyes to the ground and his cheeks burned with embarrassment.  He was getting far too willful about staying so close to Claire.  What made him think she wanted to spend so much time with him anyway?  He was only flattering himself…

“Ah, tough luck. Looks like she prefers a guy with more social status.”  Ann laughed when Cliff rolled his eyes at her comment.  She gave him a playful nudge in the ribs.  “Aw, c’mon, I was just teasing.  Wanna get some more food?”  She didn’t wait for an answer as she pulled him by the wrist to the refreshments table.  Her friend seemed deep in thought, so she did what she normally did when he remained quiet – she kept the conversation peppy and upbeat.  “Kai knows how to throw a good party, huh?  All the snacks you could want, good music, friends…  Did I mention the food?” she giggled.

A small smile appeared back on Cliff’s face. “Only all day.”  He wondered how Ann was hungry again already as poured himself a full glass of punch, oblivious to the mayor nearly flinging his dance partner across the room.

Claire stifled a squeal as she stumbled, startled by her companion’s overzealous dancing.

“Ah, you’ll have to forgive me,” Thomas laughed good-naturedly as he collided with Claire. “I’ve been a widower so long that I’ve lost my sense of grace and rhythm.  I’m afraid I’ve stolen you from a more worthy dance partner.”  His eyebrows rose apologetically.

Although she much rather would be dancing with her best friend, she shook her head. She was sure she could still have a good time.  She smiled as she watched her partner.  Claire was unaware that wagging a finger constituted a dance.  She stifled a giggle as she held her skirt and gently swung her hips to the music.

“I’m really glad that you made it to the Cow Festival, Claire,” Thomas grinned, hopping from foot to foot in a strange manner that didn’t look unlike Rick’s rooster, Morty. “It’s good for the community to have support from the local farms.  Brings everyone closer and whatnot,” he laughed, looking at the other dancers.  He abruptly grabbed Claire by the hips and she let out a surprised cry when they went into a violent spin.  She held his shoulders to steady herself and he laughed heartily.  _Why on earth does Harris think that I would be out of my element at this party? I’ve already talked to half of the guests and am dancing with a very pretty girl._   He gave himself a satisfied nod as he quickly appraised her.  Claire was rather shy, but it was important for her to get involved in local events.  “So, Claire, there’s something I’ve been needing to discuss with you…”

Her blood ran cold and she prayed he wouldn’t bring up the day she moved to Mineral Town. “Y-yes…?”

Cliff watched the mayor twirl his friend with a chuckle. He had been in enough situations with overzealous dancing partners to know the feeling.  When people got drunk at festivals, you could never tell how they were going to act.  He took a sip of punch and his smile faded when he noticed Thomas’s eyes briefly flick to a particular part of Claire’s body before swiftly moving upward and replying to something she had said with a pleased grin.  Whether the slip of the eyes was intentional or not, Cliff could feel his blood boiling.

“Whoa… what’s eating you, Cliff?” Popuri approached the table and gave him an innocent giggle.  “You’re staring daggers at _someone_ over there…”

Cliff’s face flushed immediately. It was unlike him to be so overt with his more aggressive side.  “Ah, I was just deep in thought,” he laughed nervously.  He took the ladle to the punch bowl.  “Would you like me to pour you some?”

Popuri shook her head with a wince and filled her glass with pineapple juice. “After Ann’s party, I don’t think I ever want to drink alcohol again.  The next day just isn’t worth it.”

He spotted Gray gesturing him to come over with the cock of his head. Cliff excused himself and joined his roommate, a sour feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.  Their friendship had been strained since he started dating Mary.  Cliff had remained very quiet about the whole situation, but Gray would have preferred it if he had broken down and told him exactly what he thought of his behavior, even if it was similar to the curse-laden tirade from Karen.  The two men had only really spoken to each other when it was necessary, and a heaviness hung in the air amid their silences.

“Nice flowers.” Cliff looked up at his baseball cap.  A lei had been wrapped around it, no doubt in an attempt to make it look more masculine.  The result looked utterly ridiculous.

Gray smiled at the positive interaction. The two stood quietly as they watched the others dance.  Cliff spotted Elli and Mary chattering with the group of married women.  He looked back at Thomas and frowned.  The young man was startled by a low chuckle.

“Ah, don’t tell me you’re jealous of him,” Gray teased, slapping him on the back a little harder than he meant to. “You wish you were shaking fingers with Claire, huh?”

He cringed in response. “When you say it like that, it sounds dirty.  N-no!  I… just… it’s… well…”  He turned pink and wrung his hands as he watched them dance.  In truth, he didn’t mind that she was spending time with others; his main problem was with the mayor’s potentially wandering gaze.  “H-his eyes are level with… ah… um…”  Cliff turned away, flustered.

Gray took a deep swig from his beer as he watched the pair and saw what his friend was referring to. “Ah, his height gives him prime viewing of Claire’s… er… _bountiful harvest_.”  He sniggered when Cliff backhanded him; he would have been a little concerned if he hadn’t responded that way.  A grin spread across his lips.  Perhaps this was the first sign of the two of them becoming more comfortable around each other again.  It felt like an eternity since the two of them had shared in a meaningful conversation.  Ever since Gray had been honest with his feelings about Claire, Cliff had been so cold toward him.  “Ah, c’mon!  You think that you’re the only one who is allowed to look?”

Cliff went from pink to red. He didn’t like Gray pointing out the obvious fact that both of them had already snuck a peek or two and it made him uncomfortable.  “I-It’s not like that!  I-I haven’t been looking!” Cliff insisted.

Gray snorted and folded his arms across his chest. “You’re such a bad liar.  Your voice gets higher at the end of your sentences when you’re lying.”  He was grateful that he hadn’t picked up on the fact that Gray’s eyes had accidentally wandered there as well.  An innocent glance could be considered a mortal sin in a defensive Cliff’s eyes.

“N-no it doesn’t!” The young man shook his head, face burning.  He could hear the notes in his own voice change and he stared at the floor in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck.  A pang of dirty guilt settled in his stomach.  While he found Claire attractive, he hadn’t meant to stare at her like she was an object.

A satisfied smirk was written over Gray’s expression. He was back in a position where he could tease Cliff and wasn’t met with awkward silence; it was incredibly encouraging.  His gaze drifted toward Mary and Elli on the other side of the room and was grateful to his girlfriend for insisting he try to talk to his roommate and patch things up.  “And now you’re lying about lying,” he continued with a playful leer.

“Quit acting like a child,” Cliff sighed, shuffling his feet shyly as he realized his over-embarrassment qualified as immature behavior as well.

He was met with a grin. “But it’s so much fun!”  When he was given a semi-playful scowl in response, his smile faded a little bit.  “Hey… it’s… nice to laugh with you again.”  His face flushed with color.  He wasn’t much for speaking about friendship or feelings, and it embarrassed him.  “I was kind of afraid…”  Gray paused and tugged on the bill of his cap.  There had been a time early in their relationship where Gray didn’t care if Cliff never spoke to him; as a matter of fact, he had preferred it.  “Ah, I-I mean…  I didn’t want to lose my best friend… over something so stupid, you know?”

Hearing Gray talk about emotions was definitely a new development, no doubt brought on by his relationship with Mary. Cliff looked at his roommate curiously.  The sharp, cutting words when they first met, his obvious displeasure at having to share a living space with him…  “You see me as your best friend?”

He felt even more embarrassed; Gray stared up at the ceiling. “Sure, dumbass.  I’m not such a bad friend that you couldn’t pick up on that, am I?”  Despite his chuckle, the young man’s eyes had a sadness to them.

Cliff wasn’t sure how to reply. While he had friends here in Mineral Town, it had been such a long time since he had lived somewhere and interacted with the residents.  He gave a weak shrug and was met with a weak punch on the arm.  A smile found its way on his lips.  Things had changed so much since moving here, and he had been reminded of what good friends he had several times today.  People genuinely cared about him.  It had seemed like such a novel concept not too long ago.  His eyes turned back toward Claire and Thomas and his heart felt at ease.  The young woman flashed him a quick smile and his entire face lit up.  Cliff found that not only had he learned that people could care deeply for him, but he was able to allow himself to do the same for them in return.

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I have this head cannon that Kai is Hawaiian, so I just decided to go with it. I also picture Thomas wearing his top hat at all times because he doesn’t want anyone to know that he is (gasp!) bald.
> 
> My hope with this section at Kai’s birthday is to jump from conversation to conversation and have it bounce around a lot and feel a little chaotic, giving the feel of a crowded room with a lot of people in it. I hope it turns out to be more than “a’ight”, as Thomas would say.
> 
> As always, thank you all for the reviews, reads, follows, and favorites. Your support is greatly appreciated and I am humbled by the great encouragement from everyone out there! See you in the next chapter!
> 
> Edit: After receiving a review where someone expressed Cliff felt a little out of character, I read this chapter again and I can see what they meant. I combed back through it and toned it down a bit. While I didn’t keep Cliff completely innocent, I hope I was able to make his interactions feel a little more consistent. I do appreciate all reviews, positive and negative, as I am trying to improve my writing. Thanks again!


	62. Allowing More than Just Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More chaos ensues as the party guests continue to drink and socialize. Claire finds herself in a conversation with the last person she wants to speak with, and the dialogue becomes her worst nightmare...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Welcome Back! Hope you’re looking forward to more embarrassing party goers, delicious party food, and, as always, don’t forget the fan service!

“I wasn’t sure if you were aware of the Harvest Festival coming up in the middle of fall.” Thomas bobbed his head to the beat of the music and grinned.

Claire nodded as she swayed her skirt. “Rick had mentioned something about it.  What do I need to do to prepare for it?”  She recalled him saying how the entire town was going to be depending on her and she didn’t want to disappoint.

“Well, we set up a large stock pot in the middle of the town square and everyone brings an ingredient to contribute to the stew. The thing kind of governs itself,” he admitted with a good-natured laugh.  “We never have the same soup twice, as people bring all sorts of things.  That being said, it helps to have a lot of fresh vegetables as the base.  It’s a reaalllly big pot,” Thomas nodded.

Claire understood that she was being asked to donate said vegetables to the festival. “Of course.  What kinds of things are popular to add?”

He gave her a gentler spin this time. “It’s really best if you just bring whatever you feel like, honestly.  The whole festival revolves around people contributing what they have.  Sometimes people don’t have anything to give at all, but we never turn them away.  People like Carter who don’t have much of an income can eat a hot meal and we always send everyone home with leftovers.”

The idea of feeding the people of Mineral Town was very appealing to her and made her very excited. She felt that this was one of her most important duties as a farmer.  Her face lit up.  “I would be honored to participate this year.”

He was glad that she seemed enthusiastic about the event. “I coordinate the festivals in both Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not Valley.  Obviously I can’t be in two places at once, so The Valley will be having their festival the day before ours.  I think it would be good for you to come along with me and get a better idea of how the whole community comes together to participate.  We have a couple of resident farmers there, and I think it would be good for you to get to know them.  Perhaps they could share some trade secrets with you.”

Claire knew that not too long ago, she would have taken this as a pointed comment on her lack of experience. “That sounds really nice.  I met Pete earlier this summer and he’s a nice guy.”

Thomas let out a loud laugh that startled her. “Oh, that Pete’s a scream.  Vesta runs a farm there, too.  Great gal – very friendly.  I think you’ll really enjoy meeting the people from Forget-Me-Not.  I go there every day to pick up the shipments.  Any time you’d like to come along with me, you’re more than welcome.”

She considered the offer. She was more than just a little bit curious about what Pete’s farm looked like.  “Sure, sounds great!”  Her smile grew as excited butterflies flew around in her stomach.  She was going to learn so much…

The young woman’s eyes shifted toward Cliff. He was standing beside Gray, and the two of them appeared to be listening intently to a story Mary was telling; the librarian’s eyes were glowing.  A flash of guilt nearly threw Claire off balance as her face fell, her thoughts about the Harvest Festival disappearing.  Did Cliff avoid Gray and Mary when he was around Claire in order to keep from hurting her feelings?  Was she making him uncomfortable around people he cared about?

Thomas’s words were a mumbled mess to Claire as she fretted over her friend’s feelings. He gave her a hearty clap on the back, snapping her back to reality.  “Great, I’ll see you the day before the festival then!  I think we can expect good things from Mystic Acres!”

“Thank you!” A smile reappeared on Claire’s face as she waved goodbye to the Mayor.  She was immediately approached by Manna, who was returning from the buffet table.

“Claire, sweetie! You are looking simply adorable tonight!  Look at you in that flirty little dress – you look cute enough to eat!  You’re not quite as daring as my Aja was; that girl liked to show a little bit of skin!  Ah, Duke would get so mad, but she sure was pretty…”  She frowned slightly and her eyes moved to the paper plate she was carrying.  Looking to turn toward a more pleasant topic, she focused on the pile of food on the plate.  “Ah, have you tried my ambrosia salad yet?  I added extra coconut and pineapple because I know how Kai likes them.”  She loaded up a forkful and held it in front of the young woman’s mouth.  “Open up, dearie; this dish is one of my best-kept secrets!”

Claire didn’t care for marshmallows unless they were plain or roasted over an open flame, the only exception being fudge. Still, she had a hard time refusing when the fork was shoved in her face, especially when said food was acting as a distraction from Manna’s heartache.  Claire almost wanted to ask what had happened to Aja, but she knew now was not the time or the place.  She took a bite of the food and nodded politely, forcing a smile on her lips.  “Thank you.”

“So glad you could make it tonight,” Manna continued, stirring the remaining salad on her plate and spearing a maraschino cherry. “It’s important to take some time off and enjoy the moment, you know?  I’ve heard you’ve been so busy at the farm with your harvests coming in, so it’ll be good for you to kick back and relax a bit.  Have you seen your young man lately?”  She bit into the fruit, a smug grin playing at her lips.

Claire’s eyes instinctively flew toward Cliff and she shook her head in confusion; she certainly shouldn’t think of him as hers. She recalled the note he wrote her the other day and the manner in which he had signed it and her face immediately warmed.  Her gaze moved toward Gray and she let out a tiny sigh; he most definitely wasn’t hers, she reminded herself. _Wait, why didn’t I look at him first_?  Her focus moved back on Manna’s words and the young woman gulped nervously.  Surely she had taken too long with her response.  “Wh-what do you mean?”

“You know,” Manna bumped her with a sassy hip and leaned in to whisper into her ear, “Your dream man. The good kisser.”

Claire’s eyes widened in surprise as she quickly shook her head. “Ah, no more visits from him!” she laughed anxiously, averting her eyes.  She was wondering if she should begin to regret sharing her dream with her, but Manna seemed to keep her lips sealed on the matter to anyone else.

“Aw, that’s too bad. He might come back to see you; who knows?  Recurring dreams are known to happen, and they are your mind’s way of trying to get you to pay attention to something going on in your life.  And, hey, if he doesn’t show up, no big deal.  Looks like there are plenty of cuties here tonight.  What a lucky time to be a young, single lady, am I right?”

Claire shrugged in response, unsure of why she felt so flustered. “Ah…  I’m surprised Duke didn’t come with you this evening.”  She looked over at Anna and Sasha and couldn’t help but notice that they showed up without their husbands as well.  As a matter of fact, the only couples at the party were Karen and Rick along with Mary and Gray.

Manna laughed. “All of the men are back at the bar, doing their grumpy, manly thing.  Doug’s probably got his hands full with old salts tonight.  Kai’s not exactly the most popular with the male population here in Mineral Town.  Men can get so strange sometimes; it’s like they have this weird pride.  They’re intimidated with Kai’s natural allure.  Ah, men, men, men…”  Manna let out a combination of a sigh and a giggle.  “Oh, well.  Both you and me know that Kai is a sweetheart, otherwise we wouldn’t be here celebrating with him on his big day.”

The young woman nodded. “Yes.  Kai is a really nice person.”  Her eyes wandered to the dance floor and he was gently dancing with Lillia, a nervous Rick sitting nearby as Karen attempted to lure him into distracting conversation.

“Ah, listen to me going on and on! Well, I saw how Thomas snatched you away from your friend.  I’m sure if you just asked Cliff, he’d be more than happy to go down on you.”

It took a moment for Claire to register the words and her eyes popped open, her cheeks burning as she wrung her hands. Surely she had misheard…  “Ah, er… M-Manna?  Wh-what did you say?”

The woman cocked her head toward him. “I said if you asked Cliff, he’d gladly get down with you.  You know, dance.  I’m not as ignorant as Thomas is about lingo.”  She playfully shook her hips to the beat.  “Is the loud music getting to you, you silly girl?”  A smirk played at the corner of her mouth as she observed the bright hue of Claire’s face.  “Did you think I said something else or what?”

The blonde shook her head so violently that her locks got tousled. “Ah, just misheard, that’s all.”  She bade Manna goodbye as she headed in Cliff’s direction, trying to push the woman’s words out of her mind.

0o0o0o0

“Aw, are we being too loud and rowdy?” Ann looked up from her food and whined as Harris entered the establishment.

He shot her a bewildered look. “I… just wanted to have fun with everyone,” he added his contribution of cubed cheeses to the buffet table, wondering if it had been a wise idea to come to the party.  After all, he wasn’t particularly close with anyone here; perhaps he stuck out like a sore thumb…

“The man checks out alright!” the redhead proclaimed with a playful giggle, hurrying over to the table to sample his offering.

“Well, I’d hope so. I got those cheeses from the bazaar over in Zephyr Town.  They’re made with local fresh herbs.  Rosemary, lavender, chives…”  Harris nodded as he perked up a little and took a piece for himself and popped it into his mouth.

“Welcome, welcome!” Kai was once again surprised at his unusual guest list. A smile spread across his face at Harris’s rosy cheeks; it was likely the constable didn’t do much socializing in his age group because of his job.  He wanted to make everyone feel comfortable.  Kai tossed a lei over Harris’s head and he grinned.

“Thank you for the flowers and the kind welcome.” His eyes darted toward Thomas, who was making train noises and loudly referring to himself as _The Party Conductor_.  “I, uh…  I hope my father hasn’t been too much trouble.  He’s been a little… excited since the great turnout at the Cow Festival, and now he won’t stop talking about the Fireworks Festival.”  Harris gave Kai a rueful smile.

“He’s been fine,” Ann popped up behind Kai. “Very entertaining!”  Harris shook his head, embarrassed at his father’s behavior.  He looked up and Ann had thrust a cup of punch in his face, nearly sloshing it out of its vessel.  “Have a drink!  Karen’s spiked punch!”

“You should know better than to offer a policeman drugs at a party, right?” Harris cocked his head at her curiously, a smirk playing at his mouth. “I’m afraid I might have to bring you in.”

Ann’s blue eyes widened in surprise. “Huh?”

He shook his head and let out a gentle chuckle. “Just kidding.”  He took a deep drink of the beverage.  “Wow… you can really taste the vodka, huh?”  He laughed a little harder.  “Karen’s handiwork for sure.”

“You know it!” Ann gave him a playful shove on the arm. She returned to the table and popped a few more pieces of cheese into her mouth.  “This cheese is awesome!  Y’know, we get this really good butter from the farm over in the Valley.  I wonder if they make cheese like this…”

Harris’s face lit up as he took a paper plate and began to fill it with snacks. “Honestly, it’s worth the trip to Zephyr Town.  Their bazaar has all sorts of things you wouldn’t expect.  I got some cookies made with fresh honey and some spicy jerky.”  Ann shoved more cheese into her mouth as she listened with great interest.  Surprised and flattered he had such a spellbound audience, Harris tried to remember some of the other kinds of things he had found there.  “Oh, and kettle cooked popcorn, made to order.  Also, vanilla fudge with real maple syrup…”

Her eyes only grew huger as she imagined the foods in her head. Kai laughed at the pair and turned to Popuri, hoping to catch a bit more time with her.  In truth, he had been seeking her company much more often this summer.  Something about her had changed and he no longer saw her as the sisterly type he had to watch over.  She was playful and cheerful, but there was an extra layer of something to her that he had never noticed before and that he couldn’t quite place his finger on.  Her pink head of hair was painfully easy to spot, and she was sitting beside her mother with a slight frown on her face. 

Lillia was looking rather pale faced as she gave her children and Karen a weak smile. Kai couldn’t help but wonder if his own mother had possessed a similar tender selflessness.  He liked to imagine that they had the same kind eyes and demeanor.  She leaned forward and held her forehead as if in pain.  Kai’s heart stopped for a brief moment and his blood ran cold as he hurried over toward them. 

“You really shouldn’t push yourself, Mom,” Popuri was saying. “A little extra rest tonight will have you feeling better tomorrow.”  She carefully tucked one of Lillia’s pink curls behind her ear and gently touched her forehead with an air of calm experience that Kai had never seen before.  “You don’t feel warm, but let’s not push it, okay?”  Popuri’s voice was gentle as she placed her hand over her mother’s.

“I’ll take you home,” Kai automatically interjected. Now that he had spent some more time with the kind woman and genuinely enjoyed her company, the thought of her going home early made him a little depressed.  The least he could to was help her get home safely.  Perhaps he had pushed her too far when they danced together…

“Don’t be silly, Kai,” Karen replied firmly. “This is your party.  It would be ridiculous if the host left.  “We’ll take her home, right, Poppy?”

“Yeah!” the young woman chimed in, giving Kai a kind smile. “We had a really good time tonight, Kai!  Me and Karen will come back once Mom gets settled in for the night, okay?”

Kai nodded mutely, still wondering if it he was part of the reason she wasn’t feeling well. He watched guiltily as the women helped Lillia stand.

“Thank you for the dance,” she murmured, giving Kai a gentle pat on the shoulder. “It’s been years… since I danced with my dear Roderick…”

“And I’m sure when he returns with your cure you two will have plenty of celebratory dancing to catch up on,” he replied, unsure why his throat was tightening.

Lillia’s eyes became very shiny as she cupped his cheek with her hand. “You’re a good boy, Kai.  Have a wonderful birthday.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Lockard.”

She shook her head and gave him a soft chuckle. “Lillia is fine.  Please call me that.”

Too distracted by the fact that his mother requested that Kai call her by her first name, Rick almost didn’t notice that he hadn’t offered himself to take her home. It definitely beat being stuck here with Kai…  He let out a small sigh as the door closed behind them and he looked around the room. _Well, at least I can hang out with someone else; there are plenty of people here, after all…_

“Did you get a chance to try this? Karen whipped it up; it’s pretty good.”

He didn’t think that Kai of all people would offer him a drink. As his eyes focused on the man in the purple bandana, he felt a wave of shame.  Perhaps he hadn’t been trying hard enough.  He had promised Karen that he would at least try to be open about giving Kai a chance.  “Thanks,” he managed to say with a slight smile.  “I…  I think tonight was good for Mom…  She hasn’t gotten out in a while.”

“Yeah, Popuri said that her health and general mood have taken a turn for the worse since the beginning of the month.” Kai sipped from his own cup.

Rick felt a lump form in his throat. Was Kai aware that date had marked the anniversary of their father leaving to find a cure for her?  “Yeah…  Her mind gets stuck on Dad this time of year…”

Kai was staring out into the crowd to avoid Rick’s gaze. He had a feeling that Lillia wasn’t the only person dwelling on Rod’s absence.  He watched Harris give Claire a gentle twirl before returning her to an eager Cliff’s arms, the constable laughing as Ann made up her own dance moves and joined back up with him.  The four were animatedly talking to each other as they danced.  Kai was glad that they were having a good time; everyone seemed to be.  He looked back over at Rick and realized that he was mistaken.  The young man downed his punch in a similar manner to the way he had seen Karen do when she was upset.  “You’re named after him, aren’t you?  Your father, I mean…”

Rick poured himself another cup of punch and Kai was surprised to see him silently offer to top off his tumbler as well. He set down his cup and thanked him as Rick swiftly refilled it and handed it back to him.  “Yeah…  I used to be so proud of that fact, too…  Everyone says Dad’s a hero for going out to find a cure for Mom.  If he really wanted to be heroic, he would stay by her side while she’s suffering like this.  I can guarantee part of her health problems are caused by the stress of him being gone and hardly keeping in touch.”

Kai frowned. “I guess everyone’s got their own idea of what makes a hero.”

Rick’s instinct was to disagree, but he realized how true Kai’s words were with a small nod. They drank in silence for a couple of minutes, leaning against the buffet table.  Rick reached for a melon bread and peeled the cookie coating off, tossing it into his mouth in a crumbly mess.  He took a large bite of the center, looking out at the crowd.  He ate the way a small child would, and Kai couldn’t help but see a side of him that he never had before.  Perhaps there was more to him than a straight-laced, fun-hating workaholic.  “He may be doing what he thinks is right, but I hope that I am never like him.”

Kai grabbed a paper napkin, wiping up a few drops of punch off of the table and tilted his head at him, a guilty grin crossing his lips. “I guess that makes two of us.  If I ever turn out like my old man, I’d shoot myself.”

The young man finished his bun, dusting the crumbs off of his shirt. He turned toward his companion with a smirk.  “You don’t want to be like him?  Something tells me your dad must be a lot like me, then.”

He was given a snort in reply. “Yeah, actually.”

They both burst into laughter.

0o0o0o0

“Come, now. Everyone loves a tarot reading.  What do you say, girls?  Who should I do first?”  Manna reached into her bag and produced a deck of cards.  As she opened the package and began to shuffle, a single card slipped out of her hand and she let out a squeak in surprise.  It slid across the floor and tapped Cliff’s shoe.  At the sound of the skidding, he curiously bent over to pick it up.  The young man stared at the unusual card, unsure of whether or not it was right side up; it had an odd picture of a man with a glowing halo around his head who was either dancing a jig or hanging upside down from a tree.  Upon standing back up and turning around, he noticed Manna waving to him.  He walked the card back over to her.

“Thanks, sweetie! Which one did you get?”

Cliff flipped the card over once again. “The Hanging Man…?” He had seen people read fortunes before but he never got a good look at the cards.  He studied the image once again, trying to figure out which way it was supposed to go.

“Ah!” Manna’s face lit up. “Which way was it facing when you picked it up?”

He realized he was likely going to get an impromptu fortune read. “Like this.”  He held the card right side up.  “So he’s _supposed_ to be hanging upside down…?”

Manna nodded enthusiastically. “Breaking old behavior and going with the flow to better yourself.  Enduring an unpleasant trial to reach a goal for the greater good.  Looks like something big is in store for you, honey.  You want to take a seat and I can do your reading first?  I could even read your love fortune.  Maybe your soul mate is in this very room!  You never know!”

She wasn’t blind to the way his deep blue eyes wistfully flicked toward the back of a blonde head. He blushed so deeply his ears turned red.  It wasn’t that long ago that he had convinced himself that he was meant to be alone.  “Ah, n-no thank you… It’s kind of you to offer, though…”

“Well, just let me know if you change your mind. Feel free to stop by the winery any time and I can do a reading for you – any kind!  It would be fun to do one for someone new.  My usual clients are all at this table-” Manna gestured with an exaggerated sweeping motion of the arm and knocked over her empty tumbler, which rolled across the floor noisily.  Cliff hurried after it to retrieve it and bent over to grab it.

“Ack, I’m so clumsy! Good thing that was plastic, huh?  Thank you so much, hon!”

“No problem,” he gave her a friendly nod and bid them goodbye before rejoining his friends.

Manna let out a sigh and began to shuffle her cards. Sasha loudly cleared her throat and cocked an eyebrow at her.  Her friend hadn’t hidden the fact that she was clearly checking him out as he bent over to pick up the objects.  “You’re shameless, you know.  The card, fine, I get it; it was an honest mistake.  But was the cup really necessary?”

A devious smirk played at the woman’s lips and she didn’t look up from her cards. To Sasha’s surprise, Manna and Anna spoke in unison.  “Absolutely.”  The two friends gave each other high-fives and collapsed into giggles.

0o0o0o0

“It’s good to see everyone relaxed,” Gray nodded as he looked around the room. Rick was having a civilized conversation with Kai, but it was likely because of Karen and Popuri’s presence.  Harris and Ann were chatting at the buffet table, the young woman loading his plate with her famous chocolate cookies despite his gentle protests.  Thomas was leading a conga line, a slightly tipsy Anna resting her hands low on his hips rather than his waist or shoulders.  Sasha and Manna had joined the party train, all laughing a little too loudly to be sober. _And Grandpa had reminded_ me _not to make a fool of myself tonight…_ Gray rolled his eyes.  “Yeesh, get a load of _Thomas the Dank Engine_ over there,” he cocked his head in the direction of the mayor with a smirk. Cliff shook his head in disapproval and Claire was surprised to see Mary give her boyfriend a stern glare. 

“I thought we discussed that word,” her voice didn’t lose its sweetness, but that was part of what made it so threatening. Claire vaguely wondered if Anna scolded her daughter the very same way.  “I know that may be a term that you picked up from the city, but you are using it incorrectly.”  The librarian turned toward the blonde and gave her a quick playful wink.  “Claire is from the city, but she knows how to speak properly.  Maybe you should follow her example, Gray.”

It was at this moment that Claire realized for the first time in a long while that Gray lacked the accent she associated with a majority of the inhabitants of Mineral Town. She wondered how far away his city had been from hers and realized with a bit of sadness that the topic could have been something for them to bond over.  He wasn’t hers, she reminded herself and her heart began to drop a bit.

She was disrupted from her thoughts when Gray burst into laughter and Mary gave him a playful pout, lightly punching his arm as she attempted to stifle a giggle.

Elli rolled her eyes as everyone laughed. “Really, you two act like an old married couple already.”

Married… Claire hadn’t even given thought about the two considering marriage.  How would she cope with it?  How could her heart stand to see Gray with a joyful gleam in his eyes, knowing that someone else was able to give that to him and she couldn’t?  Would she notice the moment there was one fewer blue feather in the case at Jeff’s shop?  Claire’s laughter died off and was thankfully unnoticed, but she had blocked out the rest of the conversation.

Mary’s face flushed a bit. “Really, Elli, you’re getting too far ahead of yourself.  You need to read something else other than those romance novels at the library.”

“Yeah, you should try a good wartime story!” Gray piped up, looking at his girlfriend with the kind, warm eyes that he had been hesitant to show in public up until now. “Or you can be lame like Cliff and read nothing but field guides.”

His roommate folded his arms across his chest. “There’s nothing wrong with doing a little research on what’s growing around here.  Besides, that’s what your father came to Mineral Town to study, right, Mary?”  He was too focused on defending his reading selection to notice Claire’s pale face as she quietly backed away.

“Exactly,” the librarian gave him a grateful nod. “There are a lot of different things to read other than romance, though, Elli.  Hey, Claire, what do you like to…?”  Her voice trailed off as they noticed she was no longer standing with them.

0o0o0o0

She hated that she had come out here, but she would much rather do this than cry in front of everyone inside. She thought that she had a better handle on things…

Claire stood on the beach, watching the sun slowly dip in the sky as the darkened water’s roar attempted to melt her heartache and worries. There was a building full of people behind her, but suddenly she felt incredibly lonely.  Her throat tightened as she focused her gaze on the horizon.

She thought that she didn’t mind seeing the two of them together. Their warm, wordless exchanges were to be expected, and for Claire to be jealous of them for this was simply immature.  However, that didn’t completely stop her from feeling that way.  She had done so well at Ann’s birthday party, and she had come such a far way from Gray’s initial confession that he didn’t have any romantic feelings toward her.

Why did it hurt so much _now_?  She felt as ragged as she did the day she had heard those fateful words.  Her throat tightened, her face burned, and there was an uncomfortable throbbing in her chest.  Mary had even attempted to steer the conversation away from her relationship with Gray, but it had been too late; Claire’s heart had already shattered.  Her own weakness infuriated her.  Why did she still let the situation have this kind of power over her?

A light touch at her arm broke her spell. The tightness in her chest loosened as she felt Cliff’s calloused hand softly brush against her.  She wondered if he was expecting some sort of explanation for her childish behavior, but the kind gaze he gave her washed away her fears.  Claire gave him a sad smile and looked back at the waves.  He gently intertwined his arm with hers the way she did to comfort him.  His fingertips tenderly grazed her knuckles as the ocean breeze played with their hair, sunny golden strands twisting with rich chocolaty brown.  They stood in silence for a few minutes, watching the waves roll in and crash on the beach.

The young woman’s throat tightened as she found her words. “I just…  I wanted so badly for him to feel the same way about me as I do for him…”  Claire gave Cliff a sad smile as she let out a humorless laugh.  “It’s kind of hard to just forget about him when he’s _everywhere_.  I guess that’s what I get for moving into such a small town.”  Claire gazed out at the water, grateful for her friend’s presence and willingness to listen to her problems.  “But really…” her voice broke as she tucked a blonde lock behind her ear, letting out a relieved sigh as his kind fingers brushed her other hand, “the hardest part – perhaps this makes me selfish – it’s… seeing him so much happier…  w-without me.”  Claire’s voice cracked as she hung her head in shame. 

Cliff said nothing, but continued to stroke her arm in a soothing manner. He was reminded of their frequent visits to the church and they would sit in silence, simply existing together.  The very action of being beside another soul was comforting for him, but he realized that it wasn’t for everyone and it didn’t work for all situations.  Expressing her frustration aloud seemed to work for Claire.  He vaguely wondered if he should be more open about talking about his own emotions in general, but quickly tucked the thought away; this wasn’t the time for those kinds of worries.

Claire had found her voice once more, and Cliff was a bit relieved that she hadn’t been waiting for some kind of reply. “He… seems so much friendlier and warmer, and he actually seems to have a sense of humor now...” she exhaled deeply.  “It hurts because I’m seeing new things in him that I like, but I know that I can’t have him.”  Claire turned toward her friend and frowned.  Her body language suddenly suggested less pain and more irritation.  “Is it just me, or did he suddenly change around everyone?”

Cliff hesitated before answering. He didn’t want to hurt her, but as her friend, he felt that he owed her the truth.  He shook his head.  “He didn’t suddenly change.  He actually jokes around with us guys a lot.  I think…” Cliff paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.  He didn’t necessarily want to defend Gray, but he wanted Claire to see that he wasn’t intentionally trying to harm her.  “He just… didn’t know how to act around you.”

She balled up her fists. “All I ever wanted was for him to be comfortable around me!  I don’t get it!”  Claire gave a small cry as she shook her head in frustration.

Cliff wished he could help Claire let go of Gray. He longed to tell her that there was already someone who cared deeply for her and would never let her go.  The young man let out a wistful sigh that was disguised by the incoming waves.  He wanted to hold her and tell her how precious she was to him.  He wished he could press his lips against hers and make her understand she was a wonderful woman who deserved all of the love in the world.  He wanted to recreate that beautiful dream he had of her the other night – kissing and giggling after sharing a glass of wine, her falling asleep in his arms…  The frogs and crickets serenading them as they shared their sweet whispers and promises in the dark…

He snapped back to reality as Claire leaned into him, seeking comfort. Cliff put a careful arm around her; she needed love right now, but not the kind he was daydreaming about.  Thinking too deeply about his romantic feelings for her at the moment wouldn’t be fair for Claire.  He wanted to be a mature friend that she could rely on – one that could give her honest advice without his own personal interests getting in the way.

“I wish the amount of effort I put into our relationship would have been worth… _something_.”  Claire’s shoulders slumped as she looked down at the sand.

Cliff almost stated the fact that Gray didn’t dislike her, but he remembered his roommate sharing that she got frustrated when he told her the same thing. He thought of the time his own heart had been shattered and dug deep into himself, struggling to give his feelings words.  He wanted to be able to make her pain simply disappear, but instead he settled on sharing his truths with her.  “Wishing for a reality where your heart gets everything it desires only hurts more.”

Claire knitted her brow and her heart ached. How could he _possibly_ understand what she was feeling?  She turned toward him and her frustration immediately diffused when their eyes met.  While she had seen him serious, pensive, sad, and brooding, she had never seen such misery in his eyes before.

“It just reminds you of what you don’t have… What you _can’t_ have.”  His voice faded into the waves as he let out a melancholy sigh.  He had meant to focus on Claire’s situation, but he couldn’t help but feel depressed over his own pain.

He felt his heart jump into his throat when Claire rested her head on his shoulder and put an arm around his waist. She could sense the experience behind his words.  “Cliff… who broke your heart?”

He longed to tell her what had happened; he ached to tell someone other than Carter his story. He truly wanted Clare to know the truth about him but he hesitated.  Not only was this a story for another day, but he feared that if she knew what he had done she would no longer want to be his friend.  The young man frowned as he looked her in the eye.  Perhaps he was being selfish in not telling her…  “I…  I broke my own, really…  And that’s the pathetic part.”  He shrank back a bit and moved his gaze to the sand, hanging his head in shame; he hadn’t meant to seek pity.  He hoped she wouldn’t press further.

She felt like he was speaking in riddles, but she could tell that he didn’t want to talk any more about it. Claire turned to face him and hugged him around the neck.  Her throat tightened and she found herself blinking away mistiness in her eyes.  “I wish you never have to hurt, Cliff,” she managed to choke out.

She felt a strong hug around her waist. “I could say the same thing about you, too.”  He squeezed his eyes shut, listening to the waves and gulls blending with the beat of the music inside and the indistinguishable chatter and laughter.

“Then let’s allow ourselves to be happy,” she murmured into his shoulder, her long locks tickling his arm.

 _Allow ourselves to be happy…?_ His heart pounded in his chest so violently that he struggled to breathe.  This was all happening so fast.  While the Lomi Lomi Salmon had been delicious, he regretted eating raw onions and smoked fish.  Would she be able to tell he had never kissed before?  He was more than familiar with kissing in his dreams about her, but that hardly counted as real experience.  His palms began to sweat as he moved in a little closer.  What about her knowing the truth about him?  That would surely complicate their romance…  He felt her hips gently sway to the beat of the music and she let out a soft giggle.

“This is how we dance in the city, by the way,” she explained. “Well, one of the more tasteful dances, anyway…  Actually, it’s more like… _this_.”  She slowly shifted her stance from one foot to the other.  “And… if it’s a dance with teenagers and chaperones are present…”  She awkwardly held him out at arm’s length as they slowly hobbled in a circle.

Cliff relaxed, letting out a much louder laugh than he meant to in his relief. He had forgotten to be angry and embarrassed at himself for thinking that she wanted to do something romantic.  “How am I doing?”  He held her away from himself and moved stiffly.

“Perfect!” she giggled with delight as she threw back her head. Claire swiftly removed her lei and doubled it over, resting it on top of her hair like a crown.  She looked back over at her friend to see him quickly averting his eyes to the ground.  She frowned; they had just been having so much fun…  “Is something wrong?”

A shy smile played at his lips as he shook his head. Her heart gave a funny jolt when she realized he was likely watching her.  She let go of his shoulders and took a small step backward, spinning on the ball of her foot, her hair and dress fanning out.  Her smile grew into a grin when she was rewarded with a curious, yet interested look from Cliff.  She felt lighthearted, joyful, free.  There was something so warm, so kind about his gaze that reminded her of their cloud watching session.  That feeling that she was precious and cared for…  She spun again, giggling with delight.

“Are you having fun?” His voice was kind, but it had a teasing edge to it.

She clasped her hands in front of her and nodded, her pain over Gray feeling worlds away. “Lots!”

“Good. It makes me happy to see you smile.”  His eyes quickly focused back up on her face and he was grateful that the poor lighting from the sunset hid his burning cheeks.

Claire bobbed her head again, giddy. She took a small step closer to him and was suddenly aware that she had been holding her shoulders and forearms close to her body to enhance a couple of her more… _feminine_ features in order to attract his eyes, and it had been more than successful.  Instead of being embarrassed, she found herself continuing the behavior.  She was vaguely reminded again that he was a young man at the prime age for seeking a partner.  The thought lingered in her mind and she hadn’t decided how to process it just yet.  To distract herself, she playfully removed his lei and doubled it over as well, creating a crown for him and silently placing it on his head.  Her gaze fixated on the fresh flowers and his smile, both beautiful.  “Me, too…” she murmured, shyly playing with a strand of her golden hair.

He couldn’t stand it anymore. “Claire, you’re so pretty,” he gushed dreamily, staring at her, starry-eyed.  “Such a beautiful person, too…”

Her heart melted at his compliment. “So are you – beautiful and kind.”  She softly stroked his arm and realized with a drunken feeling that she was openly flirting with him.  She wanted to see that warm smile directed at her.  She felt his hand tenderly rest at her waist and she looked out at the waves as they slowly danced on the beach. 

Did his touch always feel this loving? Was he flirting, too?  He seemed to really enjoy the attention she was giving him.  Was he picking up on her attempts to hold his gaze?  Was it really alright for her to be behaving this way around him?  What did she want out of all of this?  Her eyes traced the curve of his lips and she let out a tiny gasp at her own impulses.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly, his voice comforting and smooth. He held her a little closer, his resolve to choke down his romantic feelings quickly unraveling. 

“I’m… _happy_.”  Her heart felt so light and full at the same time.  She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, but it was so unfamiliar and natural to her all at once.

“Me, too.” He gave her a warm grin and found himself nuzzling the crook of her neck before he could stop himself.  She smelled of lavender, sweet cut grass, and tomato plants.  The smell was intoxicating to him, and before he had a chance to scold himself for being so forward, he felt her soft touch cradle the base of his skull.  Something about this closeness felt so intuitive; he stopped panicking at how she’d react, what he should say, or even how far they were going to take this.  For that moment, he was completely at peace, his heart bursting with pure bliss.

Claire let out a contented sigh into his hair. _Endearing, adorable, loving_ – these words bounced in her head.  They slowly swayed to the muffled music and a particularly loud wave broke her trance.  What were they doing?  Were they really just dancing?  The whole activity felt so intimate…  Was she okay with letting herself dance this way with Cliff?  What were his feelings about the whole thing?  Why wasn’t he saying anything?  Had she made things awkward somehow without her knowledge?  Why was she craving his lips on her collarbone?

_Let’s allow ourselves to be happy…_

Her heart jumped into her mouth. What was happiness?  What would fill her with joy?  Cliff softly exhaled into the crook of her neck and a shiver of pleasure ran through her body.  She rested her eyes as she stroked his hair, focusing on the soothing quality and comfort it brought.  A warm glow started in her belly and spread through her whole being.  Drunk on the feeling, she decided to pursue it a bit further.  She held him tighter and he quickly returned the favor, lifting his head to give her an affectionate smile. 

“There are a lot of things to be happy about if we really let ourselves enjoy life. I don’t claim to be an expert on it myself, but it’s worth pursuing.”

Claire realized at one point they had stopped moving to the music. Her lips turned up into a grin.  “You’re right.”  They heard sudden whoops and hollers from inside.

“Sounds like something fun’s going on inside. Wanna check it out?”  His entire face was lit up.

“Sure!” Claire nodded excitedly as they headed back to the shack. She shyly reached for his arm and quickly retracted her hand before she thought he noticed.  Cliff was more observant than she thought, however.  They walked across the sand together, the fading sun hiding the blush in their cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I got to play out a few of my head canons in this chapter. I know someone mentioned in an earlier review (ff.net) that they could imagine Manna doing tarot readings. I already had this scene planned, so that made me really happy, haha! I also like to think that Rick is named after his father. Rod + Rick = Roderick. Just a little sentimental snippet in there. FYI, the surname Lockard means protector, which I thought suited this family well. I also like to think that Harris is a little bit older than most of the marriage candidates by about 5-10 years (I’m imagining him in his early thirties) and doesn’t have all that many people to socialize with in town, so while he’s not shy, he’s not exactly a social butterfly.
> 
> I’d like to thank you all again for taking the time to read and provide your input on my work. I really put a lot of hours (read: days, weeks, months – actually I started drafting this over a year ago!) into this story and it truly makes me happy to see that others are getting enjoyment out of it. You guys are the best!


	63. Fathers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas has a heart to heart with his son. As the party dies down, Cliff and Kai reflect on their own fathers.

The wine bottle spun loudly on the table as the people standing around it cheered and laughed. Kai attempted to look concerned, but a grin was plastered over his face.  “Please, please, please be a cute girl…”

Anna’s eyes grew larger as the bottle began to slow, letting out a dramatic sigh as the neck of the bottle slowly rolled past her. She and Manna burst into giggles and Sasha shook her head with a smirk, noticing Mary’s gaze moving to the ceiling in embarrassment.

“Ah, Claire! Come on in!” Kai looked up at her with a relieved expression.  “Join us!”

Karen came over to pull her by the hand to join the group around the table, but Claire snatched Cliff’s arm and brought him along. She immediately felt his body tense up beside her at the sight of the activity.

He had heard of the game, but never actually played it himself. “Uh… a-are y’all playing _spin the bottle_?” he laughed nervously, his voice barely audible among the laughter and chatter around them.  Cliff was about to ask if everyone at the party was a bit old for that game when Claire looked up at him shyly and his face caught on fire.  Maybe this game wouldn’t be so bad after all…

Karen gave him a playful ruffle of the hair. “Don’t get too excited now.  We’re spinning for birthday spanks, and he’s just gotten Thomas three times in a row.”  She shrugged nonchalantly as she leaned forward on the table.  She looked to make sure Claire was focused on something else before she stood up and whispered into toward Cliff’s ear.  “Were you and Claire playing your own games outside?  Poppy and I saw you two looking pretty cozy out there as we came back in.” She couldn’t hide her smirk.

He was grateful that Claire was distracted by the crowd, as he didn’t think his face could get any redder, especially with the discovery that her arm was still loosely wrapped around his; she seemed rather intent on being glued to his side tonight. He quickly shook his head, eager to stamp out any rumors that might arise.  Despite the fact that he wasn’t from around here, he could see how rampant the gossip could potentially grow with this group of people.

The bottle slowed to a stop in front of Harris, who let out a shy chuckle. “Smack him hard!” Ann cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, wondering how he had agreed into playing along with this game. Kai shrugged and bent over, swinging his hips at him.  He figured he might as well enjoy himself.  He widened his eyes in mock surprise, looking over his shoulder.  “Oh, officer, is that a baton in your pocket or are you just happy to see me~?”

Harris’s face broke into a smile as he took the wooden spoon offered by Ann and smacked Kai with it, laughing too hard for it to really hurt.

“Eight!” The crowd chanted.

Harris returned to his place between Ann and Manna, shaking his head with a good-natured chuckle.

Karen turned toward her friends with a grin as Kai gave the bottle another spin. “You totally missed Anna earlier; she really got into it!”  She turned toward Rick, who was at her side.  “And let’s not forget _your_ performance!”

His cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. “Th-this game is stupid, anyway…”

Cliff and Claire looked at each other curiously and then at Rick, silently asking him what happened. Karen laughed so loudly she startled the three of them.  “He got all shy and just gave Kai a wimpy pat,” she sniggered.  “He got all flustered because he was heckled.”

Rick took of his glasses and wiped them on his shirt anxiously. He didn’t appreciate the unnecessary tension that this game brought up, especially since him and Kai were on decent terms tonight.  “Like I said, this game is stupid…”

They were interrupted when the crowd cheered and laughed as the bottle stopped on Gray. He hid a smirk as he rolled up his sleeves, looking a little too excited that he had been selected.

“Spoon or hand?” Ann brandished the bamboo utensil like a weapon.

He tugged on the bill of his hat. In all honesty, he had been hoping for this moment; Kai’s teasing about him and Mary deserved some form of payback.  “No sense breaking a perfectly good spoon, now, is there?”  His smug smile was no longer hidden as he walked over to Kai.

“Oooh, you’re a big talker!” he teased, giving his friend a wink and slapping his own hip with a laugh. “It’s okay; you don’t have to try to intimidate me.  I’m sure your gramps has told you at the forge that it doesn’t matter how big the hammer is, it’s how you pound with it, right?”

The entire room erupted in laughter. Claire buried her face into Cliff’s shoulder and he blinked the mistiness from his eyes as he attempted to catch his breath.  She stole a glance across the room and never saw Mary’s eyes so large or her face so red.  Even Sasha was laughing as hard as her two friends.

The room fell silent as a loud slap echoed through the beach shack and Kai took a sharp intake of breath, his eyes popping open in surprise.

Gray grinned, shaking out his tingling hand. “Nine.”

A pale-faced Kai shook his head emphatically. “No… th-that was twenty-five… We’re done.”

0o0o0o0

“Dad, I told you to _back off_.”  Harris’s normally calm voice was tense.  He shuffled his feet in the sand and crossed his arms across his chest, a frown spreading on his face.  “I’m not a kid anymore.”

Thomas let out a sigh. Harris had seemed so relaxed this evening until he brought up the fact that he was spending a lot of time around the female crowd tonight.  Thomas had been met with a very defensive retort, and he felt bad for mentioning it in the first place.  “You know, you’ll always be my son…  I just want you to live your life and enjoy it.  Seeing you so lonely at your age concerns me…”

“You make it sound as if I don’t have any friends,” Harris snapped. “I’m _not_ lonely.”  He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.  “I’m… I’m going to go back in there and tell everyone I’m going home for the night…”

“You weren’t always like this, you know,” Thomas pressed, fussing with the flowers around his neck. “You used to always be so excited to see your friends.  You would sneak out of the house to go over to the winery and play in the vineyard…”

“What do you want from me?” Harris lost his patience. “I can never tell if you want me to move on or hang on to the past!”

His father frowned. “You’ve been writing to her again, haven’t you?”  He already knew the answer.

Harris immediately became defensive. He drew himself to his full height and Thomas was reminded that his son could manage to scrape together an intimidating appearance if he needed to.  “Why does it matter if I have been?  You make it sound like it’s a crime for me to keep in contact with her!”

Thomas’s eyebrows furrowed with concern. He had seen glimpses of the pages of curly handwriting sitting on the table next to his son’s bed.  “Harris… she’s been gone for years… and… well…”  He removed his hat from his head, playing with the brim of it in his hands.  “Well… you’re not getting any younger.  There are some really nice single girls in there who have good hearts…”  He thought of the pretty, hardworking young farmer and the cute, bubbly waitress.  Both were quite a bit younger than Harris, but he couldn’t see why either of them wouldn’t be a good match.  However, he’d need to act soon; Claire seemed almost as good as taken at this point.  “You _have_ options, son…”

Everything in his mind was screaming for him to either go home or hide out at Gotz’s. “I know you’re not happy with the way she left things.  I’m not an idiot.  But… who I choose to devote my time to is none of your business!”

“I’m your father and I care about you. Of course it’s my business!” he shot back, returning his hat onto his head.  He had seen the lonely smile on Harris’s face last Winter Thanksgiving as others distributed gifts to one another.  Harris had gone to bed early that night, hardly saying anything to anyone at all that day.  Despite the fact that he never said it aloud, Thomas could tell that his son was lonely for a partner.

“I’m _thirty-three_ years old, Dad…”  He had enough money in his savings to hire Gotz for a job.  Perhaps a small cottage in the mountains…  He shook his head with a frown; while he certainly didn’t live with Thomas because he still needed his father’s care, Harris was becoming a bit concerned about leaving him completely by himself.  Thomas had no health problems that Harris was aware of, but he was a very social person and he knew that living alone could likely leave him depressed. 

He gritted his teeth in frustration – he had never gotten a chance to really do anything for himself. Aja was his escape… _Or was she_?  He felt a lump form in his throat.  He waited religiously for her correspondence and the days he heard from her were complete magic, if few and far between.  She was busy in the city with her job and had a tendency to forget to write back, but the very sight of her handwriting brought back memories of simpler times.  She wrote of her new responsibilities, yet she hinted that she missed the old days when their lives revolved around playing and laughing with each other.  He still wrote to her the years she had lovers in the city; the hints of her unhappiness in their relationships were all too clear for him to see.  After their inevitable breakups, Harris had written her kind words of comfort and Aja had thanked him for always being a true friend to her.  His eyes moved toward the beach shack; what he felt tonight was different than what he felt for Aja, but maybe it was worth pursuing…

“You don’t have to be afraid of trying something new,” Thomas said quietly. “No one is judging you for it, and you should make that decision for yourself.”

Harris didn’t say anything in reply, but he looked back at the illuminated windows. Laughter and music could be heard, and it mingled with the waves of the ocean and the wind blowing through the reeds growing along the beach.

Karen’s giggle could be heard above the din as she made a fake retching noise. “Goddess, Ann, you’re so gross!  Why are you putting cheese on top of your chocolate cookies?  I know you like food, but yeesh!”

“It sounds weird, but they kind of go together,” Ann retorted, her mouth full. “Don’t knock it until you try it!”

Harris felt a strange fluttering sensation in his stomach. Maybe he had been too afraid of trying something new…  He listened intently to Ann’s mirth.  There was something so refreshing about it that pulled him out of his defensive mode.  Her laugh reminded him of a young girl with dark hair and dark eyes jumping out from the grape trellises, attempting to startle him… a tight grip around his wrist as she pulled him down to the wine cellars, holding a finger to her lips as they poured themselves a tiny glass of the freshly ripened chardonnay… a firmer hold around him as they sat in the wine cellar together, Aja shrinking back from her parents’ yells emanating from the house… a perky smile as he cheered her up and his heart stopping as they awkwardly pressed their lips together for the first time, surrounded by the fragrances of oaken barrels and fermenting fruit… those normally defiant, aggressive brown eyes suddenly looking so shy as she beckoned him down the creaky wooden stairs so they could have their secret daily snogging session down in the cellars... her soft voice breathing into his ear as they held each other, Duke and Manna’s yells nothing more than white noise…

_I love you._

He thought that was how things were always going to be with them – him being a pillar of strength for her. Someday, he would gain the courage to tell her parents how much they were hurting their daughter, but what could an eighteen-year-old say?  Apparently, he took too long trying to figure it out.  She left without telling anyone in advance, leaving only a note.  She had been torn from him.  Or _had_ she?  She had chosen to leave, after all…

 _Maybe there is a reason why things worked out the way they did_ , he realized with a flash of guilt.

Ann laughed again, and his heart ached at the sound. It was almost as if she was beckoning him to return to her.  Harris shook his head.  He was ten years her senior and perhaps she would be uncomfortable with the idea of them spending time together, let alone seeing him as a romantic interest.  Still, his feet carried him another step toward the doorway.  Perhaps he needed to let go of his inhibition to improve his life.

“I… I’m going to go back inside… and… enjoy the company.”  Harris bit his lip and turned back around to find a track of footprints in the sand where his father had been.

He straightened his posture and took a deep breath, willing his heavy feet to drag him back inside.

0o0o0o0

When the party began to die down, Kai waved goodbye to his guests as Ann, Claire, and Cliff helped him gather the leftover food.

“Don’t worry, Cliff. I’ll make sure Claire gets home safely!” Ann clutched the blonde’s arm and led the way toward the door.  “’Night, guys!  Come on, sleepyhead.”

Claire stifled a yawn and blinked her watery eyes, a little saddened that she wasn’t walking home with her usual companion. She quickly brushed it off; they’d be working together soon enough.  After all, tomorrow would be their first workday together.  “Good night, Cliff.  Good night, Kai.”

A hug goodnight would have been rather nice, he thought with an inward sigh. Cliff fumbled to hide the disappointment that he was being separated from her; she seemed to be opening up to him quite a bit and it was encouraging.  However, he knew that he wasn’t the only person who wanted to spend time with Claire, and he had practically monopolized on her time tonight.  “Good night.  See you,” he responded warmly.

She shot him a quick yet loving smile and he felt his heart in his throat. He wondered if she regretted not getting to hug him as well…  Cliff shook the thought from his head; he was being ridiculous.  He jumped when Kai let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back in a chair, lacing his hands behind his head.  He was surprised after Gray’s slap that he had been able to sit comfortably.

“Ah, the aftermath.” He stared at the buffet table of platters.  Even with the guests bringing food home with them, there was quite a surplus.  “Should we bring some stuff back to the room to chow down on?”

Cliff began to help Kai wrap the remaining food that Ann and Claire had helped organize. “Hmmm…  I’d be up for the melon bread and mochi.”

Kai laughed. “The mochi’s all yours, man.  Got a bit of a sweet tooth?”

“Ah, Papa always said I got it from him.” A smile spread across his lips at the memory of the playful man with bright eyes and thick brown hair.  He laughed a joked a lot, but Cliff had gone out with him and Cain enough to know he took his craft very seriously.  There was a firm yet loving way he handled his birds.  Cliff had to admit he would get slightly jealous when his father would take groups of young hunters out to teach them the basics.  Affectionately referred to Double F, the Flying Ace, Falconer Flint Yamamoto was popular among the adults and kids alike in Akiyama Village.  A young Cliff would eagerly share tips about hawks and falcons with the other boys, and he couldn’t help but look back at it with a slight cringe; he was certain he had come off as boastful and obnoxious.  “Ah…  I wanted to be just like him…”

Kai couldn’t help but frown. The exact opposite was true for him.  “Huh… and when did that dream die?”  His voice was laced with a bitterness that he couldn’t shake.

Cliff was too lost in memories to pick up on Kai’s tone. “When he did…” he sighed.  He could still see the makeshift sleigh, a large cloth draped over the unmistakable shape of a body, a vigilant Cain perched beside the covered load…  His mother’s usual melodious voice was a ragged and broken wail.  Ivy was sobbing inconsolably, falling to her knees.  Cliff didn’t cry or speak for the next few days; he had stared at the scene in numb disbelief and horror.  His father, Double F, the invincible Flying Ace, had fallen.

It was tradition to release the deceased falconer’s bird at his funeral, and a grim-faced Ray had been asked to do the honors for his older brother. Cliff had found his voice and tears, pleading to keep his father’s partner.  It was a little unorthodox, but his mother had convinced the village elder to allow it.  Despite the fact that she was not a native to Akiyama, the leader held her in high regard, which Cliff saw as both a blessing and a curse.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Kai sheepishly put his hand on Cliff’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to come off as unfeeling.  As much as I don’t get along with my old man, I’d be pretty upset if something happened to him.  That being said, if I never see him again, you won’t hear me complaining.”  His eyebrows furrowed in an uncharacteristic manner for a brief moment before he shot Cliff a rueful smile.  “It feels kind of odd, being surrounded by people who are so family oriented all of the time.  It can be a bit of a relief being around someone who’s not constantly gushing or griping about relatives, y’know?”

Cliff didn’t reply to this one way or another – it wasn’t as if he was avoiding his family by choice. Not anymore, anyway…

“Mom had always been sickly. The doctors told her that another pregnancy would likely kill her.  My parents agreed that four kids were enough when she unexpectedly got pregnant again… with me.  My brothers always said that Mom was really sweet and kind.  She was determined to make sure I was born.  My dad just hoped that she’d make it though alright.  One more kid couldn’t be too much harm, right?”  Kai’s face turned pale as his lips were stretched into a thin line.  “It’s a cruel burden to ask any child to bear.  I didn’t ask to be born the way I was.  On top of that…” he gulped as he took off his bandana and nervously wrung it around his knuckles.  “Ah… I, well, I look quite a bit different than my brothers.  Dad never directly said it, but it was pretty obvious he resented my existence.”

Cliff wondered how their conversation had taken such a dark turn after something as cheerful as a birthday party.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Cliff pointed out. “You can hardly be held responsible for the decisions your parents made before you were even born.”

“Ah, I know,” Kai let out a strained laugh and began stacking up some wrapped plates. “I actually got Harvey over in the Valley to run a DNA test on us a few years back.  I’m my parents’ child.  When I told Dad, it only seemed to piss him off even more.”  He shrugged as he opened the refrigerator and loaded it as Cliff handed him the plates.  “There’s no pleasing some people, y’know?  That was the last time I saw him.”

“It sounds like he’s disappointed in himself for the way he treated you,” Cliff realized. “Maybe your mother as well…”

His friend shrugged once again, neither accepting nor denying his claim as they sat back down.

“He’s always been disappointed in me. My family owned a restaurant and all of us kids would help out.  Most kids got to play after school, or they got to enjoy summer vacation; not us.  The moment we got out of school, Dad threw aprons at us and dragged us over to the kitchen.  Don’t get me wrong – I really enjoy cooking for people.  I wouldn’t have opened this place if I didn’t.”  Kai let out a sigh as his eyes traced the ocean waves painted on the tile walls.  “But there’s more to life than work, y’know?  What’s the point of working so hard if you’re not going to take any time to enjoy the fruits of your labor?”

“Things were busy back at my home, too,” Cliff chimed in with a slight smile, hoping to console him a bit. “But you’re right.  It’s important to enjoy what you’re working for.  That’s why we had so many festivals.”  He took a large swig of his glass of punch, his eyes watering as he realized all of the vodka had sunk to the bottom of the cup.  He quickly chased it with a bite of melon bread and stood up to pour himself a glass of water.

Kai snorted. “We worked double shifts on festival days.  Got to watch everyone else have fun while we served them…”

Cliff chugged a glass of water in the kitchen and wiped his eyes. “Ah, do I know that feeling…”  Cliff leaned forward on the counter, resting his elbows on the surface as he cupped his chin in his hands.  Setting up the stage and square, watching his mother review the music, offerings, and schedule with the village elder, helping with a quick rehearsal, attempting to get dressed in his yukata while Ivy bounced around the house and stole various articles of his clothing, dealing with that overwhelming fear that someday this would all be his sole responsibility…  “You start to wonder when you will be celebrated, too, you know?”

He was met with a bitter laugh. “But then you stop wondering because you know it will never happen.”

Cliff exhaled deeply, causing his bangs to fly upward in the air before landing back on his forehead, disheveled. “That’s too true.  At least you were actually helpful to people back at your home…”  He headed back to the table where Kai was seated and sat down with a loud plop.

He wasn’t sure what to say in reply to this. He sensed that his roommate had his own unhappiness with his role at home, but surely things weren’t as bad as Cliff painted them out to be.  “Eh, it’s okay.  My dad thinks I’m a lazy bum.  He said that if I was really insistent on leaving the family business, the least I could do is set up a shop in a busy city with lots of tourists.  He said there’s no way that I can rake in much money the way I’m running things now…  He just doesn’t get it…”

Cliff was about to suggest that his father was probably concerned about his son’s financial welfare because he wanted him to succeed, but he had a feeling this would not be a wise thing to say aloud. “There are many more important things than money…”

Kai finished off his beer and set the empty bottle on the tabletop. “Yeah…  At least I learned some useful skills working in the restaurant, though, right?”

Cliff was eyeing up a ukulele sitting on a shelf, a wave of wistful emotion overcoming him. His studies had revolved around music and dance; neither of those really brought money in for him.  Still, he found himself drawn to the instrument.  “You play?”

Kai leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head. “Nah, not really.  I can’t do much more than tune it.  How ‘bout you?”

He shyly shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure… may I?” he asked.  Upon receiving a nod, he strummed the strings, quickly tuning it.  “Oh, okay… so it’s like this…”  He tested a few notes and let out a soft chuckle, his whole face lighting up as it brought a sense of warm and familiarity to him.  “Ah, here we go…”  He started out by playing a few mellow chords.  He closed his eyes and could almost see Ivy’s smiling face and hear his mother’s sweet voice…

“Ah, it must be so cool to be able to just pick up stuff and play it,” Kai grinned, feeling a mild wave of jealousy despite not putting much effort into learning the ukulele himself.

Cliff shook his head as he continued to play. “I’m not really just picking up things and playing them magically,” he explained.  “I’ve been practicing on all sorts of instruments since I was old enough to take direction.”  The young man let out a soft chuckle as he continued his song.  Perhaps his skills hadn’t been particularly lucrative, but they did bring back memories of a simpler time.

The lines on Kai’s forehead faded as he listened to the music. “Sing me something.  Word around the inn is that you have a nice set of pipes.”

Some color rose in Cliff’s cheeks; flattered that someone had said that about him. “Well, they get the job done, I suppose.”  He was given a vivid flashback of home, his mother on the stage, harmonizing her voice with his as he turned to face her.  There was a hint of a smile on her lips as she watched him out of the corner of her eye. _Now Ma… she could sing…_ He let out a wistful sigh as his fingers plucked the strings.

_“When the sky and the ocean turn gold_

_Promise that you’ll think of me_

_With the sunset at our backs_

_And our worries carried on the breeze…”_

Kai closed his eyes as he listened to his friend’s song of nostalgia and long forgotten dreams. It was a slow song full of emotion and his throat tightened against his will as his thoughts shifted to the painful goodbyes he would have to tell Popuri soon as the summer ended.  When he opened his eyes once more, Cliff had eagerly started on a second song and Kai could see the relief in his entire body language; this was therapeutic for him. 

Kai leaned back into his chair with a soft sigh. He wasn’t aware his friend had such a soothing voice and he allowed it to wash away his stresses of the party and focus on the moment.  They were just two friends, enjoying some music and company together on a summer’s night.  It was a simple yet thoughtful birthday gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I extend a great big thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read my works. It seriously means a lot to me that you guys take the time to sit down (or stand, lay down, whatever) and read what I have written. When I first started on this story, I was stoked to see that anyone expressed an interest in it at all, and I still feel the same way. This story was originally for my own therapy, but it has grown into so much more! The thought that I can write words that people want to read still blows my mind!
> 
> Additional notes: I often feel like Harris gets the short end of the stick in every story ever, with little to no development. Him and Thomas, anyway. I really tried to portray them in a realistic light here. Although Thomas can be bumbling and goofy (as most people write him), I’d like to think that he genuinely cares about his son and wants him to have a good life.
> 
> Cliff’s past in music and dance is basically a big projection of my tween and teenage years. I performed and studied music so diligently for so many years that I began to resent it, conditioning myself to perform like a wind-up doll. I focused mostly on woodwind instruments – clarinet and saxophone – playing at the competitive level. There’s a bit of trivia that is totally unrelated, haha.
> 
> Oh, speaking of Cliff, I was eager to finally reveal a little more about his father. He’s non-existent in the games, so I took a few creative liberties with him, including naming him after my favorite cowboy character in a video game (Mother 3, anyone?). 
> 
> In HM64, Kai has a family with five brothers, so I decided to keep that. I also took a few creative liberties with his family. He strikes me as the type of person that tends to have drama happen around him but he’s not fond of instigating it.


	64. New Partnerships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann talks to Claire about a confusing new development taking place in her life and expresses her fears. Cliff begins his first day at working at Mystic Acres. As Claire is inside preparing lunch, a familiar duo is traveling through the property and has a word with Cliff.

As they walked home in the dark, Claire couldn’t help but feel that there was something Ann was trying to figure out how to say. She could sense that she was stealing glances at her as she quickly moved her attention back down at the cobblestones, nervously rubbing her arm.  There was a sense of tension in the air that had begun the moment they left the beach shack.  A small frown adorned the young woman’s face and she couldn’t help but wonder if she had said or done something to hurt Ann’s feelings.

“Hey, Claire?” Her voice was surprisingly soft.

Her words came as a great sense of relief; the silence had been more than uncomfortable, especially from someone who was normally so lively. “What’s wrong, Ann?”

She looked around her nervously as if she was expecting someone to cross their path. “Ah, um…  When we get to your place, do you mind if we talk for a while?”  She looked down at her sneakers as she spoke.

Claire couldn’t help but feel a little anxious at the notion – why was Ann not saying what was on her mind right now? It felt a little out of character for her.  “Not at all; come on in for a while.”

Thankfully, the trip wasn’t much further. They walked through the night to the farm and Claire was a little grateful that a yawning Koro stretched in front of his doghouse to meet them.  She knew her friend was fond of the puppy and having him around might help create a more positive mood.

“Hey, boy,” Ann gave him an absentminded pat on the head. “You all tired out from the long day?”

Koro responded with a squeaky yawn and padded behind Claire as she opened the door for them. Ann gave the two a smile, her stomach untwisting a bit as she followed them.  There was something about the atmosphere of a farm that put her heart at ease.  Perhaps it was the greenery and fresh air, or the wildlife around them.  Maybe it was the trickle of the crystal blue stream that ran alongside the house, or the relaxing smell of earth that permeated the small wooden dwelling as she entered.  She was reminded once again how much she wanted to be a part of it all.

“Would you like some barley tea? I made some before I went over to Kai’s, so it’s a fresh batch.”

Ann mulled the options over in her head; she was starting to have second thoughts. Having tea would mean she would commit to staying for more than just a minute or two and telling Claire what was on her mind…  While she knew it was highly unlikely she would judge her, Ann still felt rather timid.  Her unfamiliarity with this emotion only made her more uneasy.  “Uh, yeah.  Sounds good…” Her voice cracked and she hoped that her friend didn’t notice.  She plopped down on a floor cushion by the table and a little bit more of her anxiety faded when Koro curled up near her side of the table to nap.

“Alright.” Claire retrieved a couple of glasses and the pitcher, walking over to the table.

“I had a great time tonight,” Ann began with a nervous chuckle. “So many people in one place was exciting, huh?”

Claire found herself nodding as she poured the drinks. “Yeah, it was nice seeing everyone.”  The thought of being in a crowded room hadn’t been so scary and she was reminded once more how far she had come.

Her friend took a deep swig of tea and wrapped her fingers around the glass, staring at the honey colored liquid. It had a nice, toasty flavor and the cold temperature was a crisp contrast.  “When you lived back in the city, you met all kinds of guys, huh?”

Claire pondered this for a moment. While she had been on plenty of dates, she never really connected with anyone.  A small frown crossed her lips – the only common thing about all of the situations was that she had attended the dates.  Perhaps _she_ had been the problem…  She snapped back to attention as she remembered that Ann was awaiting her answer.  “I suppose.  I tend to think of them all as similar because I wasn’t really interested in them.  Then again, I guess I’m not that interesting myself…”

“Don’t talk like that!” She kept a playful tone, but there was a frown on her face.  Claire wrung her hands, self-conscious, and Ann realized the uneasiness that had been created in the room.  “Well… you ever meet guys who seem really nice but end up being mean?”

“Not any more than girls I’ve met.” Claire shrugged as she took a drink from her glass.  She paused; Ann had spent a lot of time with Harris this evening.  Her friend was usually much more direct when she spoke, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned about it.  “Was someone mean to you?”  Her eyebrows furrowed.

Claire wasn’t very good at hiding her expressions, but Ann couldn’t claim to be any better. She shook her head in response, her face feeling unnaturally hot.  The “someone” she had been thinking of was very kind to her and she had enjoyed herself quite a bit.  That was what terrified her…  “Not at all.  I was actually surprised at how well everyone got along.  I mean, Rick didn’t even freak out tonight.”

The farmer had a feeling that Ann wasn’t the only one who felt that way; as Karen left with Rick, she had given him a playful ruffle of the hair and a proud smile. “Well, he had a few chaperones.  I am glad that they didn’t fight, though.”  Claire smiled wryly.  “I was surprised at the amount of people in the older crowd,” she admitted, returning the cup to her lips.  She was shocked to see so many parents at the party.

Ann twisted the end of her braid in her fingers and shrunk down in her seat. “I-I don’t think ten years is _that_ big of a difference at our age…”  Her voice was uncharacteristically soft.  She avoided Claire’s gaze, staring at the wood grain on the table as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

“Ten years?” She had no idea what Ann was going on about. Claire set down her glass and realized with embarrassment that it wasn’t likely her friend had asked to have a private word with her about Karen’s or Mary’s mother attending Kai’s party.  There was only one person at the party that could be the age she was speaking of…  “Harris…” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Ann nervously played with her fingers and bit her lip. “Well…  I’ve known him for as long as I can remember.  We never really talked all that much because he always seemed so busy and I figured he had more important things to do.  When I was starting to take on more responsibilities at the inn when I was twelve, he was already graduating from the police academy.”

“He seems like a really nice person,” Claire supplied, certain that there was something Ann was trying to get out. When she didn’t get a reply right away, her mind turned toward a subject her friend was more comfortable about.  “That cheese he brought from Zephyr Town was really good.”

“Goddess, yes!” Ann pounded her fists on the table and let out a whine as if she could still taste it. “He was telling me about all the awesome things they sell at the bazaar there.  Fudge, popcorn, fresh bread…”  She let out a sigh as she relaxed, leaning forward on the table.  “I can’t wait until the Fireworks Festival – it’s pretty much a smorgasbord of carnival food!”  There were stars in her eyes as she took a gulp of tea and looked up at the ceiling with a pleased smile.

Claire hadn’t really given much thought into all the events that would be taking place that night as she had been so preoccupied with work. “Are you and your dad going to run a stall?”

She shook her head with a hearty laugh. “No way am I going to miss out on the treats!  But I have to go back right after the fireworks show because we are booked with guests.  We already have no vacancies and we’re gonna have to cram all the guys into Dad’s room again.  There are a lot of vendors from out of town that are gonna set up shop.”

The young woman’s enthusiasm for the event was renewed. “I can’t wait!”  Claire bounced in her seat.

“Me, neither!” Ann’s face cracked into a smile, forgetting how worried she was minutes ago. “Harris even said that some people from Zephyr Town will be at the festival to sell stuff.  Actually, he’s supposed to go there and get some contracts signed tomorrow for his dad.  He’s going to buy a few things there and we’re going on a picnic to pig out on all the goodies he buys!  It’ll be like a little preview of the festival!”

Gorging on sweets and gourmet food didn’t sound like a bad time at all. “Sounds like a fun date,” Claire nodded with a grin.

Ann’s breath hitched at her final word and she twiddled her thumbs, her cheeks turning rosy. Her friend was as observant as she had hoped and she wasn’t forced to use the term herself.  “Ah…  I-I guess so…  I’m a little afraid to tell Dad that, though…”

She was a little surprised that Ann hadn’t immediately deflected her comment. “Well, you’re not a child.  Doesn’t he get along well with Harris?”  The constable was a regular at the inn; Claire had always just assumed the two were on good terms.

She looked up at Ann and she was leaning over to pet an attention-seeking Koro. Her friend looked grateful to be given a distraction.  If she was truthful with herself, this was the very reason why she wanted to talk to Claire, but admitting so out loud made her embarrassed.  “They get along great.  It’s just… using _that word_ …  Dad’s so afraid that I’m going to end up alone.  It kinda makes me paranoid that I will, y’know?”  She wasn’t about to bring up her previous lament that Cliff wasn’t interested in her as more than a friend, especially when her own feelings were faded and he and Claire seemed to be growing closer every day.

“Well, hey, there’s a nice guy who wants to spend some extra time with you,” she reassured Ann.

“I-I know!” Ann whined; why did emotions have to be so difficult to deal with? “That makes it even scarier in a way,” she remarked as she ran her fingers through the dog’s butterscotch fur.  “Spending an evening with a guy isn’t too bad, is it?”

Claire was glad that her friend was looking at Koro – she had been on some pretty bad dates, and she recalled a particularly unpleasant one including an attempt at an unwanted kiss and her slamming the door in his face. “It really depends on the person you are going out with,” she answered honestly.  “Spending a little more time together – a single date – doesn’t have to mean anything if neither of you are interested in going further than that.  But you and Harris seemed to have a lot of fun tonight.  I don’t see why a repeat of that would be bad.”

Ann’s face brightened up considerably; she had been hoping for a bit of reassurance and Claire had provided. “Yeah, you’re right…  I’m not really sure how I feel about going out with a guy, but I guess I don’t have to take it super seriously.”

She was given a nod in response. “Exactly.  I know it sounds cliché, but if you just be yourself, everything will go fine.  Oh, there is one more thing!” She added, a smirk growing on her face.

Ann looked up and her braid whipped over her shoulder at the sudden movement. “Y-yeah?”

“If he brings any gourmet fudge, save a small piece for me.” The grin on Claire’s face was impossible to hide.

“Yeah, right!” Ann laughed, shaking her head.

0o0o0o0

Despite the fact that she had gone to bed rather late the night before, Claire awoke excitedly the next morning. She quickly got dressed and freshened up, brushing her hair enthusiastically before tying it back.  She turned on the television and switched it to a station that was playing music, humming along as she reached into her refrigerator to serve breakfast.  It was her first day with her new partner, and she was determined to start it off right.

Cracking a cold spa boiled egg into each bowl, the young woman poured a bit of cold broth over them and carefully sliced a few green onions on top. She eagerly set them at the table and looked at them in admiration.  This was going to be the first sit-down meal she served a guest at her new home, she realized with a burst of excitement.  A plate of sliced tomatoes was added to the offerings, and she poured a couple of glasses of herbal tea, admiring her handiwork.  It was a perfect breakfast for a couple of hard workers.  Claire milled around the house for the next few minutes, alternating between humming, spinning on the ball of her foot to the music coming from the television, and fussing with her ponytail in front of her mirror.

Besides the fact that she had comforted Ann last night and she left with a smile on her face, Claire had a lot more energy now that she knew that she was going to have steady work for this harvest. The very idea that she wouldn’t have to do this all alone made the task seem much less daunting, and she found that she was actually looking forward to it.

There was a soft knock at the door. “Good morning…  Did you sleep well?”

She hadn’t realized until now how much she had been aching to hear his voice utter those words. “Come on in~!” she sang, instinctively giving her hair one last glance in the mirror.  She allowed her face to naturally break into a huge smile as she ran to her friend, throwing her arms around him.  “Good morning!”

Cliff stumbled a bit with a sharp intake of breath. He was pleasantly surprised by her greeting and absolutely elated that she remained as warmed up to him as she had been the night before.  He was more than happy to return the embrace, wondering if all of their mornings together were going to be this marvelous.  He didn’t want to let go, but ended up doing so as his friend broke off the embrace.

“I don’t know how well I slept, but I’m eager to get to work!” Claire gave his back a pat before leading the way to the table. She plopped down on her seat cushion and grinned at him as he sat across from her.  His cheeks were rosy and his blue eyes were dancing.  He shyly looked down at the food and she could see the gratitude in his expression.  “Let’s fuel up first, okay?”

His eyebrows furrowed, but an appreciative smile spread across his lips. “Thank you very much for the food, Claire.  I’m really happy to help you… a-and… to spend time with you.”

She couldn’t agree more. “I think this is going to be a lot of fun!” Claire nodded excitedly, her ponytail bouncing.  She eagerly dug into her food, oblivious to the young man watching her with a loving gaze.  Her mind immediately turned to work, as it was wont to do this time of the morning.  “I think we really should focus on the tomatoes first.  The corn can stay on the stalks for a while.  Those tomatoes are hard to keep up with.  The good thing is that someone is coming to pick up the blemished and cracked ones, so we don’t have to worry about them; we can skip right over them.”

Cliff nodded as he spooned some egg and broth into his mouth. He was never under the illusion that there wouldn’t be much work to do, but saying that he was excited to spend the days at Claire’s side was an understatement.  He let out a satisfied hum at the food – while simple, it was delicious.  She didn’t have many resources to cook food, and her resourcefulness didn’t go unnoticed.  “Did you cook these in the hot springs?” he asked, being sure to get some yolk in his next spoonful.

“Yeah. It’s pretty convenient.  I just drop them off and pick them up later.”  Claire explained, biting into a tomato slice.  “I’m not much of a gourmet chef, but once I get my kitchen in here, I’ll be able to cook all sorts of stuff.  When you’re not busy, you can come over for dinner sometime.”  Her emotions bubbled over with excitement as she said this.  Having friends over more often would be really nice, and a kitchen would make her house feel more like a home.  The dream of Cliff being her most frequent guest caused a giddy smile to overtake her face; she adored his company more and more every day.  She made no attempts to hide this as she let out a delighted giggle.

“Well, maybe I’ll find you something to cook out there in the woods.” Her enthusiasm was contagious and he forgot for a moment about his concern of lack of wildlife he saw at Mother’s Hill.  As long as he saw that bright smile and those beautiful sapphire eyes, he could do anything.

0o0o0o0

Popuri bounded over to the fence and leaned over it, surprised to see that Cliff was over so early. He often dropped off things in Claire’s shipping bin in the later afternoon hours, but that was not the case today.  Judging from the gloves he was wearing and the canteen on his hip, she could see that he was there to work.  “’Morning, Miss Farmer!  You got yourself extra help today?”

“You know it!” Claire chirped, carrying a basket over to the tomato plants. “Cliff’s helping me harvest my tomatoes until the end of the season.”

“You better be a hard worker!” Popuri wagged her finger at the young man. “I see Claire laboring in these fields all day and she needs a good helper.  She works herself too hard!”  She frowned as her brother walked past her with a heavy bag of chicken feed.  “Kind of like Rick with the chickens!”

He whirled around, the heavy burlap sack almost causing him to lose his balance. “What about me now?” he asked in a harassed voice.

Popuri was tired of beating around the bush. “You should let me help you more!  I’m an able-bodied person, y’know!  I can monitor the incubators-”

“Whoa, whoa!” Rick shook his head emphatically, nearly knocking his glasses askew. “You have to know what you’re doing with those incubators or you can lose the whole clutch!”

“Then _show_ me!” She let out an exasperated groan as she stamped her foot.  “You don’t think I can do it?”

When he said nothing in reply, the frown on her face grew. Rick’s eyes darted to the ground, unsure of how to answer her accusatory question.  He had more pressing matters to attend to than teach Popuri the basics of what he did.  Training was lost time, after all, when he could simply do it himself.  Why couldn’t she see that?

“It can be fun get to work with your family sometimes,” Cliff said quietly, fidgeting with his leather gloves with a nod. “My sister was really good at gathering wild honey.  I’d help her start the fire to smoke out the bees, but she’d run in there with a hatchet to get a chunk of the comb.  We’d bring the pieces back home and all chow down on them together.”  He let out a soft chuckle at the memory; sometimes they ended up using some of the honey to dress their bee stings on less successful ventures.  Ivy often swore in pain and she got swatted by their mother in response as she scolded her, telling her to speak more politely like her brother.

Claire’s gaze wandered to the large beehive in the tree near her house and wondered if he would have some tips for getting some honey out of it. She had attempted a few times when she first moved in, but the stings weren’t worth it.

Rick’s voice startled her out of her thoughts. “Alright, Sis, you can collect the eggs today.”  His voice sounded apathetic as he shifted the bag of feed on his shoulder.

Her face lit up as she skipped over to the coop, grabbing a basket and swinging it around violently. “Let’s all get to work then, huh?”  She waved goodbye to Claire as she turned back to the task at hand.  The blonde nodded and hurried out to her fields, leaving the men behind.

“You better not handle the basket like that once it’s full of eggs!” Rick warned with a raised eyebrow. Popuri rolled her eyes at him in response and disappeared into the chicken coop.  He sighed in response.  “Hey… thanks, man…  I really am trying to let her do more, but it’s hard.  I’ve done this all by myself for so long…”

“No one can do everything,” Cliff replied, his gaze moving out toward Claire. “I’m sure she sees that and just wants to make things easier for you.”

“I know. And… I’m aware I can be stubborn about trying to do everything myself.  I’m trying to get better about it,” he insisted.

Cliff’s eyes didn’t move from the blonde. “I know what that’s like, too.”

He was startled when he heard a soft chuckle. “Well, it’s good you realize she isn’t perfect.”  He turned toward the coop.  A little concerned he had offended him, Rick’s face flushed as he gave Cliff a friendly nod.  “Well, see you around – work hard.”

He didn’t need to be told that; he had fully intended on being a reliable partner for her. After a quick goodbye to Rick, he hurried over to Claire to start filling the baskets.  He’d enjoy these times together while he could.

0o0o0o0

Claire noticed that Cliff seemed rather fond of Tucker, and vice-versa. As they took a break, he spoke to the colt gently and often offered him grass he picked, grinning brightly and laughing when the horse’s lips tickled his fingers.  He watched in admiration as Tucker would eagerly chase after a playfully barking Koro, throwing his brown mane into the late summer breeze.  Claire burst into fits of giggles when Tucker stopped chasing his friend for a while and stopped by Cliff for some face nuzzles.  The scene was so heartwarming and sweet that she couldn’t help herself.  She almost felt a little jealous; her horse was rarely that affectionate with her.  She froze as Tucker stopped at her side, prodding her shoulder with his nose.  Her entire face lit up as she pet the horse; he was in a playful mood today.  Part of her wondered if it was the company.

“Oh, aren’t you the biggest sweetheart? Cliff, I have the best horse in the world!”  She scratched Tucker’s chin and he bobbed his head up and down excitedly, as if agreeing with her.  She hugged him around the neck with a delighted laugh.

He looked up from rubbing Koro’s belly and the dog gave him an indignant look when Cliff’s attention was divided. “Of course you do!  You raised him, after all.”  He stood up and nodded.

“You flatterer! Are you hoping for a raise?” she teased, raising an eyebrow at him.

Cliff dusted off his pants and shook his head with a chuckle. “Nah, Tucker’s great!  I got to do some basic chores with the horses back at home, but none of them were as sweet as him.”

Claire could hardly say that they had horses back in the city and she was reminded how out of her element she was when she first moved to Mystic Acres. There were so many things about her daily life that had changed.  She no longer rode a daily train to work at her office job.  There were no skyscrapers here, and horses definitely weren’t the preferred mode of transportation.  A majority of her food came out of a box or wrapped in plastic.  Her stomach growled at the thought of food.  While she enjoyed the simplicity of the food out here, it was sometimes nice to have something already prepared.  Jeff’s shop had accommodated this a little bit, but it wasn’t the same as a convenience store.  “Well, I got some food in the fridge we can eat for lunch.  I’m going to bring it out here if that’s alright with you.  It’s nice and breezy today; it’ll feel much better out here than in the house.”

“Sounds good to me. Do you need any help?”

Claire chuckled; Cliff always seemed to be intent on assisting her in some way, and she would be lying if she said she didn’t like it. “I’m bringing out a plastic tray of sandwiches and chopped fruit.  I think I’ll be alright.  Thanks, though.”  She hurried into the house, the thought of the sandwiches making her drool a bit.

Tucker nuzzled the young man’s shoulder and he wrapped an arm around his neck in a loose embrace. “Don’t think I didn’t see what you were doing there, whispering into her ear.  You didn’t tell her my secret, now did you?”  He looked into the horse’s dark eyes earnestly before breaking out into a grin.  “I’m counting on you, now.  Don’t let me down, buddy.”  He gave Tucker a pat on the back before looking back at the house.  Claire was inside.  The woman he was in love with was inside. 

Cliff turned around to see the young horse gazing at him curiously. “I know, I know.  Keeping secrets is no fun, huh?”  Tucker let out a snort and trotted over to Koro in response, chasing him around the fenced off area.  He watched them play for a minute before turning back toward the farmhouse, excited by a new concept that had invaded his mind – maybe someday it wouldn’t have to be a secret.  Tucker stopped back by him, curious that he wasn’t joining in their game.  Cliff cupped the horse’s cheeks in his hands.  “Promise me you won’t tell, okay?”  He rested his forehead against Tucker’s and stood up straight as he felt the colt’s ears perk forward.  Cliff whirled around as he heard the sound as well, his hair swaying in the summer breeze.

A grandfather and grandson were making their way back to town from their weekly hike and meditation session in the mountains. Saibara shuffled toward his friend, a grin cracking across his face as he saw the young foal.  He observed Cliff’s leather work gloves and the baskets of tomatoes around them.  “Hey there, young man.  It’s good to see that you are helping a friend in need.”

He gave a polite nod. “We’re helping each other out.  She’s paying me for my help...”  He gestured toward the fields of red.

Gray cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from Tucker. “L-looks like you’ve got quite a project ahead of you.”

“With many little strokes, a large tree is felled,” the old man replied sagely, tucking his hands into the folds of his yukata as he glanced at Cliff. He didn’t say this in a scolding manner, and Gray was too distracted to mistakenly take offense. “I’m sure that with the two of you working on it, everything will be fine.”

Cliff perked up, his eyes glowing. “Oh, of course!  We’re having a lot of fun and it’s going by really fast!” he replied excitedly.  The morning had flown by, and he was trying his best not to think of the end of the season when she wouldn’t need his help anymore.  Working by her side on Mystic Acres was more pleasurable than he could have imagined.  Perhaps part of this was because he was imaging that they were running the farm together as a couple…

Saibara ran a few fingers through his snowy beard, a smirk barely visible underneath. The dreamy look in Cliff’s eyes wasn’t hard to see.  “He who treads the path of love walks a thousand meters as if it were only one, after all.”

Cliff’s eyes widened and his face felt like it was on fire. He had nothing to say in reply, and he struggled to keep his jaw from dropping.  He was met with a cackle and a slap on the back in response.

“Well, I won’t keep you from your work. Give the young lady my regards.”  He gave his friend a nod and headed up the path.

Gray didn’t follow; he nervously wrung his hands as he gazed wistfully at Tucker and the tension only grew as the horse nuzzled Cliff’s shoulder. He debated offering Gray the opportunity to pet him, but a stern voice inside of him said not to.  Was it wrong for him to feel this way?  He knew how Gray’s heart had been set on training the yearling.  Was he being too cold by not encouraging him to interact with Tucker?  Or would allowing Gray to get close to the horse again cause strain between him and Claire?  Moreover, he had no doubt this would reawaken the ugly jealousy that had grown dormant in his own heart.  The young man bit back a frown; after everything he had tried to understand about himself at the church and after striving to improve, he was still a selfish, terrible person.  The birds flying overhead chirped more loudly than usual and the breeze blew a few stray hairs into Cliff’s face.  He impatiently brushed them away as they tried to stick to his lips.  He prayed for the moment to end; after finally patching things up with Gray, he was not in the mood for another setback.

He cleared his throat once again, tugging on the bill of his cap. “W-well…  I suppose I should head back.”  He gave Tucker one last reflective look.  “Mary’s waiting for me anyway…  See you later,” he added hastily as he gave his friend a quick nod before jogging to catch up with his grandfather.

Cliff gave him an awkward wave goodbye, but his back was already turned. He felt a strange sense of relief and wasn’t sure if he should feel guilty about it or not.  Tucker brushed his lips against his temple and the young man jumped with a startled laugh.

“Well, at least your feelings weren’t hurt, huh, buddy?” he whispered, draping an arm around his neck.

The horse let out a snort and headed back to the fields to play with Koro. Perhaps he was over thinking the whole thing.  Hadn’t Claire accused him of doing that in the past?  His thoughts were halted as he heard the farmhouse door close.  The farmer stepped outside, a tray in her arms and the afternoon sunshine playing at her golden hair.  His heart caught in his throat; he would focus on the positives today.  After all, he didn’t want that kind, serene smile on Claire’s face to ever fade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: A great big thank you once again to my readers and reviewers. I hope y’all are enjoying the story. I struggled a bit writing this chapter, as it has quite a bit of conflict in it. Ann’s confusion about her changing emotions, Cliff’s increased outward protectiveness toward Claire’s feelings… I also missed Saibara so I made him pop up for a moment. :)
> 
> P.S. Culinary/Cultural Note! Onsen Tamago is a traditional dish served in Japan, also known as Hot Spring Eggs. They have a custardy texture and the yolks are soft, yet solidified. They are often served over rice or in a soy sauce broth. I learned about them from playing this game and was curious to see if you could make them at home in a pot. We gave it a shot at home and now my husband is nuts about them. We now have a permanent carton of eggs in our fridge with the hot springs/onsen symbol drawn on the carton, haha.


	65. Wheeling and Dealing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long day of work, Rick comes calling on Claire and has a proposal for her.

Cliff let out a satisfied sigh, his stomach comfortably full with a hearty dinner. Claire’s cooking was a bit different from what he remembered of his mother’s, but he found that he still liked it quite a bit.  The young woman had apologized profusely over her lack of kitchen equipment while she prepared the food.  He had simply shaken his head and offered to help.  After all, he found that it was getting harder and harder not to be by her side as much as he could.

“Look at what we did!” Claire looked out at the fields of tomatoes, placing her hands on her hips. Sure enough, there was a small section in the massive waves of red that was visibly green even from the farmhouse.  There was a quantity of yellow and orange tomatoes on the vines, but she was willing to overlook this for a minute.  Despite the fact that they had barely put a dent in the tomatoes, seeing a cleared spot was incredibly encouraging.  She held out her hand for a high five, and he laughed, complying with her request.  His breath hitched as she pulled him in for a hug.  “You’re the best…” she murmured into the crook of his neck, finding that she was longing a bit for the closeness that they shared the evening before on the beach.

He felt his face warm and his heart swell. “Your farm is as great as it is because of you.  You’re doing really well, and you should be proud of yourself.”

She thought of her lack of planning with her crops and the sections of field that were still covered with weeds, but maybe she was being too hard on herself. Perhaps he was right; Cliff didn’t seem like the type to be insincere.  Her throat tightened as they broke off the hug, Claire letting out a nervous chuckle at the realization that she was lingering for too long.  He had held on for quite a while, too, she reminded herself with satisfaction, a slight smirk playing at her lips at this realization.  “Thank you… you’re really sweet.”

She couldn’t tell if it was the lowering of the sun or if Cliff’s face had gained a bit of color at her remark. He shyly rubbed the back of his neck as his gaze moved to the ground.  He was unsure of how to react to her praise. _Sweet_ definitely wasn’t a word he would use to describe himself, after all...  If she knew everything there was to know about him and his past, he seriously doubted she would be saying that.  Despite his discomfort, he gave her a bright grin.  “Ah, w-well…  I’ll see you first thing in the morning tomorrow!”  He headed back toward town, forcing himself out of his brooding mode.  He was looking forward to a cool shower and rest; today’s harvesting had been much more strenuous than his average foraging ventures and he could already tell he was going to be a bit sore by morning.  Cliff felt a rush of pride for Claire.  He knew that she had been working hard, but now that he had spent the day partaking in the same tasks, he knew just how dedicated she was. 

He turned around and gave her one last wave as he left the entrance of the farm. As he started to head to the inn, he nodded in greeting to a passing Rick.  As tiring as today was, he was already looking forward to what tomorrow brought and intended to work even harder.  Maybe if he could actually be an asset to Mystic Acres, he could somewhat earn the compliment Claire had given him.

0o0o0o0

Claire watched her friend leave the farm and felt a small frown working across her face as she noticed his shoulders slouch when he thought she was no longer watching. Had she said something to hurt his feelings?  Maybe he was worn out from today and already regretted agreeing to help her for the whole season.  She tilted her head curiously as she saw Cliff nod to himself, a spring returning to his step.  Perhaps she was overly concerned about him, but she would do anything to see a genuine smile on his face all of the time; seeing him happy made her heart feel light.

She watched Cliff turn the corner of the cobblestone streets to head back to the inn for some rest. She found herself picturing him dressed in the same light pajamas he wore during Ann’s party, curling up in his bed for the night, his soft hair loosely falling around his face as the crickets sang him to sleep…

“Good evening!”

She jumped as Rick’s posture stiffened, startled that he had surprised her. He gave her an apologetic look.  “Sorry for scaring you like that.  You must be pretty bushed, huh?”

She blinked, further pulling herself from her reverie. “Oh, no, I’m sorry!  I should have seen you coming this way!  Good evening to you, too,” Claire laughed as she shook her head.  She looked over at Rick and noticed his eyes were drawn to her fields of crops.  Her heart sunk a bit.  Was her overabundance of crops noticeable to everyone?  Did people see it as an embarrassment?

“I can tell you and Cliff have been busy. Looks like everything’s coming in nicely.  Your farm looks great – lots of corn.”  He looked at her fields with admiration, tucking his hands into his pockets.

She felt a weight lift from her shoulders. “Thank you.”  The worry lines began to fade from her forehead; she was rather tired of tomatoes – picking them, smelling them, eating them, people commenting on them.  His mention of her corn was a welcome change.  While she had planted quite a bit at the beginning of the season, she had foolishly added quite a few more plots after learning Gray was fond of it.  She shook her head and almost had to laugh.  Had she really thought that him enjoying corn warranted her adding several rows to her fields?  It wasn’t as if he was going to chow down on it like a grazing horse.  The comical image of him doing so made her snort with laughter; she slapped her hands over her mouth and reddened as Rick gave her a curious look.

A smirk played at his lips. He had noticed that Claire had been a bit down lately and having her in a good mood was instrumental to his plan.  He silently scolded himself for his one-track mind.  Karen had expressed concern for Claire and he had become a little worried about her himself, saying hello and waving to her more often than he typically did.  It was a relief to see that she was acting more like herself and seeing a smile on her face once more.

He decided to get to business; he straightened his posture and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he quietly cleared his throat. “I’ve actually come over tonight to make a business proposal.”

“Oh?” She raised her eyebrows in surprise.  While they had often spoken to each other over the fence connecting their farms, he had said nothing about a sort of deal before.  The idea made her a little giddy – others were seeing her as an established farmer, and Rick wouldn’t be interested in making a bargain if she didn’t have something he wanted.  She pushed down the excited giggle that was beginning to rise up in her throat, but she allowed a bright smile to show through.  Determined to show that she could be a worthy business partner, she bowed her head politely and opened the door to her house for him.  “Please come in and have a seat.”

Rick followed her inside and paused by the doorway to remove his shoes. He gazed around the farmhouse.  It was a small, unadorned dwelling, but it was hers, and he supposed that was worthy of its own pride.  A couple of sacks of blemished tomatoes and ears of corn sat in the corner of the room and he grinned as he took a seat on one of the floor cushions at her small table; it seemed she really did have more produce than she knew what to do with…

Claire returned to the table with a pitcher of tea and a couple of glasses. “Would you care for some barley tea?”

He nodded, childhood summer memories flooding back to him – Popuri and him begging their father to spray them with the hose. Rod would shoot the water high into the air and he’d gawk at the lovely rainbow it created, letting out a shriek as the cold water rained down on him and speckled his glasses.  Popuri would be so busy trying to find the end of the rainbow that she didn’t notice she was getting drenched and she didn’t take the time to enjoy the cool water.  “I’d love some.  Thanks.”

Claire filled the glasses with tea and Rick watched the bubbles float to the surface of the liquid, enjoying the sound of liquid being poured. It was nice to savor the moment for a change and not be completely focused on juggling his own responsibilities, his sister’s, and making sure that his mother was taken care of.  He even found the stress a little difficult to shake during the couple of dates he had gone on with Karen, feeling a sense of irresponsibility for not watching over them.  This was different, he reminded himself – this was work related and he didn’t need to feel guilty for leaving the farm.  He gazed across the table and noticed Claire was looking up at him expectantly.  He sat up straight; this wasn’t the time to get too comfortable.  He had work to do, after all.  Rick cleared his throat once more, thanking her for the beverage.  “Here’s the deal: if you’re willing to sell the poultry farm your corn at a discounted rate for feed, I’ll give you a full-grown hen.  Think about it - we’ll both save money by cutting out the middleman.”

She almost asked what Zack would do, but he was already making plenty of money off of her tomatoes and other crops. He was bound to be rich this season if he wasn’t already; the new larger pickup cart he drove was proof of that.  Claire considered Rick’s offer.  Another hen would be nice and she needed more than just a couple of chickens to make the trouble worth it.  With only five to seven eggs a week per hen, they weren’t really making much of a profit, if any at all.  Another chicken certainly wouldn’t hurt things, but knew that there had to be catch to Rick’s proposition.  She was familiar with smooth-talking salesmen back in the city.  Not using numbers or prices was a favorite way to lure in gullible buyers.  “How much corn do you want, and how much of a discount are you asking for?”  Claire asked, forcing herself to fold her hands in her lap rather than fidget with her fingers.  She wanted to come across as confident and hoped that she actually gave that impression.

Rick was surprised she had asked such a blunt question. When Karen spoke of her friend, it was more than apparent that Claire was eager to please, almost to a fault.  Part of him was curious to see just how eager she was.  “I’d like to buy half of your corn for forty-percent off of the market value.”  He knew it was a ridiculous offer; he just wanted to see how she would react.

Claire nearly choked on her tea, and a hint of a pleased smirk played at Rick’s mouth as she slammed her glass back down on the table a little too loudly. She bit her lip for a moment, afraid that something very rude was going to come out before she could stop it.  After attempting to suppress her frustration for a moment, she decided she couldn’t hold it completely back.  “Are you _crazy_?  Do you have any idea how much work goes into growing that corn?!”

“There’s the free hen in it for you,” Rick reminded her. He bit back a laugh when he got a scoff in reply.    He dismissed her stern look with the wave of a hand.  “Besides, corn seed is cheap.  It’s not like it costs you much to grow.  I mean, all you’re doing is using water, which you get for free…”

Claire was insulted. As much as she liked Rick, she wasn’t going to let him walk all over her.  She tried her best to control her temper; she had half a mind to tell him to leave, but he probably didn’t understand the emotional investment she had in her crops.  “I got _heat exhaustion_ tending to that corn!”  She had suffered her first real defeat here at Mineral Town that day, and she was reminded once again that she had much to learn.

“Ah…” Rick bowed his head in embarrassment, wondering if he had pushed her too far.  It was probable that his first solo business proposition wasn’t going to be successful.  He considered apologizing, but that might give off too weak of an image.  The young man shook his head.  Perhaps he was so focused on business that he wasn’t thinking about what was really truly important…  Rick opened his mouth to express regret at what he said, but Claire’s voice jumped in, startling him.

“I will sell you half of my corn, but at fifteen-percent off.” Her words were unyielding as she coolly took a drink of tea, carrying her body with an uncharacteristic stiffness.

He could see that she was trying to talk big, and Rick grinned when he saw the color come into her cheeks at his gaze. He was grateful he hadn’t scared her away from bargaining with him at all.  She had offered much lower than his original proposal, but to say he was disappointed would be a lie.  After all, if she had immediately agreed, he would be concerned about her being in charge of her own business affairs.  As he saw her body relax, he decided to lighten the mood a bit.  “Ah, you’ve wounded me, Claire!”  He clutched his chest dramatically, and she grinned as she caught a devious gleam in his eye, realizing he had been expecting them to haggle.

Claire realized it was her turn to make a move. “Well, it doesn’t cost much to feed a chicken,” she pointed out in response to his comment on the cost of growing corn.  “You can mostly just let them graze outside for bugs and plants and hardly give them any feed at all in the summer.  Your offer doesn’t require any sacrifice on your behalf…  You have a rooster, so you can have as many chickens as you want,” she added thoughtfully.

She had made a lot of good points and Rick realized that she knew he was asking a lot of her. “Hey, I’ll let you borrow Morty whenever you need,” he offered, realizing he needed to sweeten the deal.  “Thirty-percent.”

She had been hoping he would offer this, but didn’t let him know it. Rick had made a huge mistake in making such a generous offer so early in the haggling.  Claire scoffed and shook her head, and she had to admit to herself she was starting to have way too much fun.

“Think about it. I’m basically offering you free chickens,” he adjusted his glasses; surely she had to see how generous he was being.

“I could do the same myself; all I have to do is hatch a rooster,” Claire replied nonchalantly, sipping at her drink. Through closed doors, she had heard the president of her old company hold out for much more, and she figured she would try the same.

“How can you hatch _anything_ when you only have hens?  You need Morty; I don’t sell live roosters,” Rick grinned at her triumphantly.  She didn’t have a choice, she would _need_ to go through him, and he would be given his discount on corn.

“… _You_ don’t, but I bet if I go to the next town over, they would be happy to sell me one; after all, I’m not their competitor,” Claire smirked.

This idea hadn’t even occurred to him. “You’re terrible!” Rick slammed his fist on the table and the glasses of water shook ominously.  “You _wouldn’t_!”

“Well, then, give me a reason not to.” A mischievous grin spread across the young woman’s face, aware that she had made him nervous.

“If Morty gives you a rooster, I’ll buy it off of you for double price!” He hadn’t expected the farmer to be so shrewd; he had gone into damage control mode.  The cash flow needed to stay in Mineral Town.  Surely Claire didn’t understand this, as she was so new to town.  “Thirty-percent,” he repeated sternly.

“You’re running a monopoly, Rick. Fifteen-percent.”

Rick did a poor job of hiding his shock. He hadn’t expected such a harsh, quick quip.  “Twenty-five.  Think of it as supporting Mineral Town,” he cocked an eyebrow and took a sip of water.

Claire laughed. “Twenty; and you’ll still buy my roosters for double price.”

“I’ll go broke!” Rick cried. When he had stepped into this house, he had planned on the whole bargaining process to go much differently, namely, in his favor.

“No you won’t – there’s only a fifty-fifty chance that it’ll be male. Besides, my coop doesn’t have a ton of space in it anyway; I won’t have that many chickens.  And let’s be honest, you’ll still make a lot of money selling the roosters by the pound anyway.”

Rick bit back a grin; without meaning to, she had actually eased a few of his fears. Despite wanting a deal for herself, she was watching out for him as well.  She had surprised him tonight and he looked forward to working with the practical, clever woman in the future.  “Alright.  Twenty-percent.”

“Okay, so I am selling you half of my corn at twenty-percent off of market value, and you are giving me a full-grown hen, access to your rooster, and I will sell any of my roosters to you for double price.”

When she spelled it all out like that, Rick realized how much she had talked him into. He regretted bringing Morty into the picture at all, but he was still going to make money off of the deal in the long run.  Having a local farmer grow corn was already going to save his business a lot of money this year.  “Yeah.”

“Shall we shake on it to make it official?” Claire giggled.

Rick held out his hand. “Of course.”  He was proud of his first bargain by himself.

Claire shook his hand and had to admit she felt pretty grown up. She was reminded once again how far she had come from an exhausted accountant in the city.  Perhaps she needed to explain this to her parents somehow in her next letter…

Rick felt rather pleased with himself. He could see why Karen admired Claire so much; she was very smart.  “And just like any business deal, we should celebrate with drinks.  Let’s go to the bar.”

She took their empty glasses and the pitcher of tea. “Alright.  Your treat though, right?” She turned around and a hint of a smug smile was playing at her lips.

Karen had taught her well… A little too well…  “You’ve already gotten enough out of me today!” Rick rolled his eyes when her expression didn’t change.  “What the heck?  Grab your shoes and let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I had actually written this haggling scene over a year ago, and it was finally time to stick it in the story. I wanted to portray how both of them are quite new at making business decisions, but they still have a lot of respect for each other. Look forward to more business deals with other businesses around Mineral Town! (omg Spoiler Alert!)  
> A great big thank you to my readers, as always. Y’all are the best. I appreciate everyone that takes time reading, reviewing, or even thinking about this story. It seriously means a lot.
> 
> Hope you're looking forward to me FINALLY posting the first chapter of the fireworks festival. Hope y’all are looking forward to it! It’ll be very Japanese– inspired, complete with carnival games, fireworks, and traditional dancing. Lotsa cameos and cute stuff. Trust me, I’m excited for it, and I hope you are, too!


	66. Golden Service Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the beginning of the Fireworks Festival, and as Claire and pals walk the strip to play carnival games, we learn what Won wanted Claire's old tomatoes for.

Claire stood in front of her mirror as she tied her red obi, her hands trembling. She hadn’t donned traditional festival wear since she was a child and it took her a few times to get the tying right.  Smoothing out the fabric, she inspected her reflection in the mirror.  She pushed away concern that she might look like she didn’t know how to properly dress for a festival; from what she remembered, these affairs were pretty informal.  She hadn’t attended a proper fireworks festival for several years and she could hardly contain her excitement.  She had pulled her hair back into a low bun off to one side and adorned it with some flowers she had picked in the mountains earlier that afternoon; she was going all out.  The young woman fussed with the sleeves of her yukata and allowed herself to admire her appearance for a brief moment.  She realized she wasn’t trying to impress anyone but herself and grinned at her reflection.

Claire had removed the tags of the garment that day feeling a sense of victory. She had proven her friends in the city wrong – she hadn’t returned the yukata to the store and she was wearing it to an event.  It had been stashed among her things for over a couple of years now and had never been worn, having been purchased with some friends from the city with the plans to attend a festival in a group.  Claire had made a special shopping trip to find the perfect outfit months before the event.  She could still remember falling in love with the soft cherry blossom pattern on the yukata, going back to it time and time again after trying on several others.

She hadn’t gone out with her friends for quite some time and she had counted down the days until the festival. When a sudden project with a strict deadline came up at work, she had been sent home with boxes of paperwork.  She had tried to explain to her friends why she couldn’t attend the festival, but they didn’t understand why one night off was so hard to do.  A majority of them stopped inviting her to their outings, complaining that she was never available.  She had stewed for months after the event, wondering if she should have shuffled her time differently to make time for both things, but it did no good to dwell on it at that point.

Claire swallowed the lump in her throat as she slid on her footwear and looked at her reflection in the mirror one last time. Mineral Town had a new set of friends.  She had a different kind of job, and the way of life out here was nothing like what she had left behind in the city.  She liked to think that she had also begun to adopt a new way of thinking about balancing her life.  New wasn’t always bad, she realized.  She might not be attending a city fireworks festival in her yukata, but she was attending one with her friends, and that was good enough.

0o0o0o0

Claire was listening to the clattering of her geta on the cobblestones when she heard the sound of the crowd on the beach. Her heart pounded in anticipation as she quickened her walking pace.  She was actually going to get to see fireworks up close, and she was going to be at a carnival with her friends!

She didn’t see Karen immediately, but saw a laughing Ann rushing out by the tide as Cliff chased after her. The redhead stumbled a bit in the clunky footwear, but she noticed that their friend easily caught up to her; he was accustomed to wearing geta.

“Ann-!” He let out a sigh as she continued to scurry away.

A smile crept across Claire’s face and she followed their direction. The square was full of tents and stands that were still in the process of setting up, and she wanted to be surprised by the full effect of everything operational at once.  She averted her eyes and focused on the beach.

“Good evening, Mayor Thomas!”

“Hello, Ann. Hello, Cliff.”  The mayor still wore his formal red suit and top hat despite the festive atmosphere.

“Great evening for a festival, huh?” Ann nodded her head. She was used to feeling her braid bounce, but she had replaced it with two braided buns for the evening.  “You always appreciate the feedback on the festivals, Mayor.”  She played with her pale green yukata sleeves.

“Of course.” He looked up from his work. Thomas and Saibara had been gathering the crates of fireworks for the display later.  The mayor was getting a sore back and was eager for an interruption.

“Cliff says that this festival isn’t rowdy enough,” Ann giggled. “He says we need taiko and yelling and screaming and dancing.  He thinks this festival is weak!”

Her friend blushed and shook his head emphatically. “Th-that’s not what-!”

Thomas shrugged and spoke over him. The mayor wasn’t keen on critical remarks about his job at the best of times.  Dancing had never been the highlight of the Fireworks Festival, after all.  From a financial standpoint, the vendors’ fees for reserving stalls and tents paid for the fireworks, and very little money was carried over to pay for the next year’s festival.  The dancing was simply a formality that the older townsfolk demanded, although participation was usually pretty low.  Unless quite a few people actually expressed an interest, additional funds had more important places to go.  “Well, I did bring my record player for the line dancing.  If you’re hoping to dance, Cliff, we’ll have that before the fireworks.”  His voice was friendly, but there was a subtle note of annoyance in his facial expressions.

Ann was blind to this. “He wants _live_ music,” she continued with a laugh.  “Surely you’d appreciate some feedback from a newcomer,” she insisted, giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

The mayor stiffened at her touch. He had many things he wanted to say to her, but since his son was interested in her, he held his tongue out of politeness.  Ann had no idea how much work went into planning a festival like this; surely she meant well…  Thomas tried to explain to her that Cliff’s request for live music was a steep one.  “Well, for starters, I don’t know where we’re going to acquire all those drums, let alone someone to play them.”

These didn’t appear to be issues to her at all. “Cliff will play!  I’ll play!”  Ann immediately volunteered excitedly.

Thomas cocked an eyebrow, avoiding a scoff. He knew her well enough to know that she often acted before she thought.  “Do you even know how to play?”

“Not at all!” Ann grinned; this fact seemed trivial to her.  She spun on her geta, burrowing a perfectly round hole in the damp sand.  Cliff ducked his head in embarrassment that the conversation had ballooned into what it now was.

“I’d play.” Saibara looked up from his crate of fireworks and he had an eager gleam in his eye.

The mayor and the blacksmith’s relationship was often strained even under the best circumstances, and this was the evening of their annual argument over fireworks. Every year they struggled over how they should be arranged and what order they should be lit.  Thomas had his own schedule to adhere to, he would explain to Saibara year after year.  The stubborn old man didn’t mince words with him; he thought Thomas’s ideas were terrible.  Thomas was eager to avoid any further confrontations with him this evening.  “I-I think they need my help over at the booth over there,” he laughed nervously.  He hurried away from them, eager to drop the subject.  He was willing to let the fireworks discussion go for the moment if he could avoid getting roped into doing more work for the music and dancing next year.  The way he saw it, he already had enough on his plate with his daily duties between Mineral Town and Forget Me Not Valley.

“Which one?” Ann and Saibara asked in unison.

Thomas gestured wildly with his arms at nowhere in particular and they both laughed at him; he was a terrible liar. Ann chased him back to the booths, teasing him much to his annoyance.

“Hiya, Claire, you look awesome!” Ann winked at her and dashed off after Thomas before she could respond.

“Good evening, Miss Claire,” Saibara bowed to her politely as she approached them. “You are a true vision of beauty this evening.”

“Th-thank you,” she stammered. She noticed that he had dressed for the occasion as well.  His slate yukata was smoothed out nicely and he had tamed his normally wild snowy white locks and beard.  There was a playful twinkle in his eye that she had seen at the Midsummer’s Dance and it brought a smile to her face. “You look great, too, Saibara.”

He cackled and some color rose in his cheeks. “Even an old man like me can look nice once in a while.”  He was deeply flattered by her compliment – most people assumed he didn’t like hearing praise because he rarely gave it.

“Hi, Claire…” Cliff’s eyes widened when he saw her.  His heart throbbed in his ears as he took in his friend’s appearance.  All of her hair was swept back and adorned with fresh flowers except for her bangs and some loose strands that hung by her face.  Her cheeks had a cheery glow that was accentuated by her rosy yukata and the clothes reminded him once more of her beautiful femininity.  “Y-you look gorgeous,” he breathed.  He had surprised himself by using such a bold word and blushed deeply, quickly turning his gaze to the sand.

Claire’s heart gave a funny jolt and she fought her instincts to push it down; this relatively new jumpy feeling around Cliff was interesting, and she found she wasn’t completely opposed to it. “Thanks…  You look really handsome.”  He was clad in traditional festival wear as well and he looked very comfortable and at home in his dark blue yukata.  She smiled when she saw he had rolled up and tied back his sleeves with a tasuki – it suited him as he didn’t strike her as the type to wear sleeves very often.  The shade of blue brought out the color in his eyes.  She reddened and caught herself playing with the wisps of her hair that couldn’t fit into her bun.  She swiftly clasped her hands.  If she wasn’t careful, she was going to mess up the hair she had so carefully styled.

The old man looked at both of them and bit back a smile. There was an innocence around the two of them that reminded him of years gone by.  Saibara could almost hear the music playing as he nervously offered his hand to dance with his future wife so many years ago.  “You’re right about earlier, Cliff.”  His gruff voice startled both of them.  “This festival is just a shadow of what it should be.  People like us who work hard deserve to play hard as well.”

He gave Saibara a confused look. “ _Us_?  B-but I’m not even employed…  W-well, I mean outside from helping out Claire with her tomato harvest…”  A familiar wave of shame washed over him and he tried to fight the frown that was threatening to take over his face.  This was a happy time, he reminded himself, and it wasn’t an occasion for gloomy behavior.

“All three of us know how hard you work and how dedicated you are, permanent job or not. I wish that quality of yours would rub off on my grandson.”  Saibara’s face was expressionless as he went back to unpacking his crates of fireworks.

Things had never really completely calmed down after the incident in the mountains a couple of months ago when Gray lost his temper with him. Cliff had been avoiding spending too much time around Saibara in response, but he didn’t really feel it was fair for him to have to stay away from someone he saw as a friend in order to keep from hurting Gray’s feelings.  Cliff blinked in surprise at his own thought process – it hadn’t been that long ago when he truly believed that he wasn’t meant to have any friends, let alone feel like he deserved to nurture any blooming friendships.  Despite his frustration at Gray’s past behavior, Cliff would be lying if he said that things hadn’t been improving.  “Ah… he’s trying; he really is,” he replied uncomfortably.  Whether this was really true or not remained to be seen, but his roommate had called him his best friend at Kai’s birthday party, and he wasn’t soon to forget it.  He felt that the least he could do for him was defend him a bit when it came to his work ethic.

At the mention of Gray, a sharp ringing of a bell pierced the air. The trio looked up to see Gray in the square stretching his arms and setting down a large sledgehammer, nodding to the operator of the High Striker game as he offered Mary to choose a prize.  Her face lit up as she gawked at the stuffed animals and she suddenly became aware of her childish behavior, burying her face in the sleeves of her beautiful teal yukata.  His pale blue eyes gazed at her warmly as she giggled, accepting a large stuffed pony in her arms before deciding it was much easier to carry over her shoulders like a backpack.  Claire noticed Gray had stubbornly worn his usual garb – a khaki-colored set of coveralls accompanied by his signature blue cap.

It seemed she wasn’t the only one aware of his attire. “What does that boy think he’s wearing at a festival like this?!” Saibara fumed, dropping a few firework casings noisily into the wooden crate beside him.  Both of his companions jumped in surprise at the sudden loud sound.  “He looks like a fool!”  The old man stomped across the beach in the direction of the pair.

“Time to put some distance between us and them.” Cliff whispered into her ear as he gave her a playful smile. Claire found that she was eager to follow him.  His friendly eyes coupled with his lighthearted chuckle had quickly drawn her in; seeing Cliff so happy made her heart soar as it always did.  Her eyes traveled over him while he looked forward – his yukata really did look good on him, and she wondered if it was something he wore a lot back at his home village, as he moved so comfortably and naturally in it.

They headed to the opposite side of the beach, where they saw that Ann had circled back around and found Karen and Rick.

“Claire!” Karen waved to her with her cotton candy. Her black yukata was covered with a colorful butterfly print.  Her brown hair was pulled back into a bun, her blonde streaks hanging down around her face.  She looked every part the festival goer, and Claire smiled at her friend’s beautiful appearance.  She was about to say so when Karen’s sudden voice startled her.  “Ah, you’re finally wearing it!  You look so stinking cute!  Give me a twirl!”

Claire blushed and did a little spin for her friend. She felt a little embarrassed being on display, but everyone was busy staring at each others’ outfits, so she tried her best to take it in stride.

“I told her she looked amazing earlier,” Ann told Karen as she gave their friend a nod.

“Everyone looks very nice tonight.” Claire smiled and shyly took a spot between her friends, eager to be out of the circle they had naturally formed around her.  She looked over noticed Karen was holding hands with Rick, who was clad in a muted green yukata.  He was wearing his usual white hachimaki around his head – it seemed he was dressed to go all out whether it came to work or play.

Karen was a bit surprised to see that Cliff not only owned clothing for wearing to such an event, but he wore it confidently. “And look at you, Cliff!  All decked out!  Twirl!” she commanded, motioning with her finger.

Her friend silently obliged. Claire felt a smile creeping across her face as she watched him.  She noticed his hair was pulled back with a strip of dark blue fabric that matched his outfit.  The tie around his waist was the same slate gray material as his tasuki that was knotted at his shoulder, further cementing his air of experience with such clothing.

“Very nice.” Karen nodded with approval as she gave his arm a playful punch.  His face slightly flushed at all the attention on him, but he rolled his eyes to play off his discomfort.  She could tell that she had made him a little self-conscious so she turned toward the redhead in the soft green yukata.  “And our Ann looks adorable!”

She snorted at her. “Call me cute one more time and I’ll knock your teeth in.  I got enough of it from Dad this afternoon.  He showed me off to the guests at the inn like I was some kind of mascot and he wanted to take my photo and everything,” she groaned, sloppily rolling up her sleeves.  “Come on, guys, let’s buy some beer and have a belching contest; I’ve got to negate this sissy outfit I’m wearing.  I’m only wearing it because it was my mom’s!”

The group aimlessly made their way back to the entrance of the square.

“You know, there are worse things in this world than being called cute,” Rick teased, giving Ann a smirk. “What would you do if you had a boyfriend that called you cute?”

Her eyes snapped to Harris, who was in uniform standing watch at the entrance to the square, her cheeks glowing pink as she gave him a quick wave. She turned back toward Rick and forced a pout on her face.  “Well, I’d punch his face in, of course!”

“Have you guys hit up any of the booths yet?” Cliff asked softly, changing the subject.

Karen shook her head. “We were just going for a quick walk on the beach while people were opening their stalls.”

Claire looked around eagerly as they entered the square. The normally abandoned plaza was packed with tents and stands, and the sounds of food sizzling, laughter, music, and carnival games filled their ears.  The bright strings of lights and paper lanterns caught Claire’s eyes as her breath caught in her throat; it was more beautiful than she could have imagined.  She had vague memories of what the festivals looked like in the city as a kid, but this had a much more authentic, rustic feel to it.  “It looks like there’s so much to do!”  Her heart was still pounding with excitement.

“Well, why don’t we just walk the strip?” Rick suggested, leading the way and taking his girlfriend’s hand. He nearly tripped over his geta as Kai’s cart came into view.  The cook was busily filling orders while Popuri, who had an apron clad over her blue yukata, was calling out orders for him and taking the money.  Rick’s muscles tensed up.  Kai was forcing his sister to work on a holiday!  This was supposed to be one of the few times he allowed himself not to think about work!  Furious, he took a step toward them, but Karen held his arm fast.  He froze in place and gritted his teeth as he watched Ann hurry forward to order from them.

“Two takoyakis, Poppy!” The redhead cheerfully handed over some coins, salivating at the sounds and smells of the crispy, deep fried food.

“Got it!” Popuri turned around. “TWO TAKOYAKIS!” she bellowed right into his ear.  Kai jumped, but gave her a playful nudge with his side.  All three of them laughed.

Ann bounced up and down in her noisy footwear, her eyes scanning other stalls for more snacks to eat in the near future. In truth, this was her favorite part of the whole day, and she intended on fully enjoying it.  “So how are you two liking the festival scene?  Pretty crazy, right?” She bobbed her head, eyeing up the various snacks behind Popuri.  Cotton candy, baked corn, snow cones…  She would have to hurry if she was going to get to eat them all before the night was over.

“Busy but fun! I never get to be in charge of stuff back at home.  I love helping Kai!” Her face lit up.  “Plus, I’m calling dibs on leftover cheese curds!”  She motioned for the woman behind Ann to order and she shyly shook her head, murmuring in a soft voice that she was still deciding as she twirled a long strand of navy hair around her pale fingers.

“She’s really good at spinning cotton candy,” Kai chimed in, plating the takoyaki and garnishing it with sauce and bonito flakes. “Natural perfect technique.  She’s the cotton candy queen!”

“Cotton candy _princess_!” she corrected, folding her arms.  “ _Queen_ makes me sound old!”  Ann snickered as Kai rolled his eyes behind Popuri’s back.  She turned back toward her customer, who was staring back at their group of friends with wide brown eyes.  “Are you ready to order, Miss?”

The woman blinked and jumped in surprise, not without giving them one last curious look. “Ah, my apologies!  I’ll have two roasted corns, please.”  She bowed apologetically, rifling through her coin purse.  “Ah, I-I mean one!” she laughed a little too loudly.  “Just me today!”  She twisted the gold ring on her left hand with another apologetic bow, her cheeks glowing pink as she paid for her food.

“That doesn’t stop our Ann,” Kai laughed, handing his customer an ear of corn.

“Oh, hush! You’re just jealous because I could beat you in an eating contest any day!” she retorted, popping an entire takoyaki in her mouth.  She cradled both paper trays in the crook of her arm and playfully turned her nose at him, returning to the group. 

“You guys ready to move on?” Karen was watching Rick, whose eyes were glued to his sister.  She put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“… Yeah. I _am_ ready to move on,” he replied softly, the hint of a smile playing at his lips as he watched Popuri wave goodbye to their customer.  She turned back toward Kai and rested a hand on his arm and they fell silent as their eyes locked.  Rick abruptly turned back toward his friends.  “ _Anyway_ …”

“Oooh! Hey!  It’s that guy who makes the awesome omelettes and draws portraits on them with ketchup!”  Ann exclaimed, her mouth full.  She pointed over to a stand where a burly man was expertly flipping a couple of skillets with a flourish.  He looked up and caught the young woman’s eye.

“Oh, Ann, sweetie~! Do come over, darling~!” his deep syrupy voice sang out as he winked at her.  “I’ve got a yummy omelette with your face on it~!  Your father’s, too!”

Her eyes widened. “What, you do?  Howard, that’s super creepy!”  Despite the unsettling piece of news, she laughed as she bounded over to him, her takoyaki still in her hands.  She took a seat at his counter.  “Don’t you be selling that to people!  Now you’re going to have to let me dispose of it!  Catch you guys later!” she yelled over her shoulder, dismissing them with the wave of a hand as her eyes remained glued to the food in Howard’s frying pans.  “Wow… that’s… actually a pretty good rendering of Dad’s moustache…”

“Who is up for some games?” Karen asked. There were some murmurs of agreement as they followed her along the walk.

Claire had a hard time focusing on where they were going. There were so many people and different activities that she found herself falling behind.  There was a High Striker game where a woman with long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail was talking to Saibara. 

“Yes, the mechanisms were quite tricky, but I was able to make it after all…” she heard the woman reply as she adjusted the large hammer resting on her shoulder. “Well, with your guidance, of course.  Your suggestions on my blueprints really helped.”

The old man let out a delighted cackle and Claire gasped as a woman sporting silky golden hair slammed into her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Claire.

“Ah, looks like we both need to be a little more careful, huh?” She gave the farmer a quick smirk. Giving the baby sea turtle in her bag a quick check, the beginnings of a scowl could be seen on her face at the potential disaster that could have happened.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Claire replied bashfully, bowing in apology. “I’m glad your turtle’s okay!”  She found herself unable to stop staring.  As the girl dusted off her aqua yukata and her face softened, Claire found herself staring at the woman’s well-manicured nails and looked down at her own calloused hands with a sigh.  Farming wasn’t exactly the profession for those going into beauty, after all.  The frown on her face continued to grow.  She hadn’t planned on impressing anyone with her looks tonight, but she was now wishing she had taken more care in how she looked.  Claire gazed at her distinctive lacy headband adorned with pink ribbons and she nearly tripped over her own feet.  If she wasn’t mistaken, the young woman looked just like the pop idol she had gone to see in the city four or five years ago…  This woman was everything Claire had always wished she could look like herself – stylish and confident while still managing to look cute and feminine.  That couldn’t possibly be the famous Lanna.  Either way, the young woman was gorgeous.  Claire blinked as she cleared her dry throat.  “Y-you wouldn’t happen to be-”

 “Lanna, the one and only!”  The singer gave Claire her signature wink and pouted her lips.

She forgot about her friends walking on ahead and gave an excited little hop, her geta clanking loudly. She could still hear Lanna’s voice during the credits as she sat in the movie theatre.  “Oh, w-wow!  I-I r-remember when you sang that song at the opening of-”

“I sang more than just that one, you know!” her voice cracked as she balled her hands into fists, her eyes hardening as she swung the bag with the turtle a little more roughly than she meant to. She quickly checked on the sack, muttering apologies to the creature under her breath.  She turned back toward Claire with a sulk.  “I-I am just on a break laying low for a while, that’s all!  I’m not some lousy one-hit wonder!”

The harshness in Lanna’s voice surprised Claire. She felt as if the bottom of her stomach had dropped out.  She was meeting one of her idols and was blowing it.  “I-I never meant to imply that…”

“Well, I’d hope not. Come on, Squirt.  Let’s get you to the inn before I drop you,” she cooed to the bag, making her way to the exit of the square.

Claire jumped as she felt an arm gently wrap around hers.

“Ah, I’m sorry; didn’t mean to scare you. Was she someone you knew back in the city?” Cliff watched the back of the woman’s head.

“I wish,” Claire snorted, smoothing out her yukata and straightening up her posture, reminding herself she should try to be more attractive like Lanna. “She was a pop star out in the city.  I always thought she would be much more… bubbly in person.”

“Performing for a living can make people adopt different personas,” her friend replied sagely as they began to head back to catch up to the others. He found that it didn’t hurt him to say this.

The whole ordeal had been so unnerving she didn’t have a desire to ask for an autograph. “Maybe she was just having a bad day,” Claire added with a shrug.  After all, Lanna had probably been concerned about her turtle, she reasoned.  “I wanted to be _just_ like her for a while.  She sure was pretty, huh?”  She stopped so they could get a better look at her.  “I wanted her hair and her style…”  She let out a wistful sigh as she followed Lanna’s golden locks with her eyes.

Cliff’s gaze was locked onto a different blonde. He brushed his hand against her arm and swallowed the lump in his throat, his stomach jittery.  “Well, I-I think…”

_I think you’re amazing just the way you are…_

“I thought we lost you two dorks! Find something cool?” Karen walked back toward them, Rick in tow.

Claire let out a nervous chuckle. “Ah, I just bumped into someone who was pretty famous in the city.  Literally.  I need to be more careful; I could have hurt the turtle she was carrying…”  Her anxiety only increased as she saw the worry lines deepen on Cliff’s forehead in response.

“Well, don’t go crushing cute animals!” Karen teased, seizing her friend’s arm and pulling her forward. Claire’s stomach stopped tightening as she felt that Cliff still had a loose hold on her other arm.  “Let’s find something to keep you out of trouble!” 

As they walked along, Claire let out a sigh, releasing her tension. Tonight was for fun, after all.  Food, music, games and fireworks, she reminded herself, renewing her excitement for the evening.  No work, no stress…

Karen smiled over at her friends and noticed their arms were still intertwined. This had been more common lately, she realized, and she was tickled that both of them seemed progressively happier.  They were absolutely adorable in her eyes and she loved watching them enjoy each other’s company.  She found herself biting her tongue once more; Karen was determined not to interfere in any way with their affairs.

A piercing voice with a thick accent startled them all. “Hey, step right up, folks!  Play my apple game!  You can win a Hyper Miracle Sweet Gorgeous Beautiful Apple!”  A red, polished, but otherwise very normal-looking apple sat on a pedestal behind the counter in front of a garish striped background.  The hand-painted targets adorned the back wall, a little unevenly spaced.  Won leaned forward on his counter flashing his teeth at them in what Claire recognized as the grin that awakened a great well of anger from within her.

She was a bit comforted to see that her friends weren’t impressed. Rick rolled his eyes.  “That guy’s a joke,” he muttered under his breath.

Karen shrugged. “I don’t even like apples.”

Claire was more than eager to continue along and when they picked up their walking pace, she felt a sense of relief. She still felt a little sore over the whole deal with Won.  As promised, Zack had come by Mystic Acres with his cart to haul off the tomatoes and he was more than polite, but she couldn’t help but replay the conversation she had with Won in her head.  She didn’t want to think about that at all tonight and she was glad that no one looked like they wanted to hang around his stand.

“Hey, there, little lady! I’ve got a target game, too!  Anyone can play!” Won didn’t relent.  “Five hundred to play – top prize is five thousand!  You could be a big winner!” he proclaimed in his best announcer voice.

At this, the group stopped in its tracks. Claire looked ahead at her friends, wondering if they were actually interested.  “That sounds awful steep,” Rick commented, adjusting his glasses before shaking his head.

She let out a silent sigh of relief at the fact that they had stopped in sheer surprise at how impractical his attraction was. This was short-lived, however.  “You know, I’ve been supporting your friend over there.”  Won nodded at Claire and put half a dozen overripe tomatoes in a basket on the counter as if these words alone had sealed their fate – they had no choice but to pay the exorbitant price of the game.  He cocked an eyebrow at her as if to dare her to protest.

Claire found herself gritting her teeth. How dare he act as if they owed him anything!  She most certainly wasn’t going to talk up his stall, even if that meant he wouldn’t buy her blemished produce next year.  Her frustrations from their initial deal threatened to bubble back to the surface; she didn’t want anything to do with Won and hoped that her friends felt the same.

“You’ve been helping Claire?” Karen stopped and turned toward the merchant. Claire realized that with all of the things going on at the farm, she had been too busy to remember to tell her about Won’s agreement.

He lowered his sunglasses and smirked at Karen as his eyes shamelessly moved up and down her body. A beautiful woman and a great business opportunity were too hard to pass up.  Ignoring the poisonous looks he was getting from Rick, the man stroked his moustache and a soft chuckle escaped his lips.  “Well, what do you know?  It’s golden service time!  Lovely ladies get a free game!  Plus, I’ll give you one hundred gold for each one you hit.”  Won gave her a flirty smile and folded his arms across his chest.

She was half ready to punch Won in the mouth for the look he was giving her, but even she knew that wouldn’t solve anything. She had been given enough lustful looks to tune most of them out and not let them ruin her good time.  “Aw, what the heck?” She ignored Rick’s incredulous stare and stepped up to his kiosk.  “Come on, let’s all have a good laugh.  That’s what tonight is all about, huh?”

Won slid the basket of fruit toward her. “You get six tomatoes.  If you hit all five targets, you win the jackpot!  See how generous I am?  I’ve even given you a spare.”  The grin on his face grew as her friends moved closer to observe.

Karen grabbed a tomato and threw it as hard as she could. It splattered on the back wall, nowhere near any of the targets. 

Everyone took a step back, preparing to shield themselves from tomato juice and seeds.

After two more tomatoes plopped on the ground, one flew behind her, and two exploded against the wall far away from the targets, the salesman came out from behind the support beam of his stall, his makeshift shelter. The whole ordeal had been much more violent than he was expecting, but there was one thing he had predicted correctly – that he wouldn’t have to pay her anything.  “Oh, too bad~!”  Won laughed a little too eagerly as he gave Karen an overly friendly grin.

Claire stepped up to the counter, bouncing with excitement; she had been eagerly awaiting her turn and was determined to hit a target or two. _Yes, two! I can surely hit two!  All I have to do is concentrate and aim!  I’m going to surprise everyone!  And then I’ll use the prize money to share some rock candy with everyone!_ She stifled an eager giggle.

She was so busy thinking about what color of candy to buy that she hadn’t noticed Won’s eyes lingering on her feminine curves as she leaned forward to smooth out her obi. “Hmmm….” He inspected her and raised his eyebrows when she came back up and he saw her wide innocent eyes.  “Eh, not my type,” he muttered under his breath.

“Huh?” Claire looked up at him curiously, wondering why he hadn’t filled the basket of tomatoes while she was getting ready.

“A game is five hundred gold.” He grinned at her brightly, reaching out an open palm to her as he awaited payment.

Her jaw dropped, along with the rest of her friends’. She was too stunned to say anything as her heart fell.  She blinked as she stared at the counter of the stand, fighting the urge to cry.  The young woman had never been so embarrassed.  She attempted to regain her composure and mentally repeated the mantra her mother had given her as a girl: _just let it slide off… it’s no big deal…_

It seemed not everyone was of the same mindset. “Hey, that’s not fair!”  Karen slammed the flimsy counter with her fists, the wood wobbling a bit against her weight.

Won shrugged nonchalantly. “Golden service time is over.”

“Not only is that incredibly rude, but that’s poor business tactics!” Rick started, poking a finger in Won’s face as he leaned on the counter. Claire quickly learned that the two of them combined were a force to be reckoned with.

Won simply shook his head and smirked at them, refusing to be swayed. Aggression didn’t work well on him.  He didn’t get where he was because he had been a pushover, after all.  “Golden service time is over,” he repeated firmly.

Claire used this opportunity to step back from the counter without being noticed. Whether or not Won had intended on hurting her, the words still stung deeply.  She thought of the breathtaking Lanna she had bumped into earlier and glanced at Karen.  Despite her furrowed eyebrows and flushed face, Karen was still a vision of beauty.  Claire returned her gaze to the ground in shame; surely she had an ugly look on her own face right now.  She hated being reminded how plain she looked compared others.  She forgot about the fireworks and the music and the snacks.  All she wanted was to go home and find a place to cry lick her wounds in privacy.  She didn’t want anyone to look at her – a homely girl attempting to fool everyone in pretty clothes…

“Let her play.” Cliff’s voice was low in volume but firm and it made Won’s hair stand up on end.  Everyone fell silent and focused their attention on the young man.  Claire looked over and could see that her friend was shaking with rage.  She wasn’t happy that he was upset, but something about seeing him irritated over the whole situation made her feel more validated in her own feelings.  Still, witnessing him angry was so startling that the mistiness had faded from her eyes and she felt a little steadier.

He laughed it off. “I never said she couldn’t buy a game.  I’ve already done her a favor by buying off her surplus tomatoes.  She has to pay like everyone else.”  He cocked an eyebrow.

“It’s alright…” Claire forced a small smile on her face; she wasn’t really in the mood for games anymore. The fact that her friends had been willing to stand up for her should have been plenty to cheer her up, she scolded herself.  Embarrassed that this had not been enough, she felt the urge to run back to Mystic Acres and refuse to show her face.  “I didn’t really want to play, anyway…”  At this lie, her voice cracked and her cheeks blazed in humiliation, her brief moment of stability crumbling away.

Cliff’s eyes flew to the targets on the wall and rested on a bucket of cracked tomatoes behind the counter. He reached into his leather pouch and slammed a large fistful of coins on the counter.  “I’ll play.”

Won smirked; his plan had succeeded. He didn’t care who played – he had lured in a paying customer.  Riled up customers brought in the most money, after all.  With their hot tempers and stubbornness, Won could practically see the stacks of gold pieces.

“Are you sure, Cliff?” Karen looked at her friend in concern and was surprised at his determined nod.  He didn’t strike her as a betting man, and she knew he was very careful with his money.

“Cliff… don’t play if you don’t want to.” Claire frowned.  He wasn’t the type to get reckless.  She blushed with embarrassment and hoped he wasn’t doing this for her sake.  Part of her had wished that they would just walk away from Won and move on to something else.  She had never seen him like this before; Won had obviously struck a nerve. 

His eyes softened a bit as he turned toward her and gave her a small smile, gently patting her shoulder. “I want to.”  He leaned in to whisper softly into her ear.  “He deserves this – you’ll see.  This won’t last long.”

Her eyes popped open in surprise and she wondered for a brief moment if he was intending on throwing the tomatoes at something other than the intended targets. Part of her was completely okay with this as she took a small step backward, a little numb from all of the emotions being thrown at her.

Rick’s gaze flicked between the women. They obviously didn’t understand the need for a man to protect a woman’s honor.  Won had practically challenged Cliff the moment he scoffed at Claire and the way Rick saw it, Cliff didn’t have much else of a choice but to retaliate.  “You’ve got this, man.  Do what you gotta do.”  His eyes flashed and he nodded at him, giving the young man a slap on the back as he took a step back to spectate beside Karen.

“That’s the spirit!” Won scooped up the coins before the Cliff’s friends could talk him out of it.  “You know the rules.  Five targets will give you the jackpot.  Good luck, kid.”  He leaned on the counter and leered up at him as he shoved a basket of produce at him.

Cliff sorted through the basket of tomatoes he was given. He spent a few moments getting a feel for the different weights of the fruits.  He was immediately reminded of the tomato festivals he had told Claire about.  His cheeks flashed pink as he remembered their night at the bar together, recalling the way she leaned forward at the table in her cute dress and looked up at him with coy eyes.  Maybe he should ask her out for a drink again sometime…  He quickly shook the thought from his head, focusing back on the tomatoes.  He remembered that throwing them took a little getting used to at first, but fortunately he had a lot of practice.

“Any time now…” Won heckled Cliff, eager for him to start losing money faster.

The first tomato whizzed right past the merchant’s head and landed a bull’s-eye in response.

“That was pretty cool!” Karen cheered, but her friend made no acknowledgment to her compliment; his eyes were focused on the targets as he weighed out a couple more tomatoes in his hands.

Biting back an obscenity, Won laughed. “Anyone can get lucky, I guess…”  He watched Cliff shuffle through the fruit once more and sort them out by size.  “Did I mention that the one hundred gold per target bonus was only during golden service time?”

“Of course it was,” Rick groaned, shooting Won a dirty look.

Cliff wasn’t paying attention to them. Claire watched curiously as he eyed up the targets, reminded of the concentration she saw while he was spear fishing in the shallows of the Kappa Lake.  He threw the next two rapidly in succession and Won ducked behind the counter in surprise.  His frown grew as he saw the fruit splatter on two more bull’s-eyes.  “Yeah, so what?  You think you’re hot stuff?” He gritted his teeth with a sneer as he heckled him.

When Cliff hit another target, Won knew he had to do something about it; he had hardly any customers tonight, and he was not about to lose money.

“Easy there, kid! You don’t want to mess up and embarrass yourself in front of your girlfriend!”

Cliff’s face flushed, but he waited silently for a few moments to regain himself; he knew better than to throw while he was emotional. Won’s jaw dropped as the fifth tomato hit the target, and his friends burst into cheers.  Cliff held the final tomato in both hands and looked up at the merchant.  Won flinched, and Cliff smirked at him as he gently set the final fruit back down on the countertop.

Won grumbled as he counted out the coins and dropped them into Cliff’s leather wallet.

The young man had thought about what to say while he was playing the game and he turned to him with a kind smile. “Treat my friends with more respect next time, okay?”  Cliff’s voice was surprisingly friendly.  “I think we started off on the wrong foot.  I hope to do a lot of business with you come fall; I’ll have some furs to sell you.”  He closed his money pouch and bowed his head politely at the merchant.  He hoped that he had managed to gain a little bit of respect from him as a potential trader.

Won’s eyes lit up; there had been a greater demand for furs in the Castanet area and the selling price had increased in the Zephyr Town market. “What kinds of furs?  Anything rare?”  His face immediately fell as he put the pieces together.  “You slippery little sneak!  You look like you’re green tea, but you’re actually alcohol, aren’t you?!”

Cliff ignored this snide comment, hoping to focus on the profit for both of them in the future. He found it harder to hide the nerves in his voice as he feared that he had already damaged his relationship with Won.  Cliff mentally scolded himself; he had lost his temper when he saw that Claire’s feelings had been hurt and he had been too eager to teach Won a lesson.  “I’m h-hoping to have some fox, rabbit, and buckskin for you.  You see, I do bow hunting and throwing knives-”

Won was distracted by his current reversal of fortune. At this rate, he was going to lose money tonight.  “Throwing knives?!  I bet that game wasn’t even a challenge for you!  Give me that money back, you loathsome little dog whelp!”

Cliff’s eyes flashed dangerously, his posture stiffening. “Kindly keep my mother out of this.  You did say, ‘Anyone can play’.”

Won gnashed his teeth; he would have to be more careful with his words from now on. On top of that, he had to worry about losing a fur trader on top of his loss tonight.  He let out a sigh, adjusting his sunglasses.  “Well… _you_ can’t play any more of my games!  Get out of here!”  Won shooed them away.  Despite his frustration, he knew that closing the door on Cliff would be foolish for future business.  “Young man, come back to my place when you have some pelts and furs and we’ll talk.  I’ll give you the best price in town.  Best of fortune in your hunting!”

As the group headed along the strip, Karen turned around and looked at Won curiously. “That was the same guy who was just heckling Cliff a second ago, right?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied, feeling an overwhelming sense of victory that he had just earned an entire month’s rent in a few minutes. He had been called worse by other merchants who tried to pressure him into selling his furs for a lower price than what was fair.

Claire was both surprised and relieved that he didn’t let Won push him into submission, especially after his cutting insults. “I’m glad you stood up to Won.”

Cliff looked over at her with furrowed brows and a slight frown. “Well, I wasn’t going to let him be rude to you and get away with it.  Let’s play some games together and have fun tonight.”

Her nerves began to settle and she gazed up at him with admiration, a blush coming over her cheeks as she realized he had played the game to stand up for her. “Well, I guess you weren’t lying about those tomato festivals,” she giggled. “That was really impressive.” 

He was flattered she remembered his stories about throwing tomatoes. “Th-thanks.  It was no big deal, really…”  Color rushed to the young man’s cheeks, but the beginnings of a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

“Well, it’s about time someone made him look like a fool,” Rick commented, rolling up his sleeves. “He makes the hard workers in Mineral Town look bad with his swindling ways and some of the other towns refuse to do business with him.  I’m glad you put him in his place; you made that game look too easy.”

In truth, it had been fairly simple for Cliff and he had played the game with the secondary intention of winning money from Won. Seeing him lose profits on his game had been a bit satisfying in its own way, but saying this out loud didn’t sound like the most mature thing to do.  “I’m really sorry Won was so rude to you, Claire.  He had no right to speak to you like that.”

“I was ready to kick his ass!” Karen clenched her jaw at the memory.

“And I’m not crazy about the way he treated you, either.” Rick frowned at his girlfriend as they passed a few snack carts.  “Don’t let what Won said get to you, Claire; I think you’re a knockout.”

“He’s right, you know,” Karen winked at her friend, throwing an arm around her shoulder.

“Thanks,” Claire laughed weakly. She had hoped they had forgotten about what Won implied about her appearance and she had found herself wishing once again that her hair had the same unique sheen that Lanna’s did.  However, it did feel good to hear compliments from people who had nothing to gain from saying it.  She found that she was waiting hopefully for a response from Cliff as well, but he was staring up dreamily at the sunset as they walked side by side.  She found herself getting flustered, realizing he had complimented her appearance when they met earlier.  Fishing for compliments was not attractive, she reminded herself.  Her attention was quickly grabbed by a cart selling rock candy and she hurried off to purchase some, oblivious to a blushing Cliff looking down from the sky, grappling with the right words that would be appropriate to say in a group.

He watched the young woman admire the crystal shards of sugar in various colors and a smile broke across his face as he saw her bite her cute lips in concentration; she looked as if deciding on a color of candy was a life-altering decision.

“Well, what do _you_ think, Cliff?” Karen whispered into his ear with a smirk.  She noticed he hadn’t complimented Claire on her appearance when he had been given an open opportunity to do so.

“Huh?” His cheeks blazed as he realized he had been caught staring at her.

Karen sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “You’re impossible.”  She kept herself from saying more; she could see that both of them were starting to test the waters a bit and didn’t want to disturb that.

He scowled at her as she playfully ruffled his hair and Claire turned around with a cheery grin, four small wooden sticks of rock candy held between her fingers. “They’re color-coded for each person!  … Well, mostly!” she giggled, handing them out.  There was green for Rick, clear for Karen, blue for Cliff, and pink for herself to match their outfits.  While thankful, they looked at her curiously.  “I wanted to thank everyone,” she admitted with a smile.  “I’m glad I’m friends with such nice people…” Her throat hitched without warning and she looked at the ground, abashed that she felt like suddenly crying.  It seemed every time she tried to focus on others, she had a horrible habit of accidentally making everything about herself.

Karen cooed and kissed her cheeks, squeezing her friend. “Oh my goodness, you are the sweetest thing!  Claire, you kill me sometimes, you know that?  We all love you to pieces!”

Cliff walked more slowly so that Karen and Rick moved ahead. “Won really is a nasty piece of work,” he told Claire quietly.  “Unfortunately, I’ll have to stay friendly with him for business purposes, but… well… d-don’t let him make you believe you’re not beautiful,” he stammered.  He gave her a sincere smile and shyly weaved his arm around hers.

She could hear her heart hammering in her ears as they continued along, their geta musically clattering on the cobblestones. Love from her friends surrounded her and as she looked at the handsome, sweet-hearted young man beside her, that jittery feeling had returned in her stomach and spread throughout her body in waves, leaving her a little unbalanced.  Steadying her breath, she took this opportunity to lean into Cliff a little.  He seemed more than happy to oblige and when he saw the smile on her lips, his hold on her increased a bit.  She decided with a wave of lightheadedness that she kind of liked it.

“You’re really kind,” Claire replied. She tightened her arm around his, vaguely fearing she would float away if she didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cultural Notes: I’m thinking some of you are familiar with some of the types of clothing described in this chapter, but here’s an overview:
> 
> A yukata is a light summer kimono, typically made of cotton. They’re often worn to Japanese festivals, and people even use them as loungewear. Both men and women wear yukata.  
> A tasuki is a sash that is used to tie back the sleeves of a kimono or yukata. Sometimes you will see people at festivals or archers sport such styles. A person can tie their own tasuki and it’s actually pretty fascinating to watch; I don’t think I’d be coordinated enough, haha!
> 
> A hachimaki is a headband that is tied around the forehead. You might have seen them in anime with kanji written on them, saying things like “Japan is number 1” or “Fighting Spirit”. Students wear them when studying for exams, or people wear them during martial arts.
> 
> Geta are raised sandals that are worn to keep clothing from dragging on the ground. They are worn by both genders and are known for their loud distinctive clopping sound. They can take a while to get used to wearing.
> 
> One last cultural note: I did some research on Chinese insults just for Won, haha! His comment about green tea and alcohol is an explanation of the insult “green tea bitch” that refers to a woman who pretends to be innocent when she is secretly, well, not. “Dog whelp” sounds silly, but it is a pretty big insult in Chinese, and I’m pretty sure Cliff’s reaction explained that one pretty well.
> 
> This chapter name is in homage to the silly little random event in MFoMT featuring Won essentially doing the same thing to Claire and Karen in his shop.  
> In other news, there were four cameos in this chapter with more to come. 
> 
> In all honesty, I haven’t played any of the games with Lanna in them, but I did a bit of research on her character. She strikes me as the type of person to be very sweet until someone says something to irritate her. I tried to paint her as a bit insecure about her floundering career, and, yes, she named her baby turtle after Squirt in Finding Nemo. Yay, Disney!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed!


	67. Turtle Scooping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Cliff scope out the games and learn how difficult simple-looking games can be.

Claire was too distracted by the giddy emotions bouncing in her heart to notice how weak Karen’s excuse was as she and Rick headed to the other side of the square. She looked around at the various colorful stalls and soaked it in for a moment, vague childhood memories resurfacing as she recalled the carnival games and children running around in vibrant clothing.  Her parents had told her older sisters that they could only go if they brought Claire along.  Colette and Simone had purchased her a comically oversized lollipop and told her to follow and stay quiet.  Claire was more than content with this arrangement; she was eager to take in the sights while the two older girls gossiped about boys and played carnival games.  After an hour or so, they forgot that they were supposed to be annoyed at being forced to bring their younger sibling along and they even offered Claire to play a few games, paying with their own allowance.  The young blonde blushed and shook her head, hiding behind her lollipop; she was perfectly happy being a spectator and didn’t want to feel pressured to do well.

As she and Cliff walked along the cobblestones side by side, she realized that she had changed since those childhood days. While she still never had the desire to be the focus of attention, she was eager to explore for herself and not simply be dragged along.  Moreover, the thought of losing a carnival game didn’t seem like a tragedy anymore.

“What’s on your mind?” Cliff was looking at her curiously. She had, no doubt, been making some interesting facial expressions as she reminisced.

“I was thinking of festivals I went to as a child. I used to have a sunny yellow yukata,” she explained, studying the pastel pink she was wearing now.  “It had chrysanthemums printed on it.”

Her upturned lips and the nostalgic manner in which she said this caught his attention. “Sounds really pretty.”  Cliff imagined a young Claire twirling around in the garment and a smile spread across his face.

She nodded. “Well, it was until I spilled blue fruit punch all across the front of it.  The lid wasn’t sealed on the drink my sister handed me.”  She remembered the scene with a slight frown.  The young girl had been so afraid to face her parents after ruining the yukata despite her sisters’ claims that everything would be fine.  They attempted to wipe it clean, and when it didn’t, Simone and Colette simply laughed at the situation, shrugging their shoulders and saying nothing more could be done at the time.  They attempted to cheer her up by asking if she’d like a new drink and a game to play.  Refusing with a shake of the head and small wail, the young Claire had dwelt on the accident all night and when they got home, she received only a mild scolding for being so careless before her parents hugged her goodnight.  The paranoid girl was expecting a later punishment and she half wondered if they thought she had purposely dumped it on herself.  She remembered feeling guilty and crying as she curled up in bed that night, her sisters hushing her to no avail and finally chiding her for being a crybaby, groaning as they attempted to get some sleep in their shared room.  Nothing more had been said about the yukata and life continued.  She had allowed herself to stop having fun that night by worrying so much, she realized.  She looked over at her friend with a grin and burst into laughter, imaging a small version of herself spilling the drink all over with a mystified look on her face.  “I was pretty upset at the time, but looking back on it, it was pretty funny.  I managed to dump the whole thing on myself before I realized the lid was even loose.”  Something about having him by her side and knowing her friends stood up for her earlier had lifted a weight from her; she was determined to have a great time tonight.

“I sat in a bowl of cold oatmeal once,” Cliff replied with a soft chuckle. “Always look before sitting, especially with a sister like mine.”  His eyes glowed with nostalgia as he recalled those hot, lazy days of climbing trees and fishing by the river with his uncle, and those chilly nights curled up under heaps of soft furs between his mother and his sister.  “It was prank or be pranked, and she was a lot craftier than me.”

She couldn’t say the same because of the age gap between her own siblings. “You’re too good-natured to trick someone,” she giggled, shaking her head. 

“That’s not true,” he laughed, shaking his head. “They were rarely elaborate, but one time I managed to convince Ivy it was snowing in the middle of June.  Ma got mad that I got into the flour and tracked it through the house.  She got even angrier when Papa came home and laughed at the whole thing.  Ivy was always scheming something, though…” 

Claire was thrilled that he was speaking about his sister with a smile on his face. She wrapped her arm around his and gave it a hug.  “I think one of the hardest parts of being a parent would be keeping a straight face when your children do something ridiculous.”

His smile grew. “Definitely.”

A shrill wail caught their attention as a small girl with pink hair stamped her feet, her geta loudly clamping on the ground.

“That’s not fair! Lauren got a turtle.  Why can’t I catch one, too?”  She threw her broken net on the ground, garnering surprised looks from the men running the stall.

“You have to be gentler,” her twin explained quietly, unrolling the sleeves of her blue yukata.

“ _I_ was supposed to catch one first!”  She stamped again, casting her sister a glare.  “Why didn’t you wait for me?!”

The young man accompanying them spoke with a level voice. “Cindy, this is not how we conduct ourselves in public.”

She blushed violently and twisted the sleeves of her bright red yukata anxiously. “I-I know, but…”

One of the operators of the stall scooped a bit of water into a bag and plucked one of the turtles from the pool in front of them, adding it to the bag. “Here you go.  Take care ‘em, okay?”  He flashed the girl a smile.

She immediately fell silent and stopped pouting. Her eyes grew as she accepted the bag with trembling hands.  Apparently the manner in which she got the prize didn’t matter; she just wanted a turtle.

“What do we say, Cindy?”

“Th-thank you, mister…” Her gaze was locked on the turtle swimming in the bag.

“You’re welcome. Have a fun time tonight!”  The operator of the stall gave her a grin and a playful wink.

“Thank you,” the young man repeated with a grateful bow of the head. “You’re my hero,” he added quietly with a soft chuckle.  He let out a small sigh of relief and turned back toward his students.  “Come on, girls.  Your parents are waiting.”

Lauren followed him and looked anxiously back at her sister before clopping back to her and shyly shaking her shoulder. Cindy snapped to attention and grabbed her sister’s hand, clumsily jogging after their tutor.  “I-Ivan, wait up!”

There was a very particular warmth in Cliff’s eyes as he watched them and Claire wondered if he was thinking about Stu and May. He was very kind yet firm with the children and she found herself wishing he had been around when she had to babysit for her two younger brothers.  Her gaze moved toward the operators of the stall and the one with short, silver hair gave his brunette partner a soft shove on the shoulder.

“Giving away merchandise?” His expression betrayed any real scolding in his words, a sly smile playing at his lips.

His partner rolled his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest. “Oh, come on, you would have done the same thing and you know it.”

He shrugged in response, leaning on the support beam of their stall idly. “You just can’t resist helping out someone in need, can you?”

Eager to see the baby turtles, Claire headed to the stall, bringing her friend along with her. Both of their eyes lit up as they got a closer look.

“They’re so cute!” Claire squatted down to peek into the water trough with delight. Baby turtles lazily glided across the surface of the water, no longer than her index finger.  They were so small that they almost looked like toys.  Cliff bent down so low his ponytail draped over his shoulder and almost dipped it into the pool as he observed.

The sudden voice of one of the stall’s operators startled them. “It’s only fifty a try!”  Claire looked up and realized that she recognized the young man from the cow festival.  He gave her a friendly wink as he held up a paper net.  A couple of brown strands of hair stuck straight up into the air and bobbed as he nodded to her.  He rolled his eyes at his partner who looked a little too comfortable propped up against the support beam of their stand, his eyelids heavy.  A smile played at his lips as he shook his head at him.  “C’mon, Tobes!  Would it kill you to look a little more excited for the customers?”

A small lighthearted pout was given in reply. “Those last ones wore me out.”  After hearing a sigh, his eyes barely opened as his posture became more erect.  “Ah, all you gotta do is scoop up your turtle and you get to keep it… but I’ll warn you, the paper netting on the scoop breaks easily, so you have to be very precise.  Stay too long in the water and the net will rip.  Also sudden movements will break the net.  They’re pretty fussy, really.”  He pantomimed scooping a turtle, the long sleeves of his sky blue yukata getting in the way.

“Don’t give them too many hints!” his companion teased. He gave his arm a playful punch, garnering a weak bop back.

“Sorry about that, Kasey here’s a skinflint. Well, either that or a glutton.”  Toby rolled his eyes.  “We’re saving up our earnings to buy junk food at the other stalls.”

Cliff grinned and he wondered if they had appetites like Ann’s. “Our friend is running a stand.  He’s a really good cook.  Just look for the guy with the purple bandana.”

Claire could sense that the pair was eager to talk to them, likely because their only customers had been children. She looked down at the tanks, aware that Kasey had not-so-subtly waved a couple of the nets with a soft chuckle.  “Hmmm…”  She pressed a finger to her lips.  She didn’t really _need_ a pet turtle.  “Well… they sure are cute…”  Her eyes drifted to the large tank of swimming turtles behind them, their stock for refilling.  She eagerly grabbed her friend’s arm and pointed.  “Wow, Cliff, look at how many there are!”

He smiled and watched her with an affectionate gaze. Her cheeks had a rosy glow and her eyes sparkled like a couple of gems.  She was absolutely adorable when she got excited.

A young boy behind Toby and Kasey hopped down from the wooden crate he was perched upon and landed with a loud _clop!_ as his geta hit the ground.  “Hey there, ma’am!  This ain’t no free peep show!  Ya gotta pay first!”

Claire’s eyes widened in surprise as she bit back a giggle. Cliff buried his head into her shoulder and wracked with silent laughter. 

Toby’s eyes popped open as he turned toward his young relative and Claire got the feeling this was a rare sight. “Paolo!  We don’t talk like that in front of our customers!”  He raised an eyebrow at his companion and as Kasey wiped a tear from his eye, laughing heartily.  “I wonder _who_ taught you that kind of language…”  A pair of playful green eyes darted between the two.  “Paolo, go play with Chloe.  She’s waiting for you at the High Striker.”

The boy eagerly held out an outstretched palm and the brunette beside him let out a cackle. Toby sighed as he dropped some coins into this hand.  The boy immediately whirled around and made the same gesture.

Kasey’s laughing stopped. “Ah, you little…”  He placed a few more coins into his hand.  “Shoo and behave.”

Paolo stuck out his tongue at them as he scampered away.

He ran a hand through his pale hair and let out a sigh as he watched the boy run across the square. “Please forgive my cousin.  He can be a handful…  That being said…” he looked up at Claire with a smirk, “if you wanna look, you gotta pay.”

“Alright, alright!” Claire laughed, placing a fifty gold piece into Toby’s hand. “I have no idea what I’m going to do with a pet turtle if I manage to catch one.”

“Well, I have a friend that would enjoy a fat baby turtle,” Cliff murmured.

Claire nudged him as she retrieved a net from Kasey and carefully began rolling up her sleeves. “I am not catching lunch for your falcon.”

To her surprise, Toby’s eyes lit up with interest. “Well, I have plenty of stock, so if you want, we can talk prices at the inn tomorrow morning.  I’ll be staying the night there.”

She almost teased Cliff aloud for letting Cain eat a more plentiful and nourishing diet than him, but quickly decided not to. Although it was just a joke, there was a bit of truth to it, and it could come off as kind of mean.  She decided with a silent nod that the next dinner she served after their working shift would be something special.  Maybe she could borrow that hot plate from Karen again…  A smile crossed her lips.

_What should I cook?_

“Do you have one in mind you want to go after?” Cliff asked excitedly as he squatted beside the pool of turtles. He looked back up at her with dancing eyes, and she was certain she could see the spirit of that rowdy young boy inside of him.  It filled her with a deep happiness that almost made her want to cry tears of joy.

She crouched down beside him, twirling the handle of the net in her fingers. “I think I’ll be lucky if I could even catch one.”  She spotted a small turtle close to the surface of the water and pointed it out to him.  “I think I’m going to try that one.  He looks pretty easy to get, right?”

Cliff nodded and watched with great interest as she attempted to move the net beneath her target while keeping it as dry as possible. The turtle sank right through the damp part of the paper net and Claire made an exclamation of surprise.

Kasey began to snicker. “Rookie mistake, Blondie.  You gotta get the entire net wet or else it’s going to rip when you try to pick up anything.”

She gave them another coin and a familiar blaze filled her eyes as she took her new net. Cliff was immediately reminded of their rock skipping session and he laughed as she held the tool in front of her as if it was a holy relic.  She turned toward him with an overly serious expression, but the way the lips tilted slightly upward gave her away.

“This one’s going to do it, Cliff. Watch and learn.”  She focused on her quarry and was distracted by her friend’s soft voice as he leaned in close.

“Do I need to take notes?” His voice sounded very earnest until a chuckle escaped his throat.

She gave him a teasing shove with her shoulder. “You’re going to scare away all the turtles with your ridiculous questions!”  Her laughter didn’t make her a very convincing expert.

Cliff’s eyes narrowed in on the turtle floating above Claire’s net. The pair was huddled so close to the pool that their heads were grazing against one another’s.  Toby let out a soft chuckle; these adult customers were much more into the game than the children had been.

“Come here, little turtle,” Claire cooed in a sweet voice, moving her net toward a bobbing turtle on the surface of the water. “You see, they come when you speak kindly to them.”  She gave her companion an emphatic nod.

He nodded back, stifling a laugh while he enjoyed the enthusiasm on her face. He had been seeing more and more of her playful side the more time he spent with her, and he was happy with what he saw.  Seeing someone he cared about so much letting go of her stress and worries filled his heart to the brim.

She floated the net beneath the turtle and slowly began to tilt it upward. It tore as soon as it began to lift the weight of the creature and she let out a shriek of surprise, her eyes widening.

Cliff chuckled and shook his head. “Too slow.  Looks like we’ll have to move faster if we don’t want the net to rip.  I’m going to give this a shot!” 

Claire nodded excitedly as she watched his face light up. The young man handed Toby another coin and received another net in exchange.  He dramatically stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles, eliciting a wave of giggles from his friend.  “The trick,” he darted the net in the water and quickly jerked it beneath an unsuspecting turtle, “is to be _fast_!”  The net immediately broke in the water, splashing them both a bit and leaving a turtle behind that seemed to stare at him indignantly as it rocked back and forth on the rippling surface of the pool.  Claire laughed harder and Cliff gave an exaggerated frown as he snorted.

“This isn’t spear-fishing!” she reminded him with a nudge.

“I was going for a sneak attack!” he chuckled, staring at the remains of the net in his hand. He was surprised at how easily the net broke, and he felt a mild wave of embarrassment that he had failed so miserably.  Recalling Claire’s multiple tries, the feeling quickly faded.  He ended up doing the same as his friend and purchased a few more tries with no results.

Kasey looked at them with a bright grin. “Wanna try again?  You guys are pretty entertaining.”

Claire shook her head. She knew that if she allowed herself, she would end up spending far too much money on a game with a prize she didn’t particularly need.  While she had received a hefty sum of money for her blemished tomatoes from Won earlier that day, she didn’t want to spend it all in one place.  “I think I’m all done.”

Cliff’s eyes drifted to the other stalls; the night was still young and there was plenty to do. “I got my tries in, so I’m satisfied,” he added.

“Yeah, let’s stop harassing the turtles,” she replied with a giggle. They waved goodbye to the operators of the stall and continued on.

“Were you trying to impress me?” Claire asked with a playful giggle, drunk on humor. “Do you think I’d only think you were cool if you could scoop a turtle with a piece of paper?”

He looked over at her with rosy cheeks and glowing eyes. “Well, sure.  I mean, I assumed it would go _swimmingly_.”  An indecently pleased grin spread across her lips as he continued.  “I figured, ‘Why the _shell_ not?’”

She groaned in mock-exasperation as she buried her face into his shoulder. “I am in… _turtle_ disgust at your jokes, Cliff.”  She stole this opportunity to feel the soft fabric of his yukata and take in the soft scent of mountain herbs.

Giddy at her closeness, his eyes widened as they lit up with joy. “No need to _snap_ at me.”

She bit her lip as she took his arm, resisting the curious urge to throw her arms around him in the middle of the plaza. The playful pout he was giving her caused her stomach to flutter in all sorts of interesting ways.  “ _Shell_ we move on?”

He nodded emphatically; he would go anywhere with Claire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I hope y’all enjoyed a more lighthearted episode with Claire. I’ve been dying for a chance to show her and Cliff being goofy and flirty together, so I just went for it, haha. Look forward to more details of their *ahem* outing to come!
> 
> I’ve never tried turtle scooping myself, but I think I’d probably be bad at it, haha.
> 
> I greatly appreciate all of the feedback I have received on the story thus far. It really helps keep me motivated to know that others are reading this and are genuinely interested in it. So, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I have a lot to shell-ebrate. *Cough*


	68. Clothed in Cherry Blossoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Take cherry blossoms, for example. They’re a reminder that while life can be achingly and overwhelmingly beautiful, it is also very short. Very tragic. That’s why it’s the best to let go of our inhibitions and simply enjoy life."
> 
> Claire starts to realize it feels rather nice to have her arm wrapped around Cliff's.

“How adorable! I think I’m going to get one of these to put in my house!” Claire’s pupils dilated as she gazed fondly on the assortment of kokeshi dolls for sale.  While some had long hair and others had little round buns and bows, they all had intricate patterns painted on their kimonos.  They were all very cute, and the amount of detail on them was incredible.  “Wow, such a variety!  Did you make these yourself?” she asked the seller.

The artist nodded proudly behind his stand, the waves in his brown ponytail bouncing as he did so. “Of course – I find it satisfying to give them each a unique personality.  If there’s a certain symbolism you’re looking for, I can help you find a doll to match.”

“Symbolism?” Claire raised a curious eyebrow as Cliff admired the tiny flowers and fish painted on the dolls.

He nodded, his eyes drawn to the fabric of Claire’s outfit. “Yes.  Take cherry blossoms for example.  They’re a reminder that while life can be achingly and overwhelmingly beautiful, it is also very short.  Very tragic.  That’s why it’s the best to let go of our inhibitions and simply enjoy life.”  He looked up at her and a smile curled at the corners of his mouth.  “That’s a beautiful yukata, by the way.  Whoever designed the fabric did a lovely job.”

She looked at her sleeve as if she wasn’t familiar with the printed cotton she had been clothed in. “Oh, thank you.  It really caught my eye in the store.”

“You really are pretty, Claire.” Cliff had a carefree smile on his face as he looked at her with an approving nod, his hand lightly grazing her arm.  He was about to add that she didn’t need the yukata to look beautiful, but he found himself too shy to say so with a third party present.  She shyly murmured her thanks and as he noted the redness and coy smile on her face, he found a grin on his own.  His eyes drifted toward some of the artist’s other wares and his face lit up at the sight of one of his favorite creatures.  He grinned at the wide array with a happy chuckle.

Claire gazed at the row of clay tanuki figurines Cliff was eagerly looking at. She could see his immediate interest in them and decided to purchase one for him in secret.  “Hmmm… which one should I get?”  She gave them a once-over.  The rustic trinkets each looked a little different and had unique hand-painted faces.  Her friend leaned forward to study their features carefully, his own expression like a delighted child’s.

He wasted no time choosing his favorite. A pair of deep blue eyes carefully scrutinized the shelf of tanuki and Claire almost had to hold in a chuckle at his intensity.  She found herself leaning forward to study their faces as well.  The artist had definitely taken a lot of care and pride in his work, and just like the kokeshi, each tanuki seemed to have a personality of their own. 

His sudden triumphant voice surprised her. “This’n!” He picked up a chubby tanuki and placed it in the palm of her hand as if it were a trophy.  It was round and had closed smiling eyes along with a serene grin.  Cliff’s own eyes were wide and glowing and his smile had spread across his entire face.

She turned the clay statue in her hands; it was very well-made, and the expression on it seemed to spread happiness. She tilted it upside down to see the inscription of the artist’s name – a very stylized _Angelo_.  She further studied the tanuki and snorted, quickly realizing another obvious feature on the figurine.  “This one’s so happy, and I can see why – he’s got the biggest moneybags!”

“Well, that makes him the most prosperous, then,” Cliff deadpanned with a slight nod at the well-endowed clay tanuki.

“A good choice. He’ll make your home feel more welcoming and bring you good luck.”  Angelo grinned as Claire handed him her purchase to wrap up, quickly following it up with a kokeshi clad in cherry blossoms.  She handed him the coins and he gave her the figurines in exchange.  “Thank you and enjoy the rest of the festival.”

They thanked him and continued on their way, oblivious to the woman with navy hair that threw away her empty corn cob and stepped up to the stall, curiously watching them as she left. Cliff noticed that his friend had grown very quiet as she packed up her figurines into the small bag at her hip and they continued on in silence for a couple of minutes, quietly taking in the sights and sounds of the festival around them.  A young man was selling fresh flowers of every color and size imaginable, but he seemed more interested in perfecting the arrangement he was working on than attempting to drum up any business.  A counter lined with stools and a banner reading “Blue Bar” was selling bottled beer and a burly man with a bushy beard directly across from them was running what looked like an identical shop, his sign reading “Brass Bar”.  He folded his arms across his chest and rolled his eyes at the two gabbing blondes across the way.

“Kathy, get your hide back over here! We’re going to beat those backwoods yokels at their own game!”  There was such a strong twang in his voice that Claire found herself stifling a smirk.

The two women giggled and the one with a ponytail put her hands on her hips. “Dad, quit bein’ silly!  We both know if Karen passes through, we’ll both be doin’ just fine!”

“Sounds like Karen is famous,” Cliff murmured.

“I don’t know if she’d be too happy about that,” Claire admitted with a chuckle.

He looked at her inquisitively. “You got something on your mind?”

She gave him an apologetic smile; while he had a happy look on his face, she had become aware of his slightly furrowed eyebrows during her silence. She wondered at what point she had been able to read him so well.  She tilted her head curiously.  When had they _both_ been able to sense each other’s emotions so precisely?  “Just thinking – nothing too serious.  I’ve been hanging onto this yukata for a long time, waiting for an excuse to wear it…  and this whole time the cherry blossoms on it represented the opposite…”  She let out a small chuckle in the realization of this, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful.  Perhaps there were other parts of her life where she didn’t allow herself to enjoy as fully as she could.

There was a small smile on Cliff’s mouth as he rested a hand on her arm. “Well, we’re having fun tonight, right?”  When she gave him a nod in reply, she noticed his eyes dart to the ground.  “W-we’re allowing ourselves to be _happy_ , after all…”  His cheeks immediately flooded with color as he gently wrapped his arm around hers.

Claire recalled the evening on the beach listening to the waves and basking in his sweet kindness and attention. She recalled seeking his gaze and enjoying that cozy tenderness she felt whenever they spent time together.  She could still relive their dancing and holding each other close as they spoke honestly with one another, yet there was a sense of enthrallment to it.  They had flirted that night – a lot.  She felt his warm arm brush her sleeve and her face burned at observing his blush, remembering once again this evening how attractive he was. 

_We’re doing it again, aren’t we?_

She felt lightheaded for a moment as her heart pounded in her throat, feeling a strange combination of victory, ecstasy, and a little bit of fear at this realization. “Yes, yes we are.”  She wasn’t sure if she was replying to him, her inner thoughts, or both.  Her lips turned up into a smile as their eyes met.  They both blinked rapidly and gulped, quickly averting their gazes elsewhere.

“The food here is waaay too good!” Ann appeared beside Claire as if out of nowhere and shoved a hot pastry shaped like a fish in her face.  “Red bean filled taiyaki, fresh from the fryer!  Soooo yummy!  Try some!”

Claire suddenly realized she didn’t appreciate the interruption. She had wanted a few more moments alone with Cliff and she slowly found that she was craving his undivided attention.  Still, the food’s aroma caused her to salivate.  She leaned in and took a small bite, relishing in the crispiness of the pastry and the balanced sweetness of the filling.  It tasted like childhood; she could practically see and hear the busy city streets as she obediently trotted after her mother, pulling along Byron with one hand, her other full of heavy shopping bags containing Claire’s high school uniforms along with play clothes for Byron to wear to preschool.  The young Lucas had his face buried in their mother’s shoulder as they continued along, whining because he was tired.  Byron caught sight of a taiyaki stand and immediately began to beg for the treats.  The teenage Claire had felt her stomach rumble and asked for one as well.  Their mother turned around with a very exasperated expression, her paper shopping bags slapping her side as she did so.  Lucas’s whines only grew louder.

“Alright. Taiyaki break!”

The crying child she held fell silent and her children hurried over to the stall, their faces lighting up.

“But I expect high marks this semester!” She playfully wagged a finger as she set down the bags and son to get out her wallet.  Claire held in a laugh; this was no different than her usual expectations, and a pastry wasn’t going to be the difference between a high grade and a failure.  “Byron, you will put all of those toys in your chest when you get home.”

A pastry was held out to a wide-eyed, wild-haired four-year-old. “Okay, Mum!”  Byron bounced with glee as he was given his treat.  She immediately smoothed down his hair and he scowled for a moment before turning back to the taiyaki.

“And you, little mister, will help him.” An identical sweet was handed to a rosy-cheeked young Lucas.  He simply nodded and took a large bite down the middle of the pastry, causing bean paste to squeeze out the sides.

Claire was relieved at their tasks assigned to them; she could hardly stumble past their toys to make it to her side of the bedroom, and she had slipped on a teddy bear the night before. She was lucky that she had fallen into her bed.  The teenager had pulled the curtain dividing the room and kicked the toys that invaded her territory back to the other side of the room with a huff.

Her mother handed her a taiyaki while holding one for herself in her other hand. “Here you are.”

“Thank you, Mum.” Claire accepted the treat with eager eyes and an even more excited stomach.

She smirked at her daughter as the man running the stand shyly waved goodbye to them. She led her children to a bistro table where they all settled into the sweets happily.  “When we get back to the apartment, I have to finish submitting my report-”

“Want me to make Swedish meatballs or pork chops?” Claire already knew the duty being assigned to her.  Lucas and Byron were lost in their pastries, but she knew that by dinnertime they would be famished again.

Her mother bit into her taiyaki, dabbing at her mouth. “Either would be fine.  There are some fresh greens in the fridge, too, so please make a tossed salad on the side.”  She finished chewing and let out a sigh, eyeing up her daughter.  “Look at you, Claire.  Senior year.  You’re growing into such a beautiful young lady.”

Claire could only pray that she would look like her mother someday. With long, golden locks that were almost always pulled into a graceful knot at her neck and a pair of bright and clear sapphire eyes, her mother had delicate features that could only be described as gorgeous.  Smart, successful, and beautiful – Claire wished that she would inherit some of her greatness.  Because of her demanding job, these times together were a bit rare and she savored them whenever they happened.

She was startled by her mother’s giggle. “But it would appear that I’m not the only one who has noticed.  That boy at the taiyaki stand looked pretty interested in you.”

Claire’s eyebrows shot up beneath her bangs as her eyes moved to the food stand. He looked to be in his early twenties – referring to someone at that age as a boy felt odd to Claire, as she didn’t see herself as a child and he was even older than she.  He caught sight of her and gave her a hint of a smile and a slight nod.  Her stomach did a funny little flip and she stared back at the surface of the table in embarrassment.

“Ah, my little Claire, my youngest daughter, you are growing up so fast… _too_ fast…”  She let out a rare soft chuckle.

She came back to reality as she saw Ann holding the taiyaki with a grin on her face. “Well?”  She rocked back and forth on her geta, the wooden footwear clicking on the cobblestones loudly.

A smile spread across Claire’s lips. “Very good!”  She had half a mind to purchase one herself to continue the memory.

“I might buy a few more later. Howard promised to save some for me.  Cliff, try some!” Ann almost slapped him with the pastry in her excitement.

“Alright, alright, just get it out of my face,” he chuckled. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t eaten one at a festival before.  However, he hadn’t gotten the chance to try one that had just touched Claire’s mouth a moment ago…  He blushed and hesitated before he took a bite.  “Very tasty.”  He gave her an innocent smile and nod.

Ann noticed that he had purposely taken a bite from the same spot as Claire. She laughed; Cliff acted rather childish in some ways when it came to women.  “Taiyaki is my favorite festival food.”

“I thought it was fried octopus balls,” Claire mused aloud.

Cliff shook his head. Ann had been talking about the food nonstop that day.  “They’re _all_ her favorite.”

“You know me so well!” Ann laughed, taking another large bite from her pastry. “So, what have you guys been up to?” she asked, her mouth full.

Claire was reminded that she felt a strange hint of sadness that she wasn’t alone with Cliff anymore. While the memories associated with the taiyaki had been nice, she felt a little unsatisfied at how their interaction had been so suddenly interrupted.  “We’ve just been looking around the stalls a bit.  Losing games, buying souvenirs…” _Flirting_ , a voice inside her head added.

“Having tons of fun.” Cliff nodded as his eyes drifted across the square.  “I take it you’ve been eating this whole time?”

He was given a grin in response. “I don’t even have to answer that question, do I?”  She popped the remainder of the sweet in her mouth and swallowed.  She caught sight of Karen and Rick and waved them over.

“So, what is the plan?” Karen asked, taking a sip of lemonade. Rick had a matching drink and was looking at the various stalls that lay before them.

“I’d like to see how Carter is doing. I helped him prepare for his stall a few weeks ago.”  She was surprised when Cliff had spoken up and looked over toward Carter’s table.  The priest was sitting under a tent with a wooden box, a pleasant and serene smile across his face as he watched the festival goers walk by. 

Karen wasn’t expecting to hear Cliff make a suggestion for the group, but she wasn’t about to complain about it. The young man had come a long way from the stammering and unsure person he was when she dragged him and Claire around Mineral Town for a tour.  She had almost said aloud that he seemed to have grown a bit taller lately, but she became aware that it was because he no longer slouched and he had improved his posture.  Tonight he stood tall, his eyes were glittering, and his face had a healthy glow; she saw why Claire got flustered when asked if she found him attractive.  Karen had never seen him look so comfortable in his own skin and she felt happy for him.

“Sounds good. Let’s go.”  She realized that others were looking for her approval and she never noticed how they had a tendency to see her as the leader of the group.  It didn’t necessarily make her uncomfortable, but she was glad that other people were expressing what they wanted to do that evening.

“Hello and good evening!” Carter waved to the group of friends from his tent. There had been a lull in business and he was looking forward to a bit of company.  “Did you come over to draw sacred lots?”

They gathered around his table, eyeing up the wooden boxes sitting beside each other. “How much?” Ann asked.

“Whatever you wish to donate. The proceeds go towards my groceries,” Carter laughed good-naturedly, but Claire wondered if he was hiding the fact that he actually desperately needed some money for food.  She made a mental note to drop off some of her blemished produce with him.  Although she had gotten rid of a lot of excess in selling it to Won, she had a feeling that she would still be drowning in tomatoes by the beginning of fall.  After all, there were only so many tomatoes that she and Cliff could eat.

She was more than willing to give him a helping hand tonight. Reaching into her small pouch, Claire dropped some coins into the donation box.  Carter gave her a friendly nod in gratitude and he handed her the box of numbers.  He paused and looked up at Cliff in shock when he reached for his wallet to add to the donations as well.

Carter nearly thrust the box into Claire’s hands as he looked at her friend. “Cliff-!”  He knew better than anyone that the young man had very little money.  It was a source of worry for him; he had countless private discussions with the priest over fears of not being able to afford his rent and being forced to live elsewhere.  Such fears were often quelled with the mentions of hunting season, although Carter had to admit Cliff didn’t always look convinced that would be enough.

“He made a tidy profit for himself today at Won’s,” Karen laughed. She turned toward a nodding Claire who was eagerly shaking the box in her hands.  The bamboo sticks inside rattled loudly and she gently tilted the opening of the box in the palm of her hand to retrieve one of the numbered dowels.

“Still…” Carter frowned.  “Perhaps you should spend your money on something tonight that will make you happy.”  His gaze moved to the friends surrounding Cliff.  While the gesture was nice, he was sure there were things he would rather spend his money on.  It wasn’t as if Cliff often had an excess of money, and he wasn’t one to spend more than was absolutely necessary; a lunch at the inn together had taught him that.

The young man shook his head as he dropped the coins in the box and put away his wallet. “You’ve done so much for me, Carter.  I want to give back to you…”  He dropped some coins into the box with a warm smile. 

Carter fell silent when he saw the look on his friend’s face. They really had been through a lot together.  Despite his lamentations in the confessional and emotional declarations that he saw himself as a monster, Carter truly felt that Cliff was a good person who was too hard on himself.  He realized with a lightened heart that their times in the small room in the back of the church were more recently used for seeking advice and sharing stories rather than listening to Cliff continually berate himself for something that had happened several years ago.

Claire handed him the box of sticks and he gave it a shake. She watched him fondly and gave him a friendly giggle as she twirled her own piece of bamboo in her fingers, giddy with happiness.  Upon seeing Cliff’s charity, the rest of his friends looked guiltily at each other and did the same, reaching into their own purses and wallets.  Soon enough, the box of sticks was passed around and returned to the table, a group of friends eagerly waiting to hear their fortunes.

Carter looked pleasantly surprised. It was true that he gathered most of his donations for the church during this festival and New Year’s, but he hadn’t been expecting such a large group to make an offering all at once.  Maybe he’d splurge on that jar of currant preserves he had been drooling over at Jeff’s shop and make sure that the entire jar wasn’t used on the children’s snacks.  “Well, thank you all for your generosity!  Go ahead, pick your fortune!  And, since you’re all here, I can tell a ghost story.”

“How scary can a ghost story be that’s told by a priest?” Karen giggled, giving Ann a nudge. The redhead rolled her eyes, but Claire noticed the way her eyes had widened slightly at the word _ghost_.  She began to remember her own experiences of reading her younger brothers, but she was distracted by a familiar smell that caused her other senses to go numb.  It had caused her knees to go weak on more occasions than she cared to admit; today her mind went blank as she stared ahead, her eyes unable to focus.

It was the scent of oil and smoldering metal.

“Horrifying.” Mary’s quiet but dramatic voice from behind Claire startled her as she peeked over her shoulder.  “After all, someone who has studied the human psyche and spirit for so long must know of the dark things that dwell within a man’s tortured soul…”

Carter chuckled softly and Claire couldn’t tell if it was good-natured or menacing. The slight upturn of his lips didn’t help matters.  She heard Cliff let out a mild sigh beside him as he rolled his eyes at Mary, silently pleading her not to feed the priest’s ego.  Claire was well aware of how strange his tales could sometimes be, and she recalled several times where she had to head back to the farm to work after praying, a disappointed Carter telling her he would keep the story short although they both knew that was a lie.

“I take it you want to hear a story then?” Gray’s deep voice made Claire’s stomach jump. She had almost forgotten about the fragrance that signaled his arrival.  She refused to turn around to look at him in fear of creating an awkward moment, but she was still able to tell it was likely Gray had come straight from the forge to the festival, and she noticed he smelled of gunpowder and sulfur as well.  It was likely he had helped transport the fireworks to the beach.

Mary shook her head at him as if his question was silly. She stepped forward through the line of friends to add her own coins to the collection box.  “Of course; that’s why I suggested we come over here,” she explained, picking up the box of sticks and giving it a light shake. 

“Huh… I thought it was to hide from Gramps,” the apprentice looked nervously over his shoulder.

“I offered you a few outfits to choose from,” Cliff sighed at him as he watched Mary collect a stick from the container and carefully take a spot on the other side of a bewildered Claire. “You should’ve worn that spare yukata I laid out for you.”

Gray dismissed this with a scoff, too distracted by the thought of donning traditional festival clothing to add his own donation. “I wear what I want.”

Mary’s eyes lit up. She walked over to Cliff, and Claire noticed for a fraction of a second she had the urge to wrap her arm around his and possessively pull him close to herself, away from Mary before remembering the obvious fact that she was not a threat.  “What did it look like?”  She smiled thoughtfully at the young man as she looked at his clothing.

Cliff shifted his stance a bit, slightly uncomfortable for a brief moment before he relaxed. There was something about Mary’s dark eyes that emanated a sense of calmness despite the fact that she was staring at him.  “Black and white pinstripe.  I told him that it he was welcome to wear it…”  At her warm smile, he found one appearing on his own face.

“That sounds really nice… By the way, you look great tonight, Cliff.”  Mary admired the soft fabric of his outfit and how the shade of blue brought out the color in his eyes.  Claire noticed that Gray had stepped beside them out of the corner of her eye.  His face had turned pink as he tugged on the bill of his hat.

“Thank you. So do you,” Cliff replied politely with a nod.  It had been a while since he had received so many compliments regarding his appearance and he felt a little embarrassed, feeling a mild wave of homesickness as he recalled his neighbors praising his festive yukata.  His shyness only increased when he saw that everyone in the group was watching him and he quickly looked down at the cobblestones, feeling unnaturally warm despite the cool summer night air.

No one was surprised when Saibara clattered his way to the group; Gray looked very out of place with his choice of clothing and he didn’t make much of an attempt to hide it.

“Gray!”

His grandson rolled his eyes; he knew what was to come. After all, his relative only called him by name when he was in trouble.  “Hey, Gramps…”

“Why are you still dressed in your work clothes? You look utterly ridiculous!  Go home and change, boy!”

The color drained from the young man’s face; while he had a feeling that Saibara didn’t approve of his wardrobe, he hadn’t expected the scolding to happen in front of all of his friends. He had anticipated on some sort of hand motions or not-so-subtle hints that he planned on ignoring anyway.  Gray’s instinct was to rebel.  After all, he liked his friends to think that he was in control of his own life.  Being an apprentice who wasn’t allowed to make anything very useful had been hard enough.

“Who cares what I’m wearing?” Gray lashed out.

Saibara knew that listing himself as an answer would only frustrate Gray further. “I’m sure the young lady does,” he replied, a hint of a smirk hidden by his snowy white beard.  He folded his arms across his chest, confident that he had swayed him with this statement.

Mary reddened immediately. Her own methods had been a bit more subtle and she didn’t want to be brought into this.  While she would have liked to see Gray dressed in a handsome outfit, she had a feeling that his usual coveralls and baseball cap were a security blanket of sorts.  She hadn’t planned on pushing him too far to change his clothes.

“Go home and put on something proper!” the old man repeated.

Gray sneered and folded his arms across his chest. He had toyed with the idea after seeing Mary’s reaction to Cliff’s yukata, but Saibara’s methods left him chafed.  He looked to his friend with a deep sigh.  “Fine.  Where can I find _it_?”  He said the final word as if it was bitter in his mouth.

“I left it on my bed,” Cliff offered quietly, feeling a slight twinge of guilt at his earlier nagging.

Gray caught the uncomfortable look on his girlfriend’s face. “I’ll be right back…”

“It’ll only take a couple of minutes,” Ann chimed in, a cautious smile on her face. “If I’ve gotta wear fancy silly clothes, so do you!”  She threw in a playful giggle in an attempt to cheer him up.

“If you come back wearing that hat, I will throw it in the furnace.” Saibara’s eyes flashed and no one doubted his claim.

Gray let out an exasperated sigh and gave Mary a soft pat on the shoulder before quickly heading back to the inn, muttering obscenities under his breath.

“Good evening.” Saibara nodded at the group politely and continued on his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So, what’s the cameo count at now? Pah, I lost count a while ago!
> 
> I hope you’re enjoying the bits of Claire’s family that I’ve been bringing up since the beginning of the festival. I felt like it was a good time to stick in some more of her back story without being intrusive.
> 
> Sometimes writing about Ann stuffing her face with food makes me hungry. So, what is your favorite carnival food? I’m quite partial to cotton candy and elephant ears myself.  
> Every time I add Carter in my story, I realize how much I miss him. Quite honestly, he’s one of my favorite characters in the game. Look forward to some shenanigans with our favorite pastor in the next chapter!
> 
> Thank you once again to all of my readers, reviewers, followers, favoriters (yeah, that’s not a word), and all-around supporters. I love hearing what you think and I hope you enjoyed!


	69. Scary Fortunes and Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sacred lots are drawn - some silly, some ominous, and others, well, super awkward. Carter is eager to tell a spooky story to the group.

There was an awkward silence as Saibara’s clattering geta blended back in with the busy crowd.

“Well, I suppose it’s time to cash these in, eh?” Karen fussed with the numbered bamboo stick in her hands and looked over at the priest, who shot her a genial smile.  The friends followed suit as Carter exchanged their sticks for coordinating fortunes rolled into a small scroll and tied with a ribbon.  The bows themselves were a little clumsy, the loops on them far too large to be practical.

“This looks like May’s handiwork,” Cliff commented with a soft chuckle.

“You know how it can be,” Carter replied. “She can’t help herself when she sees someone working on something.  She _has_ to help.”

While Mary and Ann quietly cooed at how cute May’s sentiment was, Claire found herself unable to forget the stubborn fits her own little brothers would throw if she wouldn’t let them help her with something. When they insisted on helping her with cooking, they would stealthily eat the ingredients as she prepared them, often leaving her with very little filling for her crepes or omelettes.  Moreover, there was the slight frustration that while achieving the very best was an expectation in the Dumont household, her younger brothers could get extremely stubborn about making the food look perfect, spending a lot of time tweaking it while causing other parts of the meal to go cold.  Sometimes it was easier to do things herself, but she often received a scolding if she excluded her brothers when they asked to help.

“I know what that can be like,” Claire chimed in quietly with a slight giggle, unable to keep from feeling a little nostalgic once more.

Cliff recalled assisting in cutting the paper for the fortunes a few weeks ago. He had a feeling that May’s volunteerism was appreciated and that he would have been recruited himself if he hadn’t been at Mystic Acres so much recently.  Still, he knew that working alone with the children could prove to be daunting.  “May can get pretty angry if she isn’t allowed to help,” Cliff murmured quietly.  “We always make sure to add oil to the lamps in the church or light candles when she is not around.  She gets very adamant about helping and can even throw tantrums.  Stu, on the other hand, is fine with no responsibilities.”

There was a small hint of bitterness in Rick’s laughter. “He should ride that out as long as he can.  I would give anything for a carefree summer.”

“Carefree summers don’t exist in farm country,” Karen pointed out, giving her boyfriend a playful jab in the ribs.

“I think I remember a certain group of friends playing kick the can over by Mayor Thomas’s house and awarding extra points if you could hit a window,” Carter chuckled, handing Rick his fortune with a laugh. “If that’s not carefree, I don’t know what is.”

Rick shook his head emphatically. “W-well, that was before I knew any better…”

“Yeah, right!” Ann cackled.  “We used to see how far we could push it because we knew that his face would get all red and he’d flare his nostrils.  I could’ve sworn I saw him blow steam from them once like a tank engine!”

The young man’s serious expression broke as he burst into laughter. “You always said you could see his brain up there!”

“Well, you kinda could!” Ann nodded emphatically as Karen’s knees went weak with mirth.  She leaned on her boyfriend, her hearty laughter absorbed by his shoulder.  “R-remember, we used to call him _booger-brain_ when he did that?  Not to his face, of course!”  A snicker overcame Ann once more and she laughed into his other arm, the trio howling with laughter at a memory only the three of them could fully understand.  Claire still found herself giggling; she liked to think that she had gotten close enough with some of the people in this town that she could have an inside joke like that.  Her eyes moved from the three of them and she realized with a start that Mary had been watching her.  The young woman played with the ebony braid draped across her shoulder and gave her a warm smile.

Claire’s stomach lurched. She hadn’t spoken much to Mary since the day following the Midsummer’s Dance, and she was beginning to wonder if she had been coming off as rude.  This didn’t seem to be the case, as Mary’s sincere gaze seemed to say “I hope we can be like them someday”.  The librarian’s light hand on her shoulder seemed to further illustrate this sentiment.  “I love your combination of wild phlox and anemones.”  Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Claire’s mind immediately drifted to underwater creatures and the baby sea turtles returned to her thoughts. She thought of Cliff’s eager face hovering above the pool of turtles and found a grin crossing her lips.  She looked at Mary with a bit of confusion and she stifled a smirk at Claire’s bafflement.

“Those are the flowers you are wearing in your hair.”

It was only natural that Mary would be able to easily identify the blossoms strewn throughout her locks, being the daughter of a botanist and an avid learner. “Ah, of course!” Claire giggled a little too loudly in response, forgetting that the sea creatures and flowers shared a name.  She had completely forgotten that she was in any attire rather than her usual clothing, but the compliment was still appreciated.  “Thank you.”

“I hear you’re very busy on the farm right now, but once things slow down a bit… I-I’d love to hunt for flowers with you…”  Mary fussed with the ribbon tied around the small scroll in her hands, her face flushing.  “There are some really pretty varieties that show up on Mother’s Hill in the fall.  We actually get Himalayan Blue Poppies out here and the locals call them magic flowers because they’re typically very hard to grow.  They are a very temperamental plant that gardeners the world over envy.  For some reason, they really like the soil here.  My father’s been studying them for years…  Oh, and sometimes, red mutations of them pop up and those are even rarer!”  Her eyes glowed at the thought.  “It must be magic, right?”

“It must be the Harvest Goddess,” Claire realized. “I’ve never seen so many green things growing in my life before I moved here.  Then again, I did live in a busy city…”

“The mountain guardians must help, too,” Cliff chimed in and surprised them both a bit. “The Goddess is definitely running the show, but she gets help from the tengu that live up there.”

Mary nodded with agreement. “My father is very scientific with his research, but he agrees that there is definitely a supernatural element at play here.  He has traveled a lot for his studies and he is always saying how unique and tranquil Mother’s Hill is and that there is almost an otherworldly quality to it.  It draws people in from all around.”

“I know exactly what he is talking about,” Cliff replied earnestly, a dreamy look in his eyes. “It… actually reminds me a lot of home.  My home village was protected by the Hunting Goddess.  I’m starting to think that might be the reason why they have a similar feel to them.”

Claire’s ears perked up at his mention of home, but Karen’s sudden laugh caught her off guard.

“I say we go down the row and reach each of ours aloud!”

She suddenly remembered the small scroll in her hands and watched as Karen untied the flimsy bow, unrolling the small piece of paper importantly. She cleared her throat.  “ _You will be a pillar of strength for those you love…_ Alright! _Luck: Fair…_ Well, that wasn’t too shabby!”  Karen grinned.  “At least I didn’t get a curse, huh?”  She looked expectantly at Rick, who was next down the row.

He opened his fortune and his eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Hmmm… _There is wisdom in looking at the larger picture. Luck: Bad._   What?!”  Rick groaned.  He couldn’t even manage to catch a break on his days off; he let out an exasperated sigh.

He was given an elbow to the arm. “Don’t get so worked up over it,” Ann snorted.  It was her turn and she nearly ripped her paper in her excitement.  “ _You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink. Luck: Fair._   What is that supposed to mean?!  Hey, Carter!  I thought these were fortunes, not proverbs!  And they’re really short, too!”  She pouted at him as she put her hands on her hips.

It was true that he had begun writing random things after a while. Between watching the children during the day and preparing his sermons, there hadn’t been much time to devote to writing out his fortunes.  “I had to come up with so many,” Carter laughed nervously.  His eyes darted to Cliff; surely he understood his plight, as they had brainstormed over ideas together.  They had spent hours into the evening before he began working with Claire, the two of them laughing as they jotted down fortunes together, fueled by tea and biscuits.  While he was glad that Cliff was spending more time with his friends and making an income, the priest would be lying if he said he didn’t miss his company a bit.

“You’re the one who said not to get worked up over it,” Rick retorted to Ann with a smirk. She simply stuck out her tongue at him in response.

Mary unrolled her scroll next and immediately turned red, holding the paper to her chest.

“What does it say?” Ann peered over her shoulder curiously.

She cleared her throat as she nervously adjusted her glasses. She really didn’t want to read it aloud, but the fact that the entire group was staring at her left her with little choice.  “ _You will have good fortune in… r-romance… Luck: Great_.”  Her mouth felt dry as she avoided Claire’s gaze.  She was starting to feel like there were also supernatural forces determined to keep her from growing closer to the young woman.

Carter laughed softly and gave her a kind smile. “Ah, the coveted fortune!  Congratulations, Mary!”

The group immediately burst into giggles and gossiping. Karen teased that Ann needed that fortune for her and Harris while she swiftly retorted that Rick would need all the luck he could get with Karen.

Images of Mary and Gray passionately kissing filled Claire’s head and she quickly shook them away. She was determined not to get emotional over something as silly as a fortune.  Cliff placed a warm hand on her forearm and she instantly mellowed out, giving Mary a small smile.  At the librarian’s shiny eyes and trembling, Claire realized with a wave of guilt that she had felt ashamed of reading her fortune aloud, and it was likely because of her fear of any awkwardness it would cause between the two of them.  She put a hand on her shoulder and was startled at how distraught Mary looked.

“You’re allowed to feel happy about it… After all…  I-I’m allowing myself to be happy, too…”  She stumbled over the words and wasn’t really sure if Mary even understood what she meant.  While she had used that phrase around Cliff, it was Mary who was adept with words; would she think that their mantra sounded foolish?

A pair of mocha brown eyes flicked between the blonde and her male companion who was watching her affectionately, his face immediately flooding with color. Mary’s lips turned upward again as she let the words soak in.  It seemed in the time between Gray’s rejection and now she had made some positive changes in her life and she was surrounding herself with people who were helping her not only heal, but thrive.  “I’m glad.”  She leaned in and caught Claire in a warm hug, burying her face in her shoulder.

The younger woman was stunned, but she felt a heavy weight lift off of her chest. She was reminded how Mary’s hair always smelled of sweet roses, how her very presence seemed to be a sort of relaxant.  As the hug broke off, she was given a warm smile.

Mary couldn’t stand it anymore. “Come to my house tomorrow night.  I’ll make us some tea and snacks!”  There was a playful light in her eyes she had only seen her use when interacting with Gray.

She nodded dumbly in response. “Okay.  We agreed to take tomorrow off, anyway.”  Even if she didn’t want to spend time with Mary, those brown orbs shining with supplication left her unable to answer any other way.

“What did you get for your fortune?” she asked loudly enough so that the crowd stopped talking.

Claire unrolled the slip of paper with shaking hands. She never put much stock into fortunes, but she found that she was trembling with anticipation to read it.  “ _Stop searching… Happiness is right beside you…  Luck: Fair_.” She let out a sigh of relief, but was still a little disappointed she hadn’t drawn Mary’s number.  Still, she ended up chuckling softly, grateful that her fortune had been something benign. 

“Hey, that’s a good one!” Rick beamed at her. “Wanna trade with me?”

“Hey, I’m right here beside you! You don’t need a fortune for that!” Karen teased, ruffling his hair.

“The offer still stands!” Rick couldn’t resist adding, stifling a laugh as his girlfriend playfully attempted to get him in a headlock. Ann was happy enough to assist and grabbed his arm, tugging on it a little rougher than was necessary.

Claire looked around her and shook her head, laughing. She was surrounded by smiling friends.  Her heart suddenly felt very full and she could feel a lump in her throat.

“Yeah… It _is_ a really good one,” she agreed, holding the scroll over her heart.  It was a silly slip of paper, yet it felt so precious, almost like a prophecy.  It filled her with a wave of deep joy and she felt her heart pound with giddiness.  She carefully tucked into her obi and turned toward her best friend, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement.  “What did you get?”

Cliff grinned at her and unrolled his fortune. “ _Faith and patience will be your greatest allies… Luck: Good_.”  He looked rather pleased.  Seeing him smile made her happy – Claire grinned so much her cheeks ached a bit.

The loud, irregular clopping of geta interrupted the action. Claire took note that Gray had a slightly uneven gait as he jogged, and it was amplified with the noisy footwear.  She watched him curiously; surprised she had never noticed this small detail about him before.  She suddenly realized there were probably a lot of things about him she didn’t know.  He donned a black and white striped yukata and while he had complained earlier about having to change, he didn’t look awkward in it at all.  “Alright, alright, I’m back.” Gray grumbled, catching his breath as he dropped some coins in the box and drew his number before anyone could comment on his attire.  Carter handed him a scroll and gave him a lighthearted wink.  “Okay…”  He read the paper silently, turned his head toward Cliff, and the color drained from his face.  He promptly crumpled the paper.

“What’s wrong?” Mary looked over at him, her braid softly swaying as she leaned forward to get a better look at him.

“Carter…” Gray’s voice was low, but Claire noticed the veins sticking out on his clenched fists.

“Oh, my…” The priest wasn’t threatened by the young man, but rather amused. Carter let out a good-natured chuckle, realizing immediately what he must have selected.

“What did you get?” Cliff asked.

“Yeah, we’ve all been reading them aloud!” Ann informed him, walking over to him to catch a peek at his slip of paper.

Gray couldn’t meet Cliff’s gaze and his cheeks blazed as he shook his head. “N-nothing…  I want a different fortune.”  Gray glared at the priest as if it was his fault that he had selected what he did.

Cliff saw his opening and skillfully pried the crumpled slip of paper out of his hand. Gray seized him by the wrist, shaking his head emphatically and Claire stiffened, fearful that he was going to harm him.

“Oh, now we have to hear what it says!”

At Karen’s laugh she relaxed a bit, but she kept her eyes on Gray’s hand until he noticed her worried gaze and let go with a frown. He struggled to keep from rolling his eyes at her; it was likely she wasn’t going to soon forget about the incident in the mountains.  He wasn’t eager to get her upset again when they had just begun getting along once more.

“How bad can it be?” Cliff smoothed out and unrolled the piece of paper, looking at his friend with a cocked eyebrow. He read it silently and froze, all of the emotion vanishing from his facial expression.  “I told you not to include this one, Carter.”  His voice was matching in character.

Carter responded with a shrug and only laughed harder. Claire felt like she could detect a hint of sadism in his cackle.

With this, Cliff sighed. “Let him pick another.”

“What does it say?” Ann persisted, struggling to crane her neck over his shoulder.

Gray shot him a death glare and Cliff shook his head, biting back a laugh. Ann squeezed between Claire and Cliff and gave his ponytail a sharp tug, stealing the fortune while he was startled.  His hand flew to the back of his head and he scowled at her as she stuck her tongue at him; Claire got the feeling that this happened regularly at the inn.

Ann smoothed out the fortune and read it silently, stifling a giggle. She read aloud with a grand flourish.  “Give a kiss to the person standing next to you!  Luck: Fantastic!”  She burst into peals of laughter.  “Well, what are you waiting for, big boy?  Pucker up for your sweetheart!”  She gave Cliff a rough push toward him.

Gray folded his arms across his chest as he muttered under his breath about not having feelings for his roommate, all the while his face turning redder by the second. “I-I’m not into…!  Besides, I-I have a girlfriend!”

“A girlfriend who would probably enjoy watching,” Karen teased, resting an arm on a blushing Mary’s shoulder.

Cliff shook his head and rolled his eyes, laughing as he steadied himself after Ann’s shove. “We’re good friends, but not _that_ close…”  He felt a little uncomfortable at Gray’s exaggerated awkwardness and hoped this wasn’t going to explode into something ridiculous.  The group continued in their giggling.

“Goddess, Gray! One tiny kiss isn’t going to kill you.  Quit being such a baby!”  Karen rolled her eyes at him.

Gray’s face had turned burgundy, a light sheen of perspiration glowing under the lanterns. Claire stopped giggling, curious why Gray was taking the whole situation so seriously.  “W-well… fine.  D-don’t get the wrong idea…  Just a small one on the cheek.”  His voice was low as he stared at the ground, nervously rubbing the back of his neck as he took a small step toward him.  Cliff’s eyes widened in surprise that Gray seemed intent on following through with it despite his obvious discomfort, but he was willing to get it over with.  There were far more embarrassing things in life than getting a peck on the cheek from someone he saw as a good friend; it wasn’t as if he hadn’t received a platonic kiss from Karen before.  Still, he would much rather be paired with Claire, he realized, his cheeks glowing at the very thought.

“Which one?” Ann rocked back and forth on her geta, clomping loudly on the ground.

Gray’s eyes widened in horror and he looked like he wanted to slap her. Claire could’ve sworn she saw steam roll out of his ears.  “What kind of question was that?  Goddess, Ann, you’re such a pervert!”

“Where is _your_ mind today?  I was asking left or right!” she quipped, stifling a giggle.  Cliff snapped out of his daydream and looked at them curiously.  A lot of their friends were laughing at him and he uncomfortably looked back down at the cobblestones, trying to hide the color that had no doubt rushed to his face.

Carter had begun to realize the potential trouble he had caused by adding that specific fortune to the mix. “I was imagining a young couple picking that one,” he sighed wistfully, stifling a chuckle.

Claire noticed Cliff’s discomfort and spoke up immediately. “Y-you know, there’s no rule that says you _have_ to do it,” she said a little more loudly than she meant to.  She felt a little intimidated for a moment when the group fell silent and stared at her.  She waited for someone to chide her for being a killjoy or having no sense of humor.  At seeing Cliff slouch a little less, her confidence returned to her.  These were her friends and there was no reason to be afraid to speak.  “Tonight is about having fun.  Don’t stress out over a silly piece of paper.”

Gray’s pale blue eyes reflected relief as he shot Claire a grateful look. “You’re right.  I make my own luck!”  He folded his arms across his chest with a smirk.  “And I sure as hell am not making out with a dude to bring good fortune or whatever.”

Cliff rolled his eyes at his friend’s statement, but he was glad that the drama was over.

Ann handed the slip of paper to Mary, not without an inward sigh. While she was looking forward to watching the kiss, the fact that Gray was taking a fortune so seriously had been quite entertaining.  “Looks like your fortunes coordinate.  Save it for later; I doubt Cliff’s feelings will be hurt,” she whispered loudly, winking at her.

“Thanks.” Mary’s lips curled up into a pleased smile as she nodded, her cheeks turning pink.

Claire had heard the exchange and frowned. While the reminder that the two were dating didn’t feel like a living nightmare anymore, the implication that they would be kissing in the near future made her heart ache a bit.

“So, let’s see what Cliff gave you to wear.” Karen walked over to Gray, circling him.

Gray rolled his eyes. Being the center of attention hadn’t appealed to him since he was a very young child.  “Well, you’re looking at it…”  He never wore anything but his work clothes as an adult living in the city.  He could never look as comfortable as Cliff did in such clothing.  While he liked the way yukatas looked, Gray was certain he was awkward in one.  He looked up at his roommate and gave him a crooked smile, hoping he gave off an air of indifference.  “I don’t look like a jackass?  I can’t pull off this look like you can.”  He let out a weak chuckle.

Gray had left the inn, dismissing the offered outfit as stupid. Cliff had known him long enough to not take it personally.  He had seen the way he carefully inspected the garment before rejecting it.  Surprised at Gray admitting his insecurities, Cliff shook his head.  “You look fine.”

“You looked more out of place earlier,” Ann laughed, rolling up her sleeves. She scowled at her own outfit and whispered threats at the fabric that refused to cooperate with her.

Mary walked over to Gray, inspecting him. He felt himself struggling to maintain his cool composure.  “It suits you.”  She shyly patted his arm, admiring the striped cotton.  Her dark eyes traveled up to his flushed face and finally rested on the rusty colored locks that were so often hidden from the world.  “No hat.”  A playful smirk was drawn across her lips.  “Y-you look great,” she whispered, giving him a hug.

Gray looked over his girlfriend’s shoulder and smiled at Cliff. _Thank you_ , he mouthed, raising his eyebrows in earnest.

Cliff grinned and gave his friend a thumbs-up. He almost laughed aloud when they pulled away and Mary turned around, mouthing the very same phrase to him.

“Well, now that everyone is here, I do have a story to tell,” Carter cleared his throat and dusted off his robes importantly. “Earlier, Mary was right…  There truly is something lurking within man that would frighten the faint of heart. Firm and unyielding, it resides within each of us.  Those who are blessed by the gods may never see it try to escape from the prison of your flesh, but those who do can tell you of the excruciating pain it causes when it breaks free.”

Ann’s eyes grew to the size of saucers.  She gulped.  “In _each_ of us?  You mean an embodiment of your fighting spirit… like a _stand_?”

Gray grumbled and folded his arms across his chest. “Now I know where that missing comic book went.  I told you to let me know before you borrow something!  You can’t just go snooping through my stuff!”

Mary cocked an eyebrow at her boyfriend and smirked before turning toward the redhead. “Ann, please take good care of my things.  I have the next few issues if you’re interested.”

Claire was a bit surprised to hear that the librarian read comic books, and she almost commented aloud on it before she closed her mouth. It was likely a habit she had picked up from her boyfriend.  She too had picked up a couple new hobbies since she moved here, she realized with a smile.  Hiking in the mountains and playing with her animals were the main ones, but she had also been eager to build a campfire and relax around it with her friends and she was a bit shy to ask Cliff about seeing Cain again.

Carter shrugged at Ann’s suggestion. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but no one is without one of these things, I’m afraid.”

A chill ran down Ann’s spine. Even Carter had one of these mysterious things?  She wasn’t sure what his life was like before he was a priest, but she had assumed he had been granted immunity to being possessed.  “But this is just a silly story,” she giggled, her cheeks blazing with embarrassment.  She turned toward Claire, who gave her a nod and worried smile, and she still found herself shaking a bit.

“Oh, no…” Carter looked at the group solemnly.  “I’m afraid you can’t simply will this tale into not being true.  It is, in fact, very real.”  His words suggested any debating this fact was futile.

Claire was reminded of those late summer nights, reading aloud a book of fairy tales. Her brothers wanted ghost stories but she refused to read them, for fear of nightmares.  The teenager was embarrassed to admit this, so she insisted that it was either the fairy book or bed.  Byron had found a loophole, begging for her to read the tale where a princess tricked an ogre couple into eating their own young and a scene where a tree bled when cut.  The story was now etched into her memory and still gave her a bit of a chill when she thought about it.  It was still better than the tale involving a juniper tree…  Maybe fairy tales weren’t less scary than ghost stories…

Ann wrung her hands and wedged herself between Claire and Cliff, clutching an arm of each friend as she trembled. Hearing these words from a priest frightened her; she didn’t know much about supernatural matters and she was rather afraid to learn.  She preferred solid, hard evidence for describing her world and spiritual things outside of basic worship of the gods made her uncomfortable.  Sometimes ignorance was bliss, she believed.

Carter was delighted to see that someone had taken his story seriously. His voice began to quaver as he dramatically pointed a shaking finger at her.  “As a matter of fact, I can see evidence of one inside of _you_ , Ann!”

Gray and Karen bit back smirks and chuckles as they took in the pastor’s overly grave demeanor. Ann let out a tiny squeak, looking at her friends with a nervous laugh.

“Wha-?!” She broke into a cold sweat.  Surely it was punishment for not wanting to go to church.  She had been a fool for not realizing this sooner.  Her heart pounded in her chest and she clutched Cliff’s shoulder.  “I promise I’ll come to church next week!  Cliff, you’ll take me, right?  I’ll be good, I swear!  I-I’ll even go to confession!”  She’d have to think of a list of her misdoings, but her head was too muddled at the moment to begin sifting through them.

At this point her friend was struggling to maintain a straight face. As one who took confession nearly daily, he found that he looked forward to the one-on-one time chatting with Carter, even if began the conversation with listing off his transgressions once again from his past.  He was in a constant battle with his own selfishness, but he had found that he was not expressing the old jealousy he had for others and their ability to fit in.  “I’m afraid not even the church’s walls will save you from your fate, Ann…” he replied with an emotionless voice, shaking his head.

Carter bit back a smirk; Cliff had played his part well. “There’s no easy way to say this, Ann…  There’s a skeleton inside of you!”  His eyes widened as he said this.

The thought of the undead residing in her own flesh was too much for her to bear; the young woman squeezed her friends and let out a strangled cry. Surely an exorcism could be performed.  “You’re a priest, aren’t you?  Get it out of me!” She was on the verge of hysterics.

Gray couldn’t stand it anymore; his laugh came out as a loud snort. Rick and Karen joined in shortly and Ann was horrified to hear Cliff laugh and Claire stifle a giggle.  Even Mary had a smile on her face.

“You!” Ann’s blue eyes whirled around her wildly and her face was redder than her hair. “You are all evil!  You’re mocking me!”

To her surprise, everyone burst into laughter even harder.

Claire was a little shocked that her friend hadn’t gotten the joke yet. “Ann, think about it,” she said softly.

The pout on her face faded. “You could all have them, too!  Oh…”  She closed her mouth and her cheeks went from red to burgundy.  She had expected Claire to fall for a trick like that – not herself!  “Th-That was mean, Carter!”  The young woman rolled up the sleeves of her yukata threateningly.

Cliff gave her a friendly clap on the shoulder. “Hey, now…  Don’t be like that.  It was all in good fun.”

“And _you_ helped him!”  The tone of betrayal was pronounced in her voice as she shrugged off his hand.  She bit her lip and shot him a menacing glance before moving to the other side of Claire in a huff.

“Oh, come on! That wasn’t even scary!”  Karen scoffed.  “I could tell you about that figure I saw out in the middle of Kappa Lake when I was a kid.  It looked like a hunched over man with a huge nose, almost like a beak!  It was muttering something that didn’t sound like human language…”

“I’m not listening~!” Ann sang, sticking out her tongue at her.

“Well, I guess that’s enough for scary stories tonight,” Mary spoke up, much to everyone’s surprise. “Speaking of scary, did anyone see the huge ice cream cones Kai was selling?  They looked like they were going to topple over.  I think I saw one with five scoops!”

“You did. It was delicious.”  Ann grinned at the very memory.  She caught Harris in the corner of her eye and bounced on her geta.  “Oh, hey, I saw Kathy and Griffin earlier.  I think I’m off for some more snacks.”

“A drink does sound nice,” Karen replied, finishing her lemonade.

“And what would you say you’re doing right now?” Carter quipped from his seat at the tent.

She wagged her finger at him and Claire was surprised how candid she was with the priest. “Oh, Carter, we both know there’s a huge difference.  It’s not like you can substitute lemonade for tequila.”

“Oh, I suppose not.” If that were true, he would have had a lot more sugar crashes and fewer hangovers in his younger adult years.  “Hmmm… I’m in the mood for something dark and earthy.  I don’t care for pale ales.”  The priest didn’t break his innocent smile and Claire’s eyes widened with surprise when she realized he was asking her to bring him a drink from the stand.

“I saw a place selling crepes.” Mary’s voice had distracted her.  Claire expected her to walk off with her date, but she was given a shy smile.  “They come every year and they’re really good.  They sell all different kinds of flavors.  Would you be interested, Claire?”

She had been both dreading and looking forward to some time with her for a while. Having Cliff at her side would make socializing with Gray a breeze, she told herself with a smile.

“Want to swing by Kai’s? I feel a little bad he has to work today.”  Gray gave Cliff a hearty thump on the back.

“You only want to stop by because you know he’s selling roasted corn,” he laughed in response, receiving a playful punch on the shoulder in response.

“Catch you later.” Gray gave his girlfriend a quick wave and went to tip his cap in farewell, forgetting that he wasn’t wearing it.  He turned the hand motion as a clumsy salute and Mary giggled in response, shyly waving back.

“See y’all in a bit,” Cliff responded quickly, reaching for Claire’s hand and giving it a friendly squeeze before following his friend.

She nodded mutely in response, waving goodbye to them with the other hand. Mary watched the blonde with a smile, wondering if she was aware of the way she held her hand over her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: The sacred lots in this chapter are based off of New Years fortunes that are held at Shinto shrines. You reach your hand into a box, pull out a numbered stick, and the monk gives you a fortune for the year ahead. They are notorious for being pretty lengthy; Carter was a little lazy!
> 
> Claire’s fortune is a grammatically correct version of a fortune I received in a fortune cookie years ago. I was sitting beside my husband in the restaurant and thought it was painfully sweet. The only other fortune based off of a real one is – wait for it – Gray’s! We were at a buffet and my sister was sitting beside me when she got it. We laughed pretty hard; it seems that one would make for an awkward first date.
> 
> Carter strikes me as the type that the harder he tries to scare someone, the funnier he becomes. I made him tell the classic “spooky skeleton” story.
> 
> Speaking of stories, the story Claire had read to her brothers was the French folk tale of The Bee and The Orange Tree. The second reference was to Grimm’s The Juniper Tree. Pretty creepy stuff.
> 
> Thank you all for the feedback on the last chapter. I hope you’re all enjoying the festival so far – there’s more to come! :D


	70. We Might as Well Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary is eager to spend some time with Claire, but their time together seems a bit strained as someone observes them sharing a table.
> 
> It's time for folk dancing! Thomas seems intent on killing the audience with boredom with feeble dance to honor the dead. Will the entire festival be put to sleep? Wait, who is that pair pushing through the crowd?

“Chocolate is a classic, but blueberry or lemon curd might be nice, too,” Mary mused as she led the way through the crowd.

Claire couldn’t help but notice how chatty the young woman was this evening, and she wasn’t sure if it was out of friendliness or nerves.

“They make savory ones as well. My dad’s favorite is the one with herbs, chicken, and spinach.  He has a pretty big appetite and could probably eat two of them.  Mom always says he is the only man she knows who will complain about not enough vegetables on his plate.  I suppose it’s a good thing that you came along then, huh?”

Claire gave her a shy smile and rubbed her arm, unsure of what to say. She stammered a weak “thank you” as they passed a few stands.  Ever since the Midsummer Dance, Mary had exuded this newer, more confident side.  Claire wondered if she would ever be able to do the same thing.  She almost bumped into her as Mary abruptly stopped in front of a stall selling flowers and perfumes.

“Miss Mary Brown,” the shopkeeper called her name and gave her a casual wave despite the formal way he greeted her.

“Mister Kamil Gawther,” she responded, her face lighting up with familiarity.

They both laughed at their stilted greetings, and Claire got the impression that it was some sort of inside joke. “I haven’t seen your dad yet.  How’s he doing?”

“Same as always,” she replied, walking to the counter. “He’s back at home, working on one of his books.  Mom’s not too thrilled about that.”

Mary picked up and tested a few perfumes for sale as she spoke, and Claire was surprised to hear her candidness with this young man. She mimicked Mary, picking up a bottle of rose perfume and giving it a sniff; the sweet floral aroma immediately reminded her of the woman beside her.  Claire relaxed as well, getting lost in the different scents of the perfumes, recalling her days of smelling soaps with Cliff in the grocery store with a chuckle.

“Well, she’s already stopped by to tell me the good news, so we can look forward to no more unsubtle hints that she’d like us to date,” he laughed.

Mary’s posture stiffened as she remembered who was at her side. “Yeah, things are going well,” she replied breezily.  “How’s _your_ situation going?  You know, the one my mom actually _doesn’t_ know about?”  Shifting the focus from her relationship with Gray seemed like a wise move; she had wanted her time with Claire to revolve around the two of them.

Kamil’s ears turned red as he ducked behind a floral arrangement, playing with his fingers, his voice dropping to nearly a whisper. Mary had to practically lean across the counter to hear him.  “Ah, I wish I could say it was going anywhere at all…  I-I’m not good at competing, especially when my… uh, _t-target_ is mooning over some blonde they only met once a couple of weeks ago.  Apparently, some big blue eyes and a cute face can make someone go completely gaga…”  A pair of green eyes widened in recognition at Mary’s companion as he went pale.  The oblivious Claire was too distracted by the bottle of perfume she was testing: a cheery blend of citrus and herbs.  He quickly cleared his throat.  “Then, of course, there’s my _other_ rival…”

Mary recalled his landlord’s daughter. “Laney, huh?”

He shook his head with a bitter laugh. “The sister.  Rumor has it that if you look in a mirror and say her name three times at midnight, she’ll appear behind you with a cage full of butterflies.”

Mary giggled a little more loudly than she meant to. “That actually sounds a bit endearing.”

His face paled. “I can’t think of many more unsettling things, myself.  The girl’s not normal.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I think the sister’s really your _only_ rival,” Mary’s eyebrows rose as she gave a slight cock of the head toward the blonde.  “I really don’t think you have anything to worry about on the other end.”

“Uh, Claire, was it? Kamil.”  She looked up from a bottle of herbal perfume and was surprised that he didn’t extend a hand to shake.  She was so distracted by this interaction that she didn’t question how he had already known her name.  He had been so friendly with Mary and a switch seemed to have flipped, his mannerisms turning much colder.  He fussed with an arrangement of daisies.  “Or Cam.  Whichever.”

The blood drained from Mary’s face. “Goodness, how rude of me.  I didn’t even think to introduce you.  Cam has been a friend of the family for years.  He runs a flower shop over in Bluebell.”

She had heard the name of the town mentioned before. Claire smiled; it seemed she was starting to catch on to some of the different communities around them.  “Nice to meet you.”

He gave her a polite smile but quickly turned back to his flowers. He didn’t seem fazed at all that neither of them had expressed any interest in purchasing his wares.  “Same.”

“Claire runs the farm to the south of town. She just moved in at the beginning of spring.  We were just headed to Zepher Café’s booth.”

“Alright. I might stop by tomorrow morning to visit before I leave for home.”

Mary nodded. “Sounds nice.  I’ll make sure to have some tea ready.”  She led the way to the crepe stand and turned toward her companion.  “Sorry about that.  I don’t see Cam all that often; he lives far away.  Dad met him once when he was traveling for research and they hit it off really well.”

Claire shook her head. “I don’t mind at all.”  She had the feeling Mary was being overly careful around her, and while she appreciated the sentiment, it made her a bit uncomfortable.  It was true that she hadn’t handled things the best last time they spent time together.  Claire had slipped out of the room among a group conversation all because Elli had said that Mary and Gray acted like an old married couple.  The blonde bit her lip.  She must seem so melodramatic and petty to her, and in honesty, she really couldn’t blame Mary for feeling that way.  Claire was determined to show her that she was moving on from dwelling on her own pain; she wanted to prove that she could be a reliable friend.  Mary had already reached out to her in this invitation for crepes, and she would not ruin it.  “My parents had contacts from their jobs that would come over to talk shop, but they weren’t really my age.  Well, that and they were busy working on projects together.”

She was immediately reminded of those long weeknights when she awkwardly bade goodnight to her parents as she peeked her head in the kitchen doorway, concealing her pajamas. Her parents were sitting at their table with a familiar man, his tie and suspenders loosened and his suit jacket carelessly draped over the back of his chair.  A second bottle of wine was emptied out into a glass and added to a stack of plates littered with crumbs while her father rummaged through the refrigerator for another bottle.

“Well, we’re all out, my good man,” her father announced. “We got anything else in here, Yvette?”  The clanking of plates and jars emanated from the refrigerator.

“There’s a jug of grape juice in there. Honestly, I’m so drunk I probably couldn’t tell the difference at this point.”  Claire’s mother let out her tight bun, her golden locks falling around her shoulders.  She pushed aside some stacks of folders, a few loose papers still strewn about.  It looked like their talk about work was finished, judging from the laughter that was filling the room.

“Grape juice sounds great,” the man replied. Claire let out a silent sigh in relief; her bottle of melon soda in there was safe.

Yvette looked up from her papers and gasped. “Claire, why didn’t you tell us you were standing there?  You gave me a start!”  She let out a laugh, but Claire felt a wave of guilt; she could sense her mother’s embarrassment at being caught outside of the way she normally carried herself around her children.

“Oh, wow, it’s little Claire. Look how much you’ve grown!”  The man with graying hair and thick glasses gave her a kind smile.  “Come now, let’s see you.”

Her cheeks burned as she gripped the doorframe. She was grateful she was in the habit of only removing her bra right before slipping into bed, but she was still a bit embarrassed of the _My Dear Princess_ pajama pants and bunny slippers she was wearing.

“Hello, Mr. Carlton.” Her voice was so low it was barely audible.  She shyly stepped into the kitchen, giving everyone a weak wave.  “I-I was just about to get ready for bed…”  She stepped over to the table, watching her father refill the glasses.

Her parents’ friend grinned up at her, leaning back in his chair. “So I hear your grades are pretty fantastic.  Straight A’s!  You’re such a smart girl!”

She felt extremely uncomfortable being made the center of attention. “N-not really…  It’s not really that big of a deal…  I’m just doing my homework and turning everything in…”  She rubbed her arm and bit her lip, too embarrassed to look up at anyone.

“Claire!” Yvette looked at her daughter in horror while her husband watched on in silence. “It’s incredibly rude to reject a compliment like that!”

The teenager shrank back, surprised she had been reprimanded in front of a guest. Her cheeks burned and she suddenly had a lump in her throat.  “I-I’m sorry, Mr. Carlton.  Thank you.”

He let out a friendly chuckle and ruffled her hair in an attempt to cheer her up. “No harm done, kiddo.  You might not think you’re smart, but you really are.”  His dark eyes twinkled at her as he adjusted his smudged glasses.  “A great mind like yours is going to get you places!”

She began to shake her head, but froze in place, staring at the surface of the table, too afraid to check her parents’ expressions. “I sure hope so,” she admitted.

Claire highly doubted it was her grades that brought her to a farm in Mineral Town, but maybe there was something to be said for a can-do attitude…

“Lemon curd, please.” Mary’s pleasant voice brought Claire back to reality.

The young woman blinked her eyes as she stared in front of her. An elderly lady and her granddaughter were dressed in matching yukatas and pointing to a chalkboard listing the available flavors of crepe filling.  Everyone turned to look at her and she glanced at the board, remembering her taste of Ann’s taiyaki earlier.  “Red bean paste, please.”

“My personal favorite,” the old woman replied as she took their money. “Feel free to take a seat.  They’ll be ready in a few minutes.”  She gestured toward a small bistro table and pair of chairs set up beside the booth.  Despite the fact that it was a crowded square, the table gave off a quiet, intimate setting.  Mary and Claire nodded as they took their seats, listening to the two workers chatting as they cooked, quickly getting into a mild argument about finding a dance partner for later.

“Thanks for agreeing to get crepes with me,” Mary began, gently rolling up her sleeves. “It’s been too long.  I miss our times together.”

It felt like a half-truth for Claire. Her earlier times with Mary had often been punctuated with stress, worry, and a bitter rivalry for Gray.  She renewed her determination to set things right.  She gave a nod, eager to start a friendly conversation.  “We’ll get to spend some time together tomorrow night, too.”

“Do you have a favorite kind of tea?” Mary asked, her eyes lighting up. “I can have a pot brewed before you come over.  We have pretty much any kind that you can think of.”

Claire shook her head. “I’m really fine with anything.  Why don’t you make your favorite?”

She fought the instinct to insist that the guest should pick the beverage. “There’s this really nice blend of local herbs that we have… it’s really relaxing.”

“Sasha, I’m not used to walking in these! You know that!” Anna clopped by on her geta but froze as she walked past the pair, looking curiously at her daughter.  Her eyes narrowed on the back of Claire’s head when she saw who Mary was seated with.  She shot her a look that suggested they would speak more on the subject later.

Upon seeing the smile fade from Mary’s face, Claire whirled around in her chair just in time to see Anna giving them a stern look before following her friend. “Th-that sounds good…”  Claire agreed half-heartedly, wondering if she had missed out on something.

Mary pushed down the discomfort that lingered from her mother’s disapproving gaze, but she only half succeeded. How would Anna react to Claire coming over to visit?  Mary clenched her jaw; it was time to prove to her mother that she wasn’t weak and naïve.  It was likely tomorrow would include an awkward talk with her justifying her actions and choices for company, but for now, she wanted to enjoy the moment.  “Carter gave me a really good recipe for raisin scones.  I’ll have them fresh and ready.  And once things slow down at the farm, we can go flower hunting up in the mountains,” she replied quickly.  She let out a nervous laugh as their crepes were brought to them.  “Ah, I said that already earlier, huh?  Sorry…”  The sleeves of her yukata had unrolled already and she struggled to fix them.

For the first time, Claire saw the trembling of her companion’s hands as she clumsily attempted to keep her sleeves back. Mary wasn’t as dainty and flawlessly graceful as she had once thought.  It was a strange concept to wrap her head around even if it was a welcome one.  “I’m looking forward to it.  It’ll be interesting to see what we find, and you can probably identify plants better than Cliff.  Maybe I’ll learn something new.”

They thanked the woman for the crepes and began to eat. Claire was more than pleased with the nostalgic flavor of her treat, and she could see why Mary had recommended them.

“I’m hoping to find some herbs to dry over the winter and add to the pot for the Harvest Festival,” Mary explained, biting into her dessert.

She gave an excited nod in response. “Thomas was telling me about it and asked me to contribute some vegetables to it.  I’m probably going to set aside a few pumpkins and onions; I doubt the tomatoes are going to keep that long unless I pick green ones at the end of the season.  The best part is that he is going to take me to the Harvest Festival in Forget-Me-Not Valley to get my feet wet and meet the farmers from there.”  Mary gave a polite nod and she eagerly continued.  “I met one of the farmers there already.  His name’s Pete and he’s really nice.”  Claire scanned the crowd, and sure enough, she spotted a figure with a familiar backwards baseball cap paired with a yukata.  It seemed he didn’t have a grandfather who threatened him not to wear it.  She giggled and pointed him out in the crowd, forgetting that her mother had told her several times as a child that doing so was rude.  “Have you ever met him before?”

Mary noticed her friend’s laxness and a warm smile spread across her face. “I know of him.  He’s always in the local festivals and wins quite a bit.  Looks like he’s going to have a bit of competition though, huh?”

Claire almost asked who she was talking about when she realized she was referring to Mystic Acres. A bit of color dusted her cheeks.  She shook her head and bit her tongue for outright disagreeing with her.  “Maybe in the future.  I’m still a beginner, after all.”

“Well, I can see how busy you are. I bet you know more about farming than you think you do.”  Mary quickly saved a blob of lemon curd from dropping onto the table with a shy giggle.

“Well, I’m learning a bit more every day,” she admitted, admiring the generous filling in her crepe. “It’s kind of like how you’re becoming a better writer the more you practice.”

At the mention of her passion, Mary’s eyes glowed. “Oh, I try!  I’m really excited about this scene I’m going to write!  Remember how Viola was going to throw an exam for her students, but there was the struggling apprentice?”

Claire smirked. “Are they gonna do some ‘extra credit’ and fall in love?”  She took a large bite of her dessert, savoring the combination of the mild crepe with the sweet filling.

Her friend let out a laugh. “You know I wouldn’t include such an unoriginal plot device in one of my stories!  It turns out he is actually-” Mary cut herself off.  “It’s a surprise.  You have to read it to find out!  It’s ready, and it’s been waiting for you to look over!”

Claire finished chewing. “Alright.  I can pick it up tomorrow.”  She looked forward to a new normal for them – it was time.

“Sounds great!” She didn’t do a good job trying to downplay her excitement.  Perhaps she could date Gray and also be friends with Claire.  It didn’t seem like an impossible feat anymore.

“Hey, Mary?”

She looked up from her food with wide eyes. “Yes?”

Claire shyly pointed to the tip of her own nose. “You have a bit of whipped cream on your nose.”

She swiftly wiped it away with a mild chuckle, her cheeks turning a lovely rosy color. She was pleased to hear Claire join in the happy laughter, especially since it was something she rarely heard, let alone something she had shared with her.

“And you have some bean paste on your chin,” Mary noticed with a giggle. “We’re like a couple of messy children!”

Claire wiped her face and laughed harder with a nod.

0o0o0o0

“Thank you again for the drink; this is actually really good.” Cliff took a sip of his sake. It was his first experience with the beverage.  It was sharp but had a hint of sweetness that put a warmth inside of him.  That being said, it was very strong and he limited himself to small amounts at a time.

“The best things in life are the simple things.” Saibara tasted his alcohol and looked out in the square as a crowd began to gather. “Sake, good music, friends…”

“In that order?” Cliff ventured, cocking a playful eyebrow. He took another drink, the flavors becoming smoother as he got used to them.

Saibara roared with laughter. “Maybe.”

Thomas was setting up his record player for dancing, and many people were standing around waiting for the music to start. There were a few food vendors in the square, and Cliff could see his friends sprinkled throughout the scene.  Saibara had swooped in and taken Cliff the moment he left with Gray to visit Kai; he wanted to spend a moment alone with his young friend tonight.

He finished off his sake with a satisfied sigh and eagerly began refilling his own glass. The party was just beginning.  “Have another one with me.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t. I think I will finish this one and that will be all I will have tonight,” Cliff politely declined.  He hadn’t eaten much all evening and he noticed the few small drinks had already made him lose a bit of his usual focus.  He took another sip and exhaled through his nostrils, surprised at the burning sensation that followed.

The smirk under Saibara’s beard wasn’t hard to see. “You don’t drink much, huh?”

He shook his head, blinking his misty eyes.

He really was still so young and had much to learn. “Fair enough.  Have something to eat.”  The old man pushed his bowl of edamame between them.  Lessons were for another night.

“Ah, thank you.” Cliff didn’t realize how hungry he was and eagerly reached for a pod.

“I used to come here with my wife every year.” Saibara started on his second flask as he watched Thomas shuffle through his record collection.  He could still feel her small hands in his as the soft fabric of her yukata tickled his knuckles.  He could hear her soft laugh and the affectionate way she would call him _Sai_.  “We’d dance into the night…”

“She was an amazing woman, huh?” Cliff smiled at him kindly. He knew that even though she had passed on, Saibara still thought about her regularly and loved her deeply.

“That she was… Patient, gentle, and prettier than the cherry blossoms in spring.  When she died, I didn’t know how to do anything for myself.  I couldn’t cook, the house was a wreck, and on top of that, I had to keep the forge going…”  The wrinkles in his face suddenly seemed a lot more noticeable as he emotionlessly stared into the distance.

While Cliff had been accustomed to living alone, he had never had a soul mate of his own, let alone lost one. “That must have been really hard.”  He wasn’t really sure what else he could say to console him; he had learned from pouring his heart out to Carter that sometimes just knowing that someone was listening did wonders.  He looked into his sake glass – it was nearly empty.

“It was, but I learned. I can do just fine by myself now, but it was difficult for a while.”

“When I left home, I didn’t realize how many things I didn’t know how to do,” Cliff admitted. “I had no idea what kinds of things I needed to do to live on my own.  I didn’t bring any money…  I could hardly handle a bow…  I didn’t think or plan out anything when I left…”  When he looked at it objectively, he realized that he had left in an emotional state and it had not prepared well at all for his new life.

“Well, that’s how you learn.” Saibara took another sip.  “Get thrown into the fire and become forged into something new.”

He was a different person today than he was at seventeen. “You’re right...”

The old man popped some edamame into his mouth thoughtfully. “Well, looks like they’re getting started.”

Cliff nodded. The two friends stared out at the square.  Thomas had started the record player and was feebly attempting to do a traditional bon dance, his hands balled into fists and wobbling almost drunkenly.  A few of the townspeople had timidly joined in, and it looked like the mayor was trying to learn the moves from them instead of giving a demonstration.  The music, although familiar, was difficult to hear in the busy square and was easily drowned out by the voices of the crowd walking past and visiting the stalls.

Saibara watched them with amusement and let out a hearty laugh. Cliff jumped.

“It won’t be the same without live taiko, but we can make do. Come on, young man; let’s show these city slickers how to properly dance at a festival.”  There was a playful gleam in Saibara’s eye – he had finished reflecting and was ready to have some fun.  “You know what they say - _we are fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance!_ ”

Cliff watched the dancers and his heart ached. He had been to more music-oriented festivals than he could count, but for some reason, folk dancing in Mineral Town intimidated him.  If this was the place he was meant to be, would it feel differently?  Would his heart once again be filled with the thrill of the music and company?  He didn’t know if he could take it if he felt the hollowness he had experienced while traveling.  He looked back at the old man.

“I-I don’t know…” But he wanted to more than anything.

“It’s the boy, huh?” Saibara grunted. “Is he still giving you trouble?”  He frowned.

“No. N-not at all.”

He observed the heartbroken look in Cliff’s deep blue eyes and understood. The young man had shared a couple of stories about his past with him.  “You used to lead the bon back at home, right?”  Saibara’s voice softened.

“Yeah…”

“Then let’s scare that stuffy mayor away and make this a real dance party.” He grinned at him.  “At this rate, he’s insulting our deceased ancestors.”

Cliff laughed as he watched Thomas hold onto his hat with one hand while he hobbled around to a beat no one but him could hear, as it certainly didn’t match the music. The few people that had been joining in were thrown off of the rhythm, confused looks covering their faces.  “Well, I’m still trying to fit into town; I don’t know if upsetting the mayor is the best idea.”

“What about your lady friend? She swung her hammer at him, and she’s pretty popular.  If anything, scaring Thomas off will help your reputation,” the blacksmith cackled. 

His cheeks glowed at the term Saibara had selected for his relationship with Claire. “Maybe…”  Cliff watched the townspeople halfheartedly move to the music and listened to them mumble the words.  The crowd was already starting to disperse and their intervention certainly couldn’t hurt things.  What if dancing out there turned out to be marvelous and freeing?  His heart pounded in his throat at the notion.

Saibara refilled his companion’s glass while his back was turned, emptying the flask. “Well, you’re still young, and I’m getting old; now’s as good a time as any.  Let’s both go out there and show them how to dance before they embarrass themselves further!”

Cliff couldn’t stand it anymore. He finished his sake in one gulp and stood up, the fumes burning his chest and nose.  He didn’t remember his glass being that full and a pleasant warmth spread through his belly, allowing him to relax a bit.  “Let’s go.”  His eyes playfully flashed at his friend.

0o0o0o0

“I love cotton candy,” Ann sang as she bit into her fluffy snack.

“You’re going to get a stomachache,” Rick warned her as he shook his head, finishing off his beverage. He stood up to toss his empty cup in the trash can and Karen and Ann immediately gave him their garbage to bring along with him.  He rolled his eyes at them, tossing each piece in individually, earning fist-pumps and cheers from his friends for just barely making each basket.

“Nonsense! I haven’t even gotten my other ear of corn yet!” she retorted.  “There are so many food stalls I haven’t hit yet.  They _need_ me!”

Karen watched the group of people attempting to dance in the square. “Well, maybe you want to wait to get some more food until the dancing is over.  Looks like they’ve started.”

Claire’s eyes followed Mary as she led a hesitant Gray out to the crowd. After finishing their crepes, Claire had been called over by Karen to join them and Mary had been fascinated by the dancing, saying she would see her out in the square doing the bon.  She felt Mary’s enthusiasm was a little extreme; even some of the dancers looked a little bored with what they were doing.  Claire hadn’t danced the bon since she was a child, but she remembered the affair being much more carefree and exciting, punctuated with whoops and hollers.

“Wow, look how fast Saibara is moving out there to the dancing group,” Ann commented, “and Cliff is still with him.”

“I was wondering where he went,” Karen commented. “I just assumed he was with Kai and Gray.”

“Nope. I saw Cliff and Saibara drinking together a minute ago.”  Ann bit into her cotton candy, tearing off a piece like a feral beast that hadn’t eaten in days.

“Oh, it looks like they’re going to dance.” Claire straightened her posture and watched on with great interest as they strode forward, their steps in sync.  The smirk on Saibara’s face was visible even from where she was sitting, and she found herself craning her neck to see what was going to happen as they entered the crowd.

“I hope things get rowdy!” Ann grinned at her.

The friends watched as the pair joined the feeble dance group; it was really more of a sad arc, as there weren’t many participants. Saibara forced their way through next to Thomas and winked at his companion.  Cliff stood on the other side of the mayor, and the top-hatted man looked anxious.

“Oh, they’re just jumping right in,” Rick chuckled, not surprised at all by Saibara’s behavior. He was, however, a bit shocked that Cliff had walked out with the same assertiveness.

Karen let out an excited laugh when she realized what they were doing. “Goddess, they’re gonna lead!”

The two men joined in on the next chorus and sang at least twice as loudly as everyone else. Clothing twirling and geta clomping in unison with the beat, they moved so confidently that it looked like a rehearsed routine.  A quickly reddening Thomas got flustered and took a seat on a nearby bench, but everyone else started singing with more enthusiasm, and several looked to the pair for direction, a few laughs and excited yells breaking out.  More people began to join in the dance and a proper circle quickly formed, many spectators eagerly joining in.

Ann laughed with delight, clapping her hands. “They’re great!  I love it!”

Claire’s eyes widened with admiration. There was no hiding the fact that her friend used to lead the festival dancing back at home; she had never seen him look so comfortable doing something in a group of people.  He had a very commanding presence in the middle of the circle and those around him mimicked his movements.  His hair and clothing swung to the rhythm of the music as a genuine grin spread across his face, eyes glowing – he looked incredible.  A smile crept onto Claire’s lips as her heart throbbed with joy; she loved watching Cliff when he was completely unshackled from his doubts and fears about himself.  She felt herself aching to stand up and run to his side, longing to share in his happiness.

“Damn… I guess he wasn’t lying when he said he led the dancing.” Karen nodded appreciatively, staring at them. “Their voices sound amazing together, too…”

“Yeah, who’d ever think?” Rick adjusted his glasses.

Saibara’s gruff baritone voice suited the song well, and Cliff sang with a warm tenor that had the confidence and beauty of someone who had sung their entire life. Claire bobbed her head to the music as she watched and listened to them.  Saibara had an air of experience about him, but there was something about Cliff’s performance that caught her attention; while he had an aura of charisma surrounding him, he hadn’t lost his down-to-earth core that she had grown to adore.

“Our shy little Cliff…” Karen’s lips curled up into a smile as she noticed Claire’s pleased expression. “Well, I’m feeling pumped!  What are we doing sitting around here for?” She grabbed Rick by the hand.  “Let’s get rowdy!”

“Yeah!” Ann cheered, pumping her cotton candy into the air.

“Alright!” Claire felt a rush of adrenaline from the chanting voices.

As the blonde followed her friends out to the middle of the square, she was surprised at the number of people. The large circle had become packed at this point.  She had noticed on the beach that people from nearby towns had come for the festival, and when they were all in the square, it felt a little crowded.  She spotted Mayor Thomas smiling beside his record player; he had been trying to increase participation, and it looked as if Saibara and Cliff had done that job for him.  Thomas was content to be a spectator for the remainder of the dance.  A woman with dark blue hair had made her way to him and was speaking animatedly with him, staring intently at Cliff and Saibara.  Claire recognized her as the woman that she had seen a few times throughout the evening and she vaguely wondered if she was supposed to know her.

“Where should we join?” Rick asked, looking for an opening in the circle.

“Where else? Right in the center!”  Karen put her hands on her hips, pushing through the crowd.

Claire wasn’t surprised at her friend’s response, but she felt a bit nervous. It was quickly replaced with enthrallment as she heard the voices of the festival goers all around her in a chorus.

Cliff’s face lit up when he saw them. “Come on over!”  He yelled to them with a grin, beckoning to them in an excited, over-exaggerated gesture.

“What have you two started?” Karen laughed, staring at the mayhem that surrounded them. Everyone was crowded together singing along; the record player had long since been out-sang.  Whoops and squeals could be heard and as she looked around she could see people of all ages participating.

“A proper summer festival!” Saibara roared with a playful twinkle in his eye.

“I’m dancing by you!” Karen winked at the old blacksmith, and Rick joined them.

Cliff grabbed Claire’s hand and pulled her beside him. “Dance over here by me,” he smiled at her.

It had been her original intent to dance in the main circle and she didn’t want to be the focus of attention. She found, however, that her heart was pounding with excitement.  Everyone seemed so carefree; why couldn’t she be the same?  She eagerly joined in.

The moves came back to her quickly, but she still felt a bit rusty. “It’s been so long since I’ve done this dance!” Claire admitted, and realized she had to yell.

“You’re doing fine,” he laughed. “You’ll get the feel for it – you always do!”

Ann was familiar with the dance. She had squeezed on the other side of Claire and modified her dance moves for her cotton candy, regularly pumping the blue ball of fluff into the air or thrusting it into a giggling Claire’s face.  She bopped her hip against her and when she retaliated in kind with a smirk, Ann’s eyes went wide in surprise.

“Want some cotton candy?” she yelled into her ear.

Claire whirled around. “No!  Why did you even bring that out here?!”

“Well, I didn’t get a chance to finish it! Don’t worry!  I won’t get any on you!”  She took another hungry bite, licking her blue-stained lips.

She couldn’t help but laugh before turning her focus back onto the music.

_Let us come and play with the stars_

_And celebrate all that we are~ (Al-right!)_

_And when the fireworks burst_

_We’ll all forget our worst_

_And our troubles that are near will be far~ (To-night!)_

Claire realized with exhilaration that she actually knew the words to the song that was playing. She sang as loudly as she could, but her voice was drowned out by everyone around her – it was a marvelous feeling.  She was so small, but she was part of something big.  Claire looked at the row across from her.  There were a few people from out of town that she recognized from the disk throwing competition on Beach Day, including a couple of young women around her age.  She felt like they kept staring at her and began to feel a bit insecure at their curious eyes.  A few people down, she spied Mary and a self-conscious Gray joining in the dance.  Claire looked at the handsome young man dancing beside her and gave him a playful squeeze around the waist with one arm, oblivious to the fact that she nearly got elbowed in the face.  Cliff let out an excited laugh and gave her a squeeze back, giving her hair a quick nuzzle with his cheek before they went back to dancing.  This affectionate gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Claire; her heart pounded and she sang even louder in her joy.

The song ended and the crowd broke into whoops and cheers.

Thomas had broken his way into the crowd with a megaphone. “Time to grab a partner, everyone!” he yelled.  “We’ll do some traditional couples’ dances!”

The large group of people quickly began to pair up, eager to continue dancing now that the atmosphere had changed to a much more festive and welcoming one.

“My cotton candy!” Ann gasped, looking all around her.

“What’s wrong?” Claire turned toward her friend.

“I… I lost it somewhere,” she laughed heartily, showing her empty hands.

 _Didn’t she just have it a moment ago?_ Claire cocked an eyebrow.  “Do you think someone took it?”

Ann roared with laughter, shaking her head. “You sound like you think someone stole my half-eaten candy!  It was getting sticky and gross!”

“Well, it’s not on me, is it?” Claire whirled around.  She wasn’t looking forward to scrubbing out a blue candy stain, especially on such pale fabric.  Her mind immediately went back to the yellow yukata she ruined in her childhood with the blue fruit punch.

“Nope. Me?”  Ann did a twirl, and Claire admired the dragonfly pattern on her friend’s outfit.  She took a moment to enjoy her braided buns; her fiery red hair contrasted well with the pale green garment.

“No, you’re clean, too.”

“Weird.”

They both laughed.

Claire noticed that the two young women who were dancing in the row across from them were talking to Cliff. Her stomach lurched – they hadn’t been staring at her at all.  Cliff was bowing his head politely to them, and Claire felt a rush of jealousy when she realized how pretty both of them were.  Ann stifled a giggle.

“I enjoyed the songs a lot, too.” Cliff gave a genuinely happy laugh.

“We had no idea that you could dance like that,” the woman with long, curly, blonde hair replied. Claire recognized her from one of the bar stalls.  “I would have assumed you’d be a shy dancer, considering your personality...”

The brunette beside her rolled her eyes and gave her friend a sharp jab in the ribs. “Muffy means that in the best possible way, Cliff.  I’m pretty impressed with your dancing skills myself…  So… do you have a partner for the next dance?” she asked shyly, playing with her bobbed hair.

Claire raised her eyebrows; both of these beautiful women seemed like they knew Cliff already…

“It’s very nice of you to ask, but I already do for the rest of the night… I-I’m sorry.”

“Oh, too bad…” Muffy giggled, not seeming let down at all.

The other girl politely bowed her head, not seeming too flustered. “Oh, okay.  Have a good night then, Cliff!  It was nice seeing you again!  We’re glad to see you’re doing well.”  They waved goodbye to him courteously and when they turned around the brunette girl immediately scowled at Muffy, who responded with a shrug and a chuckle.

“I can think of someone who definitely will be available…”

“I’d rather sit out than dance with _Rock_!” she huffed, heading back out into the crowd.

Claire tore her eyes away from them and her face fell at the realization that she wouldn’t be able to ask her friend for a dance. “You already have a partner?”

“Yeah.” He gave her a playful grin and took a small step closer to her.  “I-If you’ll have me, of course,” he stammered, suddenly embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his neck shyly.  Perhaps he had assumed too much…

She eagerly nodded, taking his hands in hers.

Ann spotted Harris curiously looking through the crowd and her cheeks burned. She didn’t want to show him that she wasn’t a very experienced dancer.  “Uh, I’ll catch you two later; I’m off for some corn!”  She hurried off to the food carts.

“Ann! You’re going to make yourself sick!” Cliff called after her.

Claire put her hand on his shoulder and his eyes moved back to her. “Oh, let her go,” she laughed as the music started.

“I’m going to be the one that has to listen to her moan the next morning,” he sighed, remembering her behavior the morning after her birthday party.

A grin spread across her face as they began to move to the song and she thought of her silly antics. “She lost her cotton candy when we were dancing…  We never did find it.”

“I’m not surprised.”

It was the same dance that Saibara had shown her just last month. Claire looked around her and realized that a lot of the other couples were naturally looking at Cliff for direction.  Saibara had taken a seat on a nearby bench and was watching them with a grin.

She suddenly felt like she was on display and began to let her self-consciousness take over. “Um… is it always like this at dancing festivals for you?” she leaned in and asked with a nervous chuckle.

“Like what?” He seemed oblivious to the stares they were getting.

“Everyone’s looking at us,” Claire stammered, missing a step.

Cliff looked around him and shrugged. Back at home he was typically up on a stage demonstrating for the crowd, and this was much less attention than he was used to getting.  He didn’t particularly miss the stage; being in the center of the circle had filled that need.  He pulled her in a little closer and gave her a warm smile.  “Relax and enjoy yourself.  That’s the whole point.”

The young woman thought of the midsummer’s dance. “… You’re right!”

Cliff noticed his friend had immediately stopped stumbling and grinned. She was a decent dancer when she wasn’t afraid what others thought of her.

She let out a carefree laugh, the paper lanterns and twinkling lights swirling into an energetic blur as she twirled, her yukata defying gravity. Cliff caught her in a tight embrace as she smiled into his shoulder, her heart so full of pure joy that she thought it would burst.

He placed his hands at her waist. “Ready?”  His eyes glittered at her playfully.

“Huh?”

She let out a delighted squeal as he lifted her a few inches off of the ground and spun her. She looked down at his face and saw the rowdy young boy with dancing blue eyes.  His expression reflected gratitude, happiness, and something else that made Claire’s heart hammer out of her chest; it was intoxicating and she wanted more.

This feeling – she had the word for it on the tip of her tongue for the past few days, since the evening of Kai’s birthday party. She wasn’t quite sure what to say, but words came out anyway.  “You didn’t tell me what you were gonna do!” she mildly scolded him as she held him close.

Claire felt him lean into her a bit, protectively putting his arms around her. “Did I scare you?  I’m sorry…”

“Not at all,” she giggled, “it was fun, just a little surprising!”

Fun didn’t even begin to describe it for her. Thrilling, enthralling, addicting…  She silently begged him not to let go and she was pleased when he kept her close.

The music stopped and the crowd cheered in delight. Cliff reluctantly let go of her and Claire found her heart sinking, the magical moment fading away as she was brought back to reality.  She heard pleased murmurs from the crowd.  Thomas had only played a few songs on the record player, and Claire wished he could have done more.  Her displeasure, however, was quickly remedied when the mayor announced that fireworks would be held on the beach in a few minutes.  The group quickly dispersed, getting ready for the next event.

“That was a lot of fun,” Claire laughed. “I’m looking forward to watching some fireworks.”  She bounced up and down a bit, full of excited energy.  This evening had far more entertaining than she was expecting so far, and it left her with high hopes for the grand finale.

Her friend nodded. He glanced at the beach before he looked at her with wide eyes and placed his hand on the crook of his neck, gently rubbing it as his face flooded with color.  “So, Claire… d’ya w-wanna…?”  He was startled when he felt a tug on his yukata.

“Big Bro!” A small whiny voice was muffled behind a kitsune mask.

Claire’s heart melted; May looked adorable in her red floral yukata. It was so nice to see everyone dressed up for the event.  She was quickly learning how seriously Mineral Town took their festivals and she was grateful to be a part of the community.

“Hi, May. What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Stu’s a big jerk!” May pushed her mask off to the side as she rubbed her eyes and gave Claire a hug around the waist – she wanted to be comforted by both of them.  She had been so wronged, and she wanted both of them to know it.

Claire noticed Stu was dancing around the square wearing an oni mask and waving around a stick of some sort. “Did he scare you?”

She looked up at her a little indignantly and shook her head. “No!  He won’t share!” she cried miserably.

Cliff looked over at the boy. “Stu, come over here!”

Stu hopped around and laughed. The young man gave him a firm look and beckoned him with his hand.  He immediately lifted his mask and walked over, sulking.  He carried himself with the air of one who was about to be scolded, his dark eyes round and shiny.

Claire was curious to see how Cliff handled the situation – she knew that he watched over the kids on occasion at the church when Carter was busy taking confessions. Stu made his way over to them and Claire noticed right away that he had a sticky blue ring around his mouth.  She cringed when she noticed it was garnished with bits of dirt.

“Stu is so mean! I hate him!” May huffed.  She was waiting for Cliff to reprimand him.

“And I hate you!” Stu returned, preparing to smack May on the head with his stick.

“Stop that,” Cliff sighed, snatching the paper roll from the boy’s hands. It had the same sticky blue substance that Stu wore on his face.  “Why did you buy cotton candy and not share any with May?  You know she would share with you…  Right, May?”

She nodded so emphatically Claire stifled a giggle; the kitsune mask on the side of her head looked like it was doing a drunken dance. “Of course!” The girl put her hands on her hips and glared at Stu.

“I didn’t buy it!” he protested, trying to sidestep the issue that he didn’t share.

The young man’s eyes hardened. “Did you steal it?” He kept his voice level.

The boy’s eyes widened. “No, Mr. Cliff!  I found it!”

“You _found_ it?” Cliff raised his eyebrows and folded his arms across his chest.  Claire could tell he didn’t believe him and he had a very disapproving look in his eyes.

Stu looked at May, silently asking her to back him up. She had no such plan; she was perfectly mimicking Cliff with a large frown on her face.  His eyebrows furrowed and his voice came out forcefully, as if speaking louder would make them believe him.  “Yeah!  When we were all doing the bon dance!  I found some sitting on the ground…”

Cliff’s frown disappeared as he and Claire stared at each other in horror – they had found Ann’s missing cotton candy. He looked back at the young boy and bopped him on the head with the paper roll, the hollow thumping noise ringing out throughout the square.  “Don’t eat food you find lying around on the ground, Stu!” he scolded.

May gave a triumphant laugh and Claire noted that her expression looked a little too satisfied.

Stu’s cheeks burned with embarrassment as he fussed with the mask in his other hand. He looked like he was about to burst into tears for a moment before he furrowed his brows and clenched his fists.  “I was f-fur-raging!  I was trying to be like you!” he retorted, raising his voice once more.

Claire bit back a giggle; she could tell the boy was trying to flatter Cliff. It was obvious he idolized his older friend quite a bit, but his methods certainly weren’t going to earn any praise.

Cliff struggled to maintain a straight face and Claire could see a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “ _Foraging_?  There’s a difference and you know it.  I don’t dig through garbage cans.”

“It was on the _ground_!” Stu corrected him, as if this fact made all the difference.

Cliff sighed. “Still…  Don’t just eat things you find sitting out, you can get sick…  You, too, May, even if it looks tasty.”  He resisted rolling his eyes.  Judging from the dirt around Stu’s face, it probably didn’t look tasty at all.  “Where is Elli?”

“Y-you won’t tell her, will you?” Stu’s brown eyes widened and quickly became shiny. He fidgeted with the strap of his oni mask, twisting the cheap elastic around his fingers.

Cliff wasn’t in the mood for ruining the lighthearted fun of the festival. He brandished the paper tube like a royal scepter, the tip of it just inches away from Stu’s chest.  “Go wash your face and play nice and I won’t say anything.”

“But-!” May hopped up and down impatiently, her frown growing.  She had wanted to see more punishment doled out than a bop with a paper stick.

“Trust me, May, you didn’t want to eat that. I’ll make y’all some snacks next time I come over to the church, okay?”

That was all it took for the problem to blow over. They nodded excitedly.  “Alright!”  The young girl beamed and the two friends skipped away, chattering.  Stu was able to run much more quickly in his jinbei – a much simpler top with matching shorts.  May had to hold up the hem of her yukata and whined for him to slow down.

“Don’t forget to wash your face!” Cliff hollered after Stu.

Claire’s giggle caught his attention and he turned toward her, his face flushing with embarrassment.

“They really like you, huh?”

His face turned from pink to red, although it was difficult to see with the setting sun. “I don’t know how Elli does it…”  He shrugged.  “I try my best with them…  I think it will be a while before I’m ready to be a parent,” he confessed, but she could see the kindness in his eyes as he watched the children leave.  A shy smile was spreading across his face once more.  “A-anyway, I was going to ask you something…”

“Maybe it had something to do with the beach?” She cocked her head in that direction, her face feeling warm.

He gently wrapped his arm around hers, his eyes twinkling. “Well, I heard Rick mention something about all of us watching the fireworks on the pier.  Would you mind sitting beside me?” he requested hopefully.

She probably would’ve found a way by his side either way, but the fact that he had asked her gave her that lovely feeling again, and she allowed it to wash over her. Her heart filled to the brim as she realized how cared for she was, and she realized with a grin that she wasn’t the only one who should be feeling that way.  She gave his arm a hug.  “I suppose it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Phew! This chapter was a long way coming. “Fur-aging” has been an inside joke between my husband and I for over a year now due to this chapter. I also got a chance to stick Saibara in there. In MFoMT when he talks about his departed wife, it really made me interested in his character and I think it added a lot to him. I felt that I needed to add that bit of him here in the story as well.
> 
> I thank you all for following and reading along with me this far, and I hope you all are enjoying the subtle shift of the tone of the story. I apologize if the shift was a little too subtle, but I really wanted this Fireworks Festival to be a turning point in the story. Things are changing, indeed! I would love to hear what you think!
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope y’all are enjoying! :)


	71. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They began to burst not only in the sky, but also in her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This is a whopper of a chapter and a TON of stuff happens in it, so let’s get right to it, eh? :)

As they walked along with the crowd to the beach, Claire tightened her hold on Cliff’s arm.

“There are so many people here. This is very different from the Cow Festival,” she commented, observing the sea of faces.  She was reminded of her commutes to work in the city, but this had a much more relaxed feel to it.  After dancing the bon with this group of festival goers, she felt much more comfortable around them.  She was one of them, after all.  It no longer felt like a group of strangers, but rather a collection of people who had shared in a special moment together.  The glass of wine she drank after her crepe with Mary probably didn’t hurt the situation.  A light tap on her shoulder caught her attention.

“Thanks for the recommendation. Me an’ Kasey have been inhaling these takoyaki.”  Toby gave her a happy nod and his partner held up a paper sack full of the snacks with a grin.

Kasey put a hand on Toby’s shoulder as he continued his animated conversation with the person on his other side. Claire blinked in surprise when she saw it was Gray.  The young man’s face was lit up as he laughed along with Kasey, and a shy but happy Mary was listening in on the conversation.

“Ah, and he bumped into a childhood friend. Pretty cool, huh?”  Toby cocked his head toward them.  “I guess they grew up in the city together.  Small world.  You never know who you’re going to run into, I suppose.”

Cliff gave him a nod and was distracted from a playful bump of the shoulder by Ann. He nervously looked at Claire and bit back a frown.  He had wanted the blonde to himself, but he wasn’t about to exclude one of his good friends.  After all, they were going to sit with Karen and Rick – how intimate was the setting really going to be?  He felt his cheeks blaze as his eyes flicked back to Claire for a brief moment.  What was he honestly thinking was going to happen?  “Ah, Ann….  Want to sit with us on the pier?”

She shook her head as she waved to Doug, who was setting out a picnic blanket as Harris straightened the edges, juggling an armload of snacks. “Sorry, guys, I was going to sit with my dad.  Mom loved fireworks, even more than the famous angler fish stew Dad used to make her.  Dad said that the three of us used to watch them together.  It’s kind of a tradition…”

“I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that Harris brought a bunch of food,” he teased with a smirk.

Her face flushed deeply and she gave him a warning look. “Well… he’s actually been telling me stories about my mom.  He’s stopped by the inn the past couple of afternoons and him and Dad talk about the good old days… Y’know, before I was born.”  She let out a good-natured laugh.  “But, seriously… it makes me really happy to learn more about her.  Dad tells stories sometimes, but it’s pretty cool to hear things from someone else, too.  Someone who actually calls her ‘Felicity’ instead of just ‘your mother’.”

Claire smiled. She didn’t get the chance to see her parents as regular people very often, so she understood.  “I hope y’all have a lot of fun tonight,” she replied.  “I’m sure Felicity is happy that you and your father are still enjoying the fireworks together.”

 _Y’all…_ Ann bit back a giggle at Claire’s choice of words, but she stopped herself when her heart was filled with a soft warmth.  She had been in the mood for humor and was caught off guard.  However, she found that she didn’t mind too much; the young woman was truly a very sweet friend.  “Thanks, Claire.  That really means a lot to me.  Enjoy the fireworks!”  She gave the pair a kind smile as they returned the sentiment and she and headed toward her companions for the remainder of the evening.

Claire and Cliff’s silence didn’t last for long; Karen was whooping and waving her arms wildly at them from the pier. They smiled at each other and began to head over to them.

The beach was packed. Among many strangers she had never seen before, she spotted several familiar faces.  Walking across the sand, Claire observed Gray and Mary laughing and grinning about something as he offered her his hand to help her across the lumpy sand.  Jeff was sulking a bit as Anna captured Sasha’s attention, the two of them gossiping away.  Kasey and Toby were seated together on a beach blanket, chuckling at the children playing as their hands discreetly brushed past one another’s.  Kai stretched melodramatically as he placed an arm around Popuri, who was looking at him with hooded eyes.  Manna and Duke were seated on a large towel, toasting a couple of wine coolers they brought from the square, cuddling together as they chattered.  Elli was scolding her younger brother for kicking sand onto their blanket as she bent over to dust off the fabric.  Standing up, she bumped into Trent and turned a bright shade of pink as the doctor looked at her curiously.

There were certainly a lot of couples out tonight, Claire realized as they continued along. She curled her arm tighter around Cliff’s and giggled as Karen pantomimed reeling the two of them in like a couple of fish.

“Grab the net, Rick! I gotta couple o’ whoppers!”

Cliff’s eyes lit up as he mischievously looked at his friend beside him. “We gotta swim away, Claire!  I don’t want to become tempura!  Just keep swimming!”  He pretended to struggle as they continued along and Claire couldn’t help but be amused at his antics.  It was possible that his sake earlier had loosened him up a bit, but she wasn’t about to complain about the playful and carefree way he carried himself tonight.

Her eyes flashed at him as a wicked smirk crossed her lips. “I hate to do this to you Cliff, but I’m a spy for the humans.”  She took his hand in hers and melodramatically pulled him on with a laugh as the children played on the beach around them.  A young girl with a fiery red topknot was chasing Paolo and May at the edges of the water.  They darted in front of the pair and nearly tripped them, screaming and hollering at their excitement for the fireworks to come.

At the touch of Claire’s hand, the young man felt his heart pound in his chest, and he stopped pretending to resist, his face burning as he attempted to acquaint himself with the marvelous feeling of their closeness. He wasn’t about to complain about the increased linkage of their arms as of late, but there was something incredibly intimate about feeling her fingers wrap themselves around his hand, even if it was all in good fun.

“I knew Claire was bad news!” Stu jogged after them, taking Cliff’s side as he often did when they played their imaginary games together in the church courtyard. He balled up his small fists and his dark eyes shone with determination.  “Resist the sultry siren, Mr. Cliff!”

The two nearly collapsed into giggles into the sand, stumbling on their geta. Claire wiped a couple of tears of mirth from her eyes as her stomach ached.

“Where on Earth did you hear those words?” Cliff asked, failing to stifle a laugh.

“Grandma and Elli watch these really boring shows sometimes in the afternoons when I don’t have school with Carter. It’s weird, because they have nothing to do with soap.”

Cliff and Claire’s eyes met as they both struggled to keep straight faces. He turned to say something to Stu, but he had already headed back to play with the other children.

The young woman gave his hand a friendly squeeze. “Well, I guess we shouldn’t keep Karen and Rick waiting any longer.”  He was pleased when she didn’t let go.

“About time you two got here! This is the best spot!” Karen looked at the water and put her hands on her hips.  “All ours!”

Claire looked out at the ocean. The sun was sinking down beyond the horizon and the remaining beams of light danced along the surface of the water.  Painted with pinks, purples, and deep blues, it was soothingly surreal.  Mesmerized by the beautiful sight, her heart skipped a beat when she sat down on the pier, tucking her feet beneath her.  The happy echoes of voices, the gorgeous sunset and the way its colors reflected exquisitely on top of the water, the slight warmth given off by her friends’ bodies as they sat beside her – Cliff on her left and Karen on her right… she felt a rush of joy and gratitude for simply being alive.  It was all _too_ pretty, everyone was _too_ joyful; a lump formed in her throat as she observed the scene.

 _This is how it feels when I allow myself to be happy_ , she reminded herself.  She was certain that she hadn’t deserved such a lovely night, but she was grateful to the gods for permitting her to have it anyway.  Claire’s wide eyes focused on the new stars of the evening as she sent along a giddy prayer of gratitude.

Her eyes flicked to the young man on her left. He was dreamily gazing up at the sunset.  His dancing earlier had loosened a few loose strands of chocolate hair from the confines of his ponytail; the soft wisps played with the ocean breeze.  His eyes were wide and there was a joyous light behind them.  Her gaze trailed down to his lips.  They were set in a small smile and slightly parted.  She was certain he wasn’t aware of it, but he looked absolutely beautiful in his delight.

“Well, you certainly look happy.” Karen affectionately bumped her shoulder against Claire’s.  “Is this kicking the pants off of your festivals in the city?”

She grinned and nodded so vigorously that she nearly gave herself whiplash. Claire giggled at her own silliness.  “This is the best!” she cried out, unable to contain herself.  It was true – nostalgia, loving friends, good food, fun music…  She was enjoying herself even more than she did at the Cow Festival, the Midsummer Dance, and even the birthday parties she attended recently.

Karen draped her arm across her shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug. “Ugh, you’re too cute sometimes.  What am I going to do with you?”

Claire was about to disagree with her, but she bit her tongue, her face feeling very warm when she noticed her friend’s words had caught Cliff’s attention. He was giving them a fond smile, the corners of his lips turning up in that contagious way of his.  Rick was softly chuckling, but the kind look in his eyes wasn’t unnoticed.

Claire noticed that Saibara and Thomas were standing by the crates of fireworks, arguing over something they couldn’t hear from their distance. She was a little grateful that she was unable to listen, as Saibara was gesturing wildly with his hands and Thomas had his arms folded across his chest, his face pulled into a deep frown.

“Don’t worry; they fight over something every year.” Rick noticed the look on her face. “The show will start pretty soon.  Saibara puts on a good show.  I really think he looks forward to this festival the most,” Rick chuckled.

“Well, you saw how the old man can dance,” Karen grinned.

He shook his head with a laugh. “He didn’t get that enthusiastic last year,” he returned.  In truth, Saibara had been spending the last few Fireworks Festivals looking glummer than his usual self during the dancing portion.  “Looks like he needed a companion.  I haven’t seen him that happy in years.”

Cliff rubbed the back of his neck and looked away guiltily. While he was happy for Saibara and had a wonderful time with him, he wondered if he had hurt Gray’s feelings.  He looked down at his left forearm; the bruises on it had long since faded, but he wondered if the right kind of healing had happened between the two of them.  They had come a long way and he didn’t want to undo the progress they had made.

“Hey, it’s okay to feel good about that.” Claire’s voice was soft as she brushed her knuckles against his bare arm.  She noticed his eyes trailing back toward Gray and Mary on the beach.  The young man was happily chatting with his girlfriend and Claire felt a strange sense of relief when he shyly put an arm around her shoulders, Mary giggling and adjusting her glasses at his touch.  It seemed Gray hadn’t been thinking of his grandfather at all, but Claire found herself startled at her lack of discomfort.  “Huh…”  She was nearly inaudible.

“Ah, there they go.” Rick’s comment caught her attention as the friends looked out at the two older men.  They both nodded in unison at each other and the old blacksmith set to lighting the fireworks, shooing Thomas away with his hand and a gruff laugh.  It seemed no one was able to hang onto anger in such a festive environment.

Claire jumped a bit when the first explosion went off. A large, golden bloom of color filled the sky and slowly trailed down as the glittery tendrils disappeared into the night.  Goose bumps peppered her arms at the beautiful sight and the sound of cheers came from the beach.  Karen was especially enthusiastic in her cheering and she giggled at the startled state Claire was in.

It wasn’t long until the world around her ceased to exist. Claire sat, transfixed on the colorful flashes of light.  One after another they popped and rained sparkles, her eyes eagerly drinking it all in.  They were so much more exciting to watch up close, and it was like watching the dark sky being filled with magic.

Karen turned to another form of entertainment a few minutes later as she noticed the fond look Rick was giving her. She gave her boyfriend a kiss and looked over and Claire and Cliff.  They were both gawking up at the sky and their eyes were widened in childlike wonder.  They looked so pure and innocent that she felt a little uncomfortable making out with her boyfriend in such close proximity to them.

“Let’s get out of here, eh?” she whispered to him. She gestured to the far end of the pier with her head.

“O-okay…” The young man tried not to look too excited as he nodded.

The couple stood up and crept to a more private area, but their footwear prevented them from being too stealthy. Cliff turned around and silently looked up at them, but Claire was unaware of her surroundings; she was focused on the fireworks.  The blonde let out an awed gasp as her pupils dilated at the colorful showers of sparks.  She leaned forward a bit, balling her hands up in excitement.

“Good luck,” Karen whispered, winking as they walked away.

Cliff rolled his eyes at her, but could feel his face getting hot. He turned his focus back up on the display.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Claire asked him. She hadn’t had a fireworks experience like this since she was very young and the memories were blurry.

“Yeah. I like how you can feel the loud boom echo throughout your body,” he said quietly.  “It reminds me how small we are in the grand scheme of things.”

A particularly large red flower burst into the sky and she felt the vibrations from the explosion ripple through her core. He did have a point, and the thought of them being such a small group of tiny people in an enormous world made her feel a warmth in her heart toward this group of festival goers.  “That’s a pretty deep observation,” Claire admitted.  “I’ve never really thought of it that way.”

She waited for some sort of quip from Karen, but it never came. Claire looked beside her and saw that her friends had left her.  She shook her head when she noticed Karen and Rick had moved to the end of the pier for more privacy.  And that was just fine with her; she had come to watch fireworks anyway.  She couldn’t help but feel a touch of wistfulness, however.  There was something incredibly romantic about fireworks.  Being able to enjoy something so beautiful around someone you love…  She really couldn’t blame Karen for wanting to take some time alone with Rick.

“I really like the large ones that burst into smaller ones,” Claire continued.

Cliff was busy staring up at the sky with a dreamy smile of his own. “Yeah.  I like the really big ones that stream down.”

“I guess I like them all,” she giggled. “These fireworks kind of remind me of the ones in the carnival that took place every year in the city…”  A soft light caught her eye and Claire noticed that there were fireflies near the water now that the sun had gone down.  She had been working so hard that she had been blind to the beauty of a night sky filled with fireflies.  One in particular kept flying near her.  She held out her finger and the firefly perched on it for a moment.  She took in a moment to admire the creature’s scarlet painted head and slim black body as it stared back at her.  “Hello there.”  The young woman gave the insect a gentle smile as it took off again, glowing into the night.  She made a silent vow to herself to take the time to enjoy the fireflies rising up from her corn fields in the near future instead of shooing them away in her impatience.

Cliff looked at his friend with wide eyes, distracted from the dazzling fireworks in the sky. He was charmed by her tenderness, and she had never looked so beautiful.  “Oh, yeah?  What was the carnival like?”  He scooted closer to her.

“Oh, there were rides and games and fireworks at night. A traveling entertainment group would set it up each year.  I stopped going on the rides once I got a bit older, but I still watched the fireworks every year, right up until last year.”

He couldn’t help but wonder if she had been sitting by another man’s side the summer before, and he hated that the thought had crossed his mind. “Did you go with your friends?”  He managed to give her a playful smile.

“I… didn’t.” Claire looked down at the water and watched the reflections of the fireworks. While she sensed that she was supposed to feel sad, Cliff’s presence at her side kept her heart warm.  “I didn’t really make plans with friends for _anything_ ,” she admitted, fumbling with her sleeves.  “I was so focused on my job that I didn’t make any time for them…  Any friends I made would inevitably drift away.  I never really made the first move with them, and they would get frustrated when they wanted to make plans but I had to work…  I would go to the roof of my apartment complex and watch the fireworks alone.  Pretty pathetic, huh?  Sometimes I even brought my paperwork from the office up with me to work on while I watched.”  She gave a weak laugh, a little disturbed at how detached she felt from it all now that she had friends here in Mineral Town.  It felt like another life, another time – sitting on the roof with her trusty pen and pad, unable to focus on her work or the display off in the distance.  She had been left with an unsatisfied feeling, half wishing she had stayed in to work, but her heart crying out at only spending a few seconds of undivided attention at the sky at a time.  She would often spend a few days after the event dwelling on it.

“So that’s why you wanted to work on a farm. You’d have the freedom to make your own work hours and you could make friendships that you could actually keep.”

She nodded; a lump had formed in her throat as she felt sorry for her former self. She looked up from the water and noticed that her friend wasn’t staring at the sky anymore.  She let out a weak chuckle in her embarrassment.  “I’m sorry.  Sometimes you just end up wondering how things could have gone differently, you know?  Could I have been happy in the city if I hadn’t focused so much on my job?”

He gave her a warm smile and shook his head. “Carter always tells me that there’s no point dwelling on what could have been when we can be living in the present and planning for the future.”  He gulped before sliding a trembling arm around her waist, hoping she would be fine with this gesture.  “Think of what a blast we’re having tonight.”

A small snort was given in response as she looked back up at the sky. “Did you say that because of the fireworks? _Blast_?”

He gave a delighted laugh. “I wasn’t even thinking of that, but I’ll take it.  I suppose you could say I have a natural _flare_ for those kinds of jokes.”

She leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder, pretending to let out a huffy sigh. “Ugh, there he _glows_ again!”

“No need to _explode_ at me.”  His knuckles stroked the soft cotton of her yukata and he was pleased as she leaned in a bit closer.

She let out a happy sigh at his touch and the vibration of his voice. There was something so comforting and thrilling about this kind of closeness.  “Well, I _am_ having a blast.  Thank you for being so kind to me all evening.”  Her eyes focused on a young couple kissing under an umbrella – it looked as if though Mary had cashed in on the fortune Gray was so upset over.  They looked a lot less stilted than she was expecting, although there was definitely an element of shyness at showing such affection in public.  It dawned on her that this was likely not their first kiss together.  Just like her memories associated with her old life and job, seeing the two of them together made her feel a little detached from reality.  She waited for the dagger to inevitably pierce her heart.

“Claire…” Cliff’s eyes had followed hers and he held her tightly to comfort her.  “I’m kind to you because I want to be.  It doesn’t need thanks.”

The stab never really came. A bit nonplussed, she looked back up at the sky and allowed herself to focus on the cheery reds and greens popping and glowing on the now black backdrop.  “Did you have fireworks at home?”

“Fireworks, music, and dancing,” he answered, smiling. “I told you, it wasn’t Akiyama without a big festival.”

She let out a happy gasp at a particularly large firework in the shape of a golden ring. “And did you watch fireworks with your friends?”

“Mostly with Ivy and my parents. We kept up the tradition after Papa passed, and we used to always tell fun stories about him, so it was like he was still there in a way.”

She snuck a peek at him and was pleased to see that there was a nostalgic smile on his face. “What was Ivy like?”  She felt like it was time to ask a more direct question about her and the question slipped out before she could stop herself.

He was silent as he thought for a moment, and the two were distracted a bit from the colorful display. “She was a lot like Ann,” Cliff laughed, but she could see a bit of sadness in his eyes.

She leaned in a little closer, afraid that she was pushing him a little too far. She decided to keep the tone lighthearted.  “She teased you a lot.”  She stated this as a fact rather than a question.

She felt him give a small jump at her closeness, but he eagerly moved in closer despite the trembling she could feel from the arm around her waist. “Y-Yes.  She was very outgoing and would play with me and the other boys.  She could beat most of us up if she wanted to,” he chuckled at the memory.  Climbing trees, racing, swimming, gathering honey – she was tougher than him even though he was the older sibling.

“Could she beat _you_ up?”

He pouted, but his eyes didn’t move from the fireworks. “She played by her own rules and could get rowdy.  I tried to remain the pacifist to keep her in line, but it didn’t always work…  We were pretty even,” Cliff finally admitted with a grin, “but she played dirty, so she would win more often.”

“Sure, _that’s_ why she won,” Claire teased, nuzzling his shoulder.  “I take it she’s your only sibling?”

“Yeah. What about you?”

“I have two brothers and two sisters, with me right in the middle.” Claire admired the colored lights in the sky, jumping a bit at a particularly loud one.  “It was a crowded house.”

“You shared a room with your two younger brothers as a teenager,” he added.

She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him curiously. “Yeah, Byron and Lucas…  How did you know that?”

“I overheard you telling Gray once when you came to visit.” He had been in the hallway headed toward the room when he had heard her nervously stuttering to his roommate in an attempt to make small talk.  His cheeks felt warm; he hoped that he hadn’t come across as creepy to her.

“I wish I had spent more of that time talking to you.” The words slipped out.  Their eyes met for a brief moment and in seeing that his were widened in surprise, she quickly averted her gaze and masked her discomfort with a light chuckle.  “I-I mean… you’re a lot easier to talk to…”  She shook her head in embarrassment.  Surely it sounded like she was ranting to him about Gray – a classic case of sour grapes.  “I-I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean to offend-”

“How is that offensive?” Cliff had an eyebrow cocked in confusion and he was grateful that the lack of sunlight was able to hide his giddy blush.  “I like talking to you, too.”

A ripple of pops and sparkles littered the sky as the finale started. The two friends fell silent and watched in awe, the beauty before them overwhelming.  Golds, greens, blues, and reds burst into streaks, puff balls, streamers, and crackling glitter, lighting up the night.

“That was _amazing_ …”  Claire’s voice was low as she blocked out the whoops and cheers from the beach.

“Yeah…”

She didn’t realize she had rested her head back on his shoulder until she felt the vibrations of his voice. Part of her was scolding her to stop hanging all over him, but the drunken warm feelings that washed over her overrode the nagging.

“You didn’t tell me about your sisters,” he reminded her.

“Oh, Simone and Colette are much older than me. They’re on their own and married with children.  My brothers are still living with my parents.  There was a wide age gap between all of us.  I was fifteen when my youngest brother was born.  We all get along relatively well, but we aren’t exactly close.  I mean, my sisters moved out when I was still pretty young.  My parents were so busy caring for my younger brothers that I felt alone most of the time unless I was babysitting.  I didn’t really mind it, though.  I moved out when I turned nineteen lived in my little apartment, working only for myself.  It was nice not to have to share anything with anyone,” she chuckled.

“Huh, I can’t imagine not being close with your family. We all shared the same sleeping furs.”

Claire imagined a young Cliff curled up with his mother and sister and her heart melted. She could easily picture the young man sleeping on a heap of soft furs and her face began to feel warm; the thought was very inviting...

“Of course, Ivy kicked in her sleep,” he laughed.

She snickered and hugged his arm. “Hey, check it out!  That smoke trail looks like a jellyfish,” Claire breathed, pointing out over the water.

The night sky was filled with remnants of smoke from the fireworks, but he could easily identify the one she was talking about. He immediately remembered their time cloud watching and he felt his heart in his throat.  He gulped and stole a glance at her, leaning a little closer.  “Uh, which one?”

She gave him a grin and pressed her face against his, gently cupping his other cheek with her quivering hand as she guided their view. “Y-you sure are bad at finding shapes in clouds, huh?”  She smiled and her giggle came out much louder than she intended.

He shot her a mock pout. “You only think that because you don’t know a tanuki when you see one.”

She grinned. “This again?  How on Earth are you finding a tanuki up there?”

He gave her waist a squeeze. “Only kidding.  I see Mr. Jellyfish right over there.”

“It’s _Miss_ Jellyfish to you!” she huffed.  She pressed a finger to her lips.  “Do jellyfish even have different sexes?”

Cliff shrugged. “I dunno.”

“Maybe I’ll look it up at the library.” She was going to see Mary tomorrow, after all.  She removed her hand from Cliff’s cheek and the two shyly averted their gazes from one another.

“Y-you know what I’d like to learn?” After getting a curious hum in response, he shot her a grin.  “More about you.”

She wasn’t one to normally bring herself up in the topic of conversation and she wasn’t quite sure what to say. “More about me?  Well, my middle name is Odette, I guess.”

“You’re not sure of your middle name?” Cliff coyly brushed his shoulder against hers. He earned a giggle in return.  “Claire Odette…”  He tried the name in his mouth and it rolled off of the tongue easily.  It had an easy flow to it like a clear stream, like a sky full of lazy clouds, like the way he felt in her presence – comfortable, soothing, yet at the same time, absolutely exquisite and decadent.  “Beautiful,” he murmured quietly.

She let out a slightly bitter giggle that startled her a bit. “I don’t know about all of that.  My initials spell _cod_.”  She was immediately reminded of the fillet cooked in a white wine sauce that was a regular dinner menu item in the Dumont household.

He looked at her with a stoic expression. “Well, cod is delicious, especially when it’s baked with butter and lemon.”

They both burst into laughter and he got a playful poke in the ribs.

“Hey, if it makes you feel any better, my full name is Cliffgard Rigby Yamamoto.” He gave her an awkward grin. _What an awful hodge-podge…_ He nervously awaited judgment.

She curiously tilted her head as she looked up at him. “So Cliff is a nickname?”

He gave her a nod. “I prefer people to think that’s my full name.  Ma wanted me to sound ‘proper’.”  He rolled his eyes as he used air quotes to illustrate his displeasure.  “Most people back in Akiyama have a tradition of naming their children after things in nature, like my sister, Ivy.  Or Papa – his name was Flint.  My parents agreed to call me Cliff to keep with the theme, and my middle name is my mother’s maiden name…  It’s a jumbled up mess, huh?”  The darkness in the sky concealed the embarrassment glowing in his cheeks.

His name was a bit unusual, but she shook her head; it wasn’t anything he needed to feel ashamed of. “What about your mother?  Does she have a nature-y name?”

He shook his head. “She wasn’t from there.  Her name was Katrina.”

Claire noted the past tense and didn’t pry. He didn’t look upset about it, so she figured a bit of light teasing wouldn’t hurt.  “I can hear her calling you Cliffgard when you got in trouble.  Cliff-GARD~!” she squawked with a giggle.  “Mind your manners, Cliffgard!”

He laughed. “Cliffgard, eat all of your dandelion greens!”

“Cliffgard, don’t wipe your nose on your sleeve!”

“Cliffgard, put that silly bird back in the mews. The only things I want to hear are you singing and that sanshin…”  His smile faded a bit as he let out a sigh.  “I… guess it wasn’t the worst thing in the world.”

She looked up at him curiously. “You used to sneak out to play with Cain?”  She wondered for a moment how long the lifespan of a falcon was.

Rubbing the back of his neck, his gaze moved to the water. “Yeah, and a red-tailed hawk named Aspen before him.  I… wasn’t the best son.”

Claire tried to recall a time where she disobeyed her parents as a young child, but her mind drew a blank. She had always been so eager to please them and mistakes that she had made were honest ones.  “Well, at least you tried to live your own life.  One of my older sisters got caught lying about going to a friend’s house so she could stay over with a boy instead.  She got in so much trouble that I was afraid to do anything even a little bit rebellious.”

“That’s not a bad thing. I wish I had been a more obedient son…”

She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned into him a bit in lieu of a hug. “No child is perfect, Cliff.”  Her mind turned toward the story she had told them at Ann’s birthday party.  “I mean, my parents aren’t exactly happy with me right now, and I’m a grown adult.  Remember that story I told you and Ann about that embarrassing job interview?  Y-you know… w-with the lucky underwear?”  She immediately regretted giving him that final clue so willingly and kept her eyes glued on the night sky.  “I was offered that position a few times.  That guy had called me trying to ‘sweeten the deal’, so to speak.  He offered me a higher paycheck, more vacation time…”  She bit her lip as she felt his gaze on her.  “I…  I lost patience with him and hung up on him.  That wasn’t the bad part though.  My parents kept asking about it.  When I told them that I had refused, they got upset with me.”

“Well, did they know about the way he had harassed you and the way he treated you during the interview?”

She nodded. “Mum and Dad both thought that I should have talked to their human resources department about him and still taken the job.  They didn’t think that it was big enough of a reason to turn down a good offer like that.  They way they saw it, I could have gotten him reported and I might not even have to deal with him.  I mean, I guess they’re right, but…”  Claire slumped her shoulders, the worries about her parents coming back to the surface.  “They haven’t returned my letters since I moved here.  Well, I mean, they never wrote back regularly because they’re so busy all the time, but I figured at least a housewarming letter or card of some sort would have arrived.  I’ve mailed them several things and they’ve never bounced back to me so I know they have my address…”  Her happiness began to deflate as she worried.  “Maybe it was a bad idea to move here…”

A pair of strong arms embraced her tightly as she buried her face in Cliff’s yukata, gasping in surprise. His grip was pleading and she could feel him lightly trembling.  “Pl-please don’t say that, Claire…  It hurts when you do.”

She was startled at his candidness, but she immediately felt a wave of guilt. They were having such a good evening and she was ruining it…

“It wasn’t a bad idea… to move here, I mean. I-if we never met…”  Shaking his head, Cliff’s voice trailed off as he gently cradled the base of her skull with his hand.  She paused to look up at him and her heart pounded in her throat at both the gesture and the look on his face.  He seemed almost on the verge of tears for a brief moment, his increased blinking becoming eminent.  Claire placed a warm hand over his heart.  No, the night couldn’t be ruined; she was spending it with him, after all, she realized with a blush.  The worry faded from her face and she saw her friend slowly mirroring her as his eyebrows unfurrowed.

“You’re right. My life would be pretty lousy without you in it.”  She smiled shyly at him.  “You make things a lot better, you know.”

He had long since believed that no one would ever say that about him. Cliff opened his mouth to deny it, but he stopped himself.  A smile curled at the ends of his mouth.  “That’s funny; I was about to say the same thing about you.”

She rested her head on a comfortable place on his shoulder and kept her hand on his chest. “You’re too sweet,” she gushed.

 _You’re flirting again,_ a tiny voice inside of her chided. _You’ve been flirting all night…_

He let out a soft chuckle. “I can be sour if you want,” he teased.

“I want you just the way you are,” she replied with a dreamy grin, brushing her fingers against the soft fabric of his yukata.

 _You_ want _him? Slow down, Claire!  Stop throwing yourself at your friend, you crazy girl!  Way to creep him out!_ Still, she found herself relishing in the intoxicating feeling as he held her close.

She could feel him gulping as he struggled to find a reply. “A-and you wouldn’t be you i-if you weren’t you,” Cliff stammered, his mouth dry.  He inwardly cursed himself for sounding so stupid.

A soft, but good-natured laugh escaped her lips. “That’s kind of the way it works.”  She beamed at him.

“W-well, I’m glad it is.” He hoped he didn’t sound as ridiculous as he felt. _Why do I have to get so stupidly excited whenever she says anything nice to me?_

His posture straightened as he heard the padding of light footsteps on the pier. Karen shot him an apologetic smile, waving at him lamely with the pair of geta in her hand.  Rick had removed his footwear as well, and it couldn’t be more obvious they had been trying to sneak past in order to give them some privacy.  Claire noticed the change in Cliff’s position and looked up curiously, the soft lights on the pier illuminating her rosy face.

“What are you crazy kids still doing up? It’s well past your bedtime,” Karen teased with a smirk.

“Like you’re one to talk,” Claire shot back playfully. She couldn’t help but feel a bit defensive despite her friend’s harmless ribbing.  She noticed the curious way her green eyes darted from her to Cliff and she wasn’t sure what to say.  Vaguely wondering if she should be embarrassed or explain herself, Claire’s gaze moved to the wooden planks of the pier.  It wasn’t as if they had been doing anything wrong.

_You’re making a fool of yourself. You’re ashamed because you got caught awkwardly flirting.  See, even Karen is embarrassed for you._

_Is that really the worst, though?_

“I guess we lost track of time,” Cliff chuckled innocently, stretching. At this, he removed his hold on Claire and she fought back her disappointment, casually stretching her arms as well.

“We’re taking tomorrow off, anyway,” Claire added, as if she needed to explain herself.

Karen’s eyebrows shot up as an indecently pleased grin spread across her face. She had seen this coming for a while, and she was struggling to contain her excitement.  Claire was so cute when she was flustered.

“The four of us should hang out sometime.” Rick’s voice startled her.  “It doesn’t have to be tomorrow or anything, but let us know when you’re available, okay?”

Perhaps she had underestimated her boyfriend’s tact; Karen gazed at Rick with a newfound respect. As the two waved goodbye to their friends, they looked around them.  The beach was deserted and a few dim lights lined the pier.  The lights were still on in Rose Square as the vendors were taking down their displays.  By tomorrow afternoon, it would look like there hadn’t been a festival the day before at all.  Claire frowned; she rather liked the lanterns.

“I… guess it’s time to go,” Claire realized a little sadly.

Cliff leapt to his feet and offered her a hand. “Let me walk you home.”

She gave him a knowing smile. How many times had they walked that cobblestone road back to Mystic Acres?  She gratefully took his arm as they walked across the beach.  “Okay, thank you.”  She noticed she never had to ask him.  “I love it here,” Claire said aloud suddenly.

“I do, too… I thought about leaving town shortly after I moved here.”  Cliff was looking out at the water as they walked.  Things that he had meant to keep quiet on kept slipping out this evening – he had learned from Claire’s gentle support that letting his barriers down a little bit wasn’t scary.  “But then I met Carter.  He was very… _insistent_ that I stopped in this town for a reason, but I didn’t believe him at first.  Then I started to make some friends, and it feels like everything’s changed…”

The thought of him wanting to leave in the past made her a little sad and she held onto him a little tighter. “I know what you mean,” Claire replied as they made their way to the soft sand.  The day Karen had dragged Claire around town seemed to be a turning point in her life; she had been much happier.  She had even experienced some days of her own when she wished she could go back to the city.  The frequency of this had all but disappeared by now.

“It’s more than just trying my best now; I will do anything to stay here,” Cliff stared at her and his eyes were intense. “I’ll give… _anything_ to be a permanent part of this community.”

The young woman always felt uncomfortable when he implied that his residence may only be temporary, but she caught the determined look on his face. “And I’d give anything for you to stay, Cliff,” she admitted, and her heart began to pound; his enthusiasm was contagious.

It was late at night, but he felt inspired. He wanted to get his bow ready right away and he made a mental note to sharpen his hunting tools the next day.  “I’ve never been so excited for hunting season.”  His blue eyes were glittering as they took the steps to the emptying square.

“You’ll do great!” Claire cheered him on. “You’re gonna get rich!”  Hopping noisily in her excitement, she gave him a small giggle.

“I’ve never had a better reason to do well.” He quickly looked away from her as they made their way to the main part of town.

“Tonight was fun, huh?” Claire listened to their geta clatter on the cobblestones and smiled; they had matched their steps. She had fastened her small pouch to her hip and it began to move a bit with her bouncy gait.

“Best night in Mineral Town so far,” Cliff laughed. “Every town has their own festival vibe.  I like it here; it’s very homey.”

“Did it get rowdy enough for you?” Claire teased, giving his arm a squeeze.

“Such a popular word tonight,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Live music would have been nice, but the company was great!”

 _Surely he’s not referring to me…_ She almost tripped over her own feet and laughed a little too loudly in her embarrassment.  “I’m glad you got to spend some time with Saibara,” Claire said softly.

“Oh, yeah; he’s lots of fun.” He beamed, his facial expressions obviously reflecting his inner thoughts about dancing the bon.

Claire giggled. There were probably only a few people in town who would describe him that way.  Most people were intimidated by the old blacksmith, herself included.  “I think he sees you as a kindred spirit, Cliff.”

He considered this and nodded. “If that’s the case, I’m honored…  He’s a great man.”

Before long, they approached the house and were greeted by a chorus of frogs and crickets, the fireflies going to bed for the night.

Claire opened the door to her house and flipped on the lights. She was grateful that Koro was a heavy sleeper once nighttime fell.  The young dog was curled up in a ball on her bed, resting his chin on his front paws.  She was thankful that he didn’t seem to be frightened of the fireworks.  “Well, come on in.”

“Thanks.” He stared around the room as if he had never seen it before and sighed happily as they removed their geta.  Now that they were back in a lighted area, she stole a glance at him.  His blue outfit played up the vivid color of his eyes.  His cheeks were ruddy with excitement and happiness and his hair was a little tousled, but she decided that she rather liked it that way.

“The festival was fun, but it’s good to be home, too. I can finally let my hair down,” Claire looked over at him while she started pulling the flowers out of her hair, carefully setting them down on her nightstand beside her bed.

“Ah…” He was disappointed to see them removed, but he surprised himself that he had spoken up about it.

Claire caught the look on his face. He must have enjoyed the festival atmosphere; he seemed at home in his yukata.  “Keep it up?”

He nodded dumbly and blushed.

Claire felt the heat rise in her face. His simple stare had meant more than most of the compliments she had received regarding her appearance that evening. _Except maybe when he called me gorgeous earlier_ , she thought with a slight sigh.  “W-well, I’m glad you like it,” she laughed it off, quickly turning away.  “I don’t get dolled up often, so enjoy it while you can,” she giggled, reaching into her fridge for something to drink.  _Enjoy it while you can? Stop throwing yourself at him!_   “Tea?” she offered, her voice cracking a bit.

“Sure.” He could tell that the sake had mostly worn off, but he still felt loose from all of the dancing and merriment.  He didn’t need his friend’s encouragement to enjoy the view – he had been doing that all evening already.

The friends sat down with their beverages and relaxed in each other’s company. They laughed for hours, sharing their favorite parts of the festival – tomato throwing and the look on Won’s face when Cliff won, turtle scooping and not being offered a free ‘peep show’, Stu’s cotton candy theft, along with him referring to Claire as a ‘sultry siren’ a few minutes later…

“One-thirty already?” Cliff stretched, looking up at the clock.

She wasn’t ready to give him up yet. “Stay a while longer,” Claire begged, pouring him another cup of tea.

The young man’s cheeks glowed; he was flattered she enjoyed his company so much. “It’s late… if I stay much longer I’ll be too tired to tend to Ann tomorrow morning.  She’s going to be sick for sure.”

“Ah, let Doug take care of her. I’m sure you’re not eager to fetch her ‘sick bucket’.”  She twisted her fingers around a strand of hair that had fallen loose from her bun.

Cliff laughed and settled in. “I guess a few more minutes here won’t hurt anything.”

The clock chimed two before they knew it.

“It’s getting very late.” Cliff stood up although everything inside him was screaming for him not to.

“Aw, but-”

“Claire, if I stay any longer, this is going to turn into a slumber party,” her friend laughed.

There were a couple of beats of silence as both hearts pounded wildly at the notion.

She immediately was brought back to the thought of him lying on a pile of furs and quickly replaced them with her bed’s blankets in her mind, looking up at her with those deep blue eyes. “Ah!”  Claire turned a bright shade of scarlet.  “I-I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to keep you so long.  Get some sleep and w-we can work together again the day after tomorrow.  If that’s alright with you, of course!  R-rest up, now!”

He looked at her inquisitively for a moment before turning to his geta waiting beside the door. “That works for me.  I had a lot of fun tonight.”  He flashed a genuine grin at her as he put on his footwear.  “More fun than I’ve had in years.”

She was elated that he felt the same way; this evening had been something she didn’t realize she needed desperately. “Me, too!”  She threw her arms around Cliff and buried her face in his shoulder for a few moments before looking up at him.

He was smiling at her in a very particular way as he embraced her. It was something about his entire expression; his eyes always looked so content and doting.  She had first noticed it at the midsummer’s dance when he asked to walk her home, and she had seen regular flashes of it ever since.  It always made her feel a strange combination of warmth and jitteriness, and she was slowly starting to realize she enjoyed and had begun to long for it.  There was something so comforting and natural about being this close.

She could hear the clock ticking in the background and was brought back to reality. Claire let out a nervous laugh and stepped back.  “Well, have a good night.”

“I already did, silly,” he chuckled, taking her hand in his. She noticed that it was trembling slightly as his eyes moved down to it.

Being referred to as silly brought a smile to her face. He was starting to tease her a bit more and it caused a surge of joy; he felt more comfortable around her.  She never would have imagined when they first met that they would become such close friends.  He was still looking down at their hands.  Claire looked at him curiously, unsure of what he was doing.  “Well, then…  Sleep well.”

“You too, Claire.” Cliff slowly raised her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly, giving it a gentle pat before turning around to open the door.  He whirled around to see her face rush with color.  “See you around.”  He smiled at her as he slowly gained confidence, self-assured that he had made the right move at seeing her upturned lips and wide eyes.

Her heart felt light, but her cheeks burned as her emotions were stirred violently within her. “I-I’m looking forward to it.”  Her eyes sparkled as she watched her friend head back to the inn, a silly smile overtaking her expression.  His touch had been so gentle and loving, and she was immediately taken back to that dizzying feeling when he bade her farewell in the hospital early in the season.  “Enjoy your day off!” she nearly yelled as he waved goodbye to her with a friendly nod.  He disappeared into the night and she closed her eyes for a brief moment, committing his kind gaze and lovely outfit to memory.

Suddenly feeling alert, she paced around in her house, drunken on a joyous giddiness. She had half the mind to run back toward town and drag Cliff back over; she wasn’t done having fun yet and she felt a little sad that the evening was over.  Claire shook her head with a laugh – not only would that make her look a little crazy, but it was extremely late and she should be much sleepier than she was.

Reaching into the small pouch she carried with her that night, Claire produced the kokeshi doll and tanuki figurine she had purchased, placing them on top of her television side by side. She smiled as she looked at the serene grin of the tanuki.  Cliff had chosen a gift for himself without realizing it.  She wanted to give him something in gratitude for his help with her harvest and although it was a mere trinket, she hoped that it would bring him memories of the fun they had together that evening.

She walked toward her bed and noticed at once how exhausted she was. Now that there wasn’t someone to laugh and talk with, she realized she had been pushing her body past its limits for hours.  Letting out a tired sigh, Claire decided that the thought of getting undressed for sleeping sounded like a daunting chore.

Koro hadn’t moved from his spot on the bed the entire time she had been home. She smiled at the puppy while she reached around her waist to remove her obi.  A slip of paper fluttered onto the floor.  She had forgotten that she had stashed her fortune into her belt.  Claire picked it up and re-read Carter’s tidy print.

_Stop searching… Happiness is right beside you…_

The young woman looked around her room and smiled. She was grateful for her friends.  She removed her yukata and pinned the fortune to the wall.  She had really gotten the best fortune out of the group, even better than Mary’s, she decided.  Her thoughts immediately turned to the memory she had just imprinted of her attractive friend.  She turned off her light and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, nuzzling the hand that his lips had touched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Phew, what a chapter! I’ve been dying to post this one since I began writing this story, to be honest. 
> 
> I’m intrigued by the idea of making Echo Valley’s residents a generation older, and I thought Felicity would make a great mom for Ann. Those who have been keeping up on my side stories might have already read the allusion to this, and I’ve decided to adopt Felicity as Ann’s mom and Doug’s late wife in my canon. Sorry for killing you, Felicity! (Wow, that sounded terrible!)
> 
> Another connection between games was the inclusion of Kasey from Animal Parade as Gray’s childhood friend. I’m thinking I’ll develop some shenanigans between the two of them more in my other story.
> 
> Cliff’s middle name, Rigby, is a reference to my favorite Beatles’ song Eleanor Rigby. As expected, Carter’s surname is McKenzie, respectively, but it hasn’t come up in the story yet. Cliff’s full first name will be familiar to HM64 fans – the curiously-named horse belonging to Gray and Ann’s family that sounds decidedly hoity-toity to me. I wanted Cliff’s name to lack flow, despite the fact that his mother was a musician – his name being a blend of what is deemed “proper” (Cliffgard), what is tradition (Rigby), and what is inherited to us (Yamamoto), all three things that are vital to Cliff’s character development, and how he tries to handle all of these things. His parents were so focused on his name, they didn’t even notice what his initials spell out. Poor guy.
> 
> As for Claire Odette, I simply thought it had a nice ring to it, and, of course, I wanted it to be very French. Claire means clear or bright. Odette means wealth. As a child of two hardcore go-getters, I felt a name like this was appropriate. I also really wanted to make her initials spell something dumb, too.
> 
> So, enough about my over-analysis of names – by now I’m hoping y’all can feel the mood shift in this story to something more romantic. I hope I wrote their flirtations as natural – I’ve built so much up to this point that I really hope I did it right! I would absolutely love to hear what your thoughts are on it, and what you think of the story so far. Thank you for everyone who has been following and reviewing along the way. I’m always open for kicking ideas around, whether for my own works or yours! Feel free to drop me a review or PM.


	72. A Heart's Desperate Cry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire awakes the next morning with the thoughts of a dear friend in her heart. She can no longer lie to herself, but is she allowed to have these kinds of feelings, especially toward someone who has been nothing but kind to her? Claire battles within herself.

_Let us come and play with the stars~_

The melody was playing in Claire’s head as she slowly awakened, the late summer breeze pouring into her room. Claire hugged her pillow with a sleepy sigh, her dreams of fireworks, joyful music, and carnival food still fresh in her mind.  At her squeezing of the cushion, the mellow scent of rosemary wafted out and a smile spread across her face.  There was one particular theme of both the dream and last evening: the sweet-hearted, handsome young man that had been by her side nearly all night.  Playing games together, dancing with him, their intimate conversation under the fireworks - she craved his company again already.

Rolling out of bed, she felt a little groggier than usual and sighed as she spotted a few flower petals stuck to her arm. She looked at herself in the mirror and almost laughed aloud when she realized she had left her hair up and hadn’t even bothered to dress for bed.  She looked rather absurd standing there in nothing but her underwear, her body covered in crushed flowers.  Glancing back at her unmade bed, she realized she would need to shake the petals out of her sheets.

She was distracted, however, when her eyes moved toward the clock. It was eight o’clock – not too late considering her bedtime.  She yawned loudly, stretching her arms high above her head.  If she hurried, she might be able to make it to the inn for breakfast and catch Cliff as he was heading out for the church or the mountain.  Maybe she could order a stack of pancakes and talk him into staying a while and splitting it with her…

Claire’s cheeks burned as she spilled some kibble into Koro’s bowl. The puppy sleepily looked up at her to watch her quickly clean up and put on fresh undergarments before practically jumping into a new pair of jeans and a yellow tank top that she had deemed as cutesy.  She pulled all of the pins out of her hair and the bun unraveled, leaving her hair in loose curls.  Claire let out a squeak of delight at the result, combing it out a bit.  She hurriedly fed her other animals and jogged into town, her heart pounding in her chest.  She’d get to see those deep blue eyes, that kind smile...

“Good morning,” Claire chirped as she took a seat at the bar. Her eyes drifted to the stairs.  Maybe Cliff was still asleep?  Or had someone mentioned he was staying in Doug’s room with his roommates?  She bit her lip as she tried to remember.

“’Morning.” The farmer rarely visited the inn for breakfast.  Doug gave her a grin and offered her a drink.  “Party a little too hard and need a pick-me-up?”

“Ah, no… I mean yes!” she stammered, shaking her head at her own flustered behavior.  “I’m sorry… may I have a double stack of pancakes, double sausages, and a glass of milk?”

The barkeeper looked at her curiously, doubtful she was going to be able to eat all of that food. “Sure.”

As he went to the kitchen to prepare her meal, Ann bounded out of the kitchen. “’Morning!  This is a surprise!  Dad already take your order?”

Claire nodded and looked around the restaurant. A lot of guests were eating breakfast, including a rowdy table that was full of the operators from the bar stalls the night before.  It was likely Kamil had already headed over to Mary’s house, and she spotted another table with an assortment of festival goers.  Her eyes were curiously drawn to a woman at the end of the bar in a modest drably-colored dress, dipping her tea bag into her mug with an air of refinement, sitting beside and speaking to Mayor Thomas, just like she was last night.  Claire took a moment to get a better look at her, as it had been hard to do during the festival.  A blue suitcase embroidered with the large initials MBY sat at her feet.  The small diamond on her left hand caught the morning light streaming through the window.  She couldn’t be older than her early to mid-thirties.  Her long, navy blue locks were very familiar from the night before, and while she looked focused on her drink and conversation with Thomas, the blonde felt the urge to talk to her.  Why had that woman been watching Claire and her friends so curiously last night?  Had she just been reading into it too much?

Ann trotted out to the tables, her sneakers noisily squeaking on the wooden floor as she proceeded to take orders. Claire was grateful to see that her friend didn’t appear to be ill – as a matter of fact, she had a happy bounce to her step.  Perhaps the lack of alcohol had been the difference.  She stared at the countertop in front of her in embarrassment. _Alcohol._ She was startled at how drunkenly she had acted with just one glass of wine, her overly friendly behavior around Cliff catching her by surprise.  The wine had been stronger than what she was used to, but as she and Mary had finished off their crepes and each had partaken in a glass, she hadn’t given it a second thought.  It wasn’t as if she had felt out of control last night, but something definitely had her feeling looser than usual.

Paolo was dragging his half-asleep cousin Toby down the inn stairs, chanting “Pan-CAKES!” over and over again in an excited manner, startling Claire from her brooding. A small smile spread across her face as she saw them settle at a table together, a perky Kasey following downstairs shortly after.  After taking their order, Ann bounded back through the kitchen doors.  Claire could hear her muffled voice through the walls and it was likely she was knocking loudly on Doug’s bedroom door.

“Get up, ya bums! Your friends are waiting for you!”

Sure enough, a groggy Gray and Kai emerged from behind the kitchen doors a minute or two later.

Ann placed a heaping plate of pancakes and sausages in front of Claire, along with a small pitcher of maple syrup. “Dig in, you lucky girl!”  She eyed up the food enviously.

Claire jumped back to attention. “Oh!  Ann!  D-did you happen to see Cliff yet this morning?”

The waitress was clever enough to put Claire’s question and the extra food together. She gave her friend an apologetic smile.  “He left about an hour ago.  He looked pretty excited and was saying something about getting ready for hunting season.”

“Ah… thanks.” Despite the fact that she was happy he was so motivated, the young woman was unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.  “Hey, do you know who that lady is over there with the dark hair over by Mayor Thomas?”

Ann’s eyes traveled toward the end of the bar. “Oh, that’s Maria... Linden.”  Her eyes lit up as she recalled the name.  “Well, she got married a couple years back and I don’t know what her new last name is.  Anyway, she stayed with Thomas and Harris last night.  She runs a library and she’s studying different cultural events and festivals.  Harris said her dad is the mayor and she’s interested in taking over for him when he retires.”

“Wow, you know a lot about everyone.” Claire was impressed.

Ann gave her a smug smile. “Well, it kinda comes with the job.  You meet a lot of people and you hear a lot of things.”  Her eyes moved toward Claire’s steaming meal.  “If you’re looking for a breakfast buddy, I think you might be in luck.”  She cocked her head towards the door as Carter walked in.  “I’m sure you know I’d be more than happy to chow down with you, but we’re pretty busy this morning.”

“Ah, I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to add to the chaos you’re dealing with…”

She gave a sharp laugh and slapped Claire on the shoulder. “We’re not about to complain about paying customers, silly!  Besides, you know I’m always happy to see you!”

“Thanks. I feel the same way.”

There were only a few seats left open and a grateful smile spread across the priest’s face as Claire waved him over. Ann was already pouring a mug of hot water and putting the selection of teabags on the bar counter.

“Ah, it’s unusual to see you here for breakfast, Claire. That must mean you’re either in a celebratory mood from the festival, or you’re like me and just lazy this morning.”  He let out a soft laugh as he pulled himself up on the stool beside her.

“A little bit of both, I suppose,” she replied. “I ordered extra pancakes.  I was hoping to bump into Cliff and spend some of our day off together, but he’s busy this morning.”  Color crept into her face as she realized she wasn’t in the confessional – she didn’t need to explain herself in detail.  “W-would you care for some pancakes and sausage?  I got way too much,” she added lamely.

His eyes lit up at her words. The two newcomers had been getting along better and more easily than he ever could have hoped for.  He had spotted them several times throughout the night laughing, dancing, and enjoying each other’s company.  Their relationship had caused them to open up considerably to the other people in town.  The high point of the night for Carter had been seeing Cliff confidently lead the bon.  He was aware of Cliff’s conflicting feelings about his past and his role at home, and last night seemed to be a major step toward reaching peace and accepting the different parts of himself.

“Th-that is, unless there was something else you already had planned on ordering,” Claire turned her gaze toward the steaming mug Ann had placed in front of Carter.

“Ah, my apologies! I was lost in thought.  I would love to share some pancakes with you.”  He quickly chose a tea bag and dunked it into his mug, the lovely smell of bergamot filling their nostrils.  “Ann, could I have some sugar and some lemon?  Oh, and some milk for the tea?”

She gave a cheery nod, producing a spare plate and fork for Carter’s use, along with the requested items. The two split the pancakes and sausages in half and as Claire picked up the syrup, she was curious when she saw Carter squirt the lemons on top of his food.

“Ah, I thought that was for your tea,” she watched with interest. “Isn’t that going to be sour?”

He shot her a serene smile as he sprinkled the sugar on top. “These pancakes aren’t exactly the same style as my mum used to make, but we can pretend, right?”  He added a dollop of milk to his tea.  The plate was nudged toward her.  “Please, give it a try if you like.”

She took a bite and the tanginess tickled her tongue. “Ooh, tastes like summer!”  Her eyes lit up as he pushed the bowl of lemon wedges between them to share.

“It’s always good to try new things,” Carter replied with a nod. “New experiences, new interests, new relationships – they all help you become a wiser person.”  Pausing, he squeezed another lemon onto his pancakes and sucked the juice off of his fingers, shaking them in discomfort.  “Ah, I’m afraid I gave myself quite a few paper cuts with those fortunes.”  He dipped a paper napkin in the glass of ice water Ann had given him and cleaned the cuts with a sigh.

Giving him a sympathetic look, she took a bite of pancake, remembering the silliness involving the fortunes and his “scary” stories. Taking a swig of milk, she mulled over the words of the pastor.  “Did you always want to be a priest?”

Naturally, she asked the moment he had stuffed his mouth with pancake. Carter gave a small chuckle as he hid his full mouth behind a napkin, chewing quickly and swallowing.  “You know, there’s only one other person in town who has actually asked me that question, and he moved here just a couple of months before you.”  His brown eyes smiled at her as he took his mug of tea and stirred it idly.  “And I guess the answer is, well… no.  I grew up in a small cottage just outside the suburbs.  White picket fence, stone paths, a large garden in the back yard…  My mum and dad were very fond of each other.  I grew up assuming I would go to University and get my degree, settle down and have a couple of children.  I wanted that stone cottage of my own, my own little nest to call home.”

Claire wasn’t sure if she should try to console him. She took another bite of pancake as she continued to listen.

“My family was always religious, but it wasn’t until I was nearly completed my degree that I decided to pursue it. I had finished going through a dark and rebellious stage of my life, and it left me in quite a state.  I knew I needed to turn my life around if I wanted to get anywhere…”  He took a sip of his tea, smiling when he realized it wasn’t too hot to drink.  “Sometimes we realize the gods have been trying to contact us all along when we are at our lowest points and we run out of options trying to fix the problem ourselves.  We are only human, after all.”

She had completely forgotten they were in a public place; Carter’s personable demeanor made it easy to feel comfortable. “If you don’t mind my asking, what were you involved with-?”

His eyes turned kindly at her as he calmly unbuttoned the cuff on his sleeve. He slowly rolled the fabric back to reveal a deep scar on the inside of his forearm.  It was much different than the jagged one on Cliff’s arm; this one looked like it had been especially deep puncture wound.  It was no longer pink and had long since healed.  “Hatred is one of the most lethal poisons I know of.  Hatred towards oneself can be unbearable.  It’s an awful time trying to get along when your greatest enemy is yourself.  Some people get depressed and sad when they are battling themselves – I lashed out instead.  I spent a period of my younger years looking for trouble out of pure spite, and I bit off more than I could chew.  I was taunting a couple of hoodlums and challenged one to a fight.  I didn’t realize knives were going to be involved.  I ended up in the hospital – he had hit a major artery and I was bleeding out fast.  When I woke up and saw that doctor hovering over me and could hear my parents crying, I knew I had to change my life.”

Claire closed her open jaw. The gentle priest was the last person he would have expected to be so rebellious and angry about life.  What was someone supposed to say in reply after hearing a story like that?  “W-wow…”

He shook his head with that serene smile, buttoning back up his cuff and cutting another bite of pancake. “I know…  Father Carter McKenzie, the lighthearted priest of Mineral Town, picking fights with gangs as a young adult…  It all sounds a little silly, even to me.  Things have changed so much since then.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through all of that…” She was still a little dumbfounded.

Unperturbed, he took a quick sip of tea and stirred in a bit more milk. “The gods answered my call for help.  Please don’t feel bad.  I’m thirty-seven now and this all happened when I was around your age – it’s well in the past.  The scar reminds me that no matter how bad things seem, there is always hope.  I think that having once been in the darkest of places, I can relate to people who feel the same way.  I am not ashamed of my story.  If it can help someone, I am happy to share it.”

His calmness and obvious resolution of his past helped Claire relax.

“You never truly know what someone has been through or is currently going through, so it’s always best to treat others with kindness… I want to thank you for always being so nice to those around you.”  He gave her a grin as he bit into another pancake.  “I don’t know if you realize how much you’ve changed the lives of the people of this town.”

“Well, I think you’ve changed a lot of people’s lives, too. There’s May and Stu…”

Carter laughed and wiped his mouth. “I never did get that white picket fence and family, but I truly feel like I have one here.  It’s far better than my idyllic dream of what I thought I wanted.  My family is larger now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She remembered Cliff’s words from the night before. “There’s Cliff, too.  I know you mean a lot to him…  He told me that he was thinking of leaving town before he met you.”  She felt a sudden lump in her throat.  “Carter… I can’t thank you enough for convincing him to stay.”

He caught the rosiness in the young woman’s cheeks and a knowing smirk played at his lips. He could tell from the moment he met Cliff that he had to make him stay, and once the young man’s became aware of Claire’s existence, his entire demeanor changed.  Cliff’s once lifeless eyes were vivacious and curious as he described the girl that came to visit his roommate every night.  “Well, I can’t say that I was the only one who helped.  You deserve credit where it is due, Claire.”  Carter couldn’t help but notice a subtle change within Claire within the past month or so.  She seemed much happier and comfortable with herself and he was certain he knew the reason why.

The young woman was shyly laughing off his praise as she poured some syrup on her plate and dipped a bite of sausage into it. While Stu enjoyed grape jelly on his scrambled eggs and claimed that it was indeed delicious, this looked much more palatable.  Carter looked at the combination, his interest piqued.

“Now, that kind of concoction do you have there? Bangers and maple syrup?”

She finished chewing and nodded. It had been years since she heard that colloquialism for sausage links and it made her smile.  “Well, sure!”  She nudged the syrup towards him.  “If you like sweet and savory, it’s a real treat!”

He poured a bit on his own plate and gave a small laugh. “It seems we’re teaching each other a few culinary tricks today!  Cliff’s been raving about your cooking when he stops by the church after working on your farm, so I’m happy to try one of your suggestions.”  He bit into the sausage and gave a satisfied hum and nod in approval.  “Claire... he’s _so_ happy to be working with you.  I can just see the joy on his face very day; it’s like a weight is lifting from him.”

His words sounded so genuine and he had the tone of one who could no longer hold back gushing praise. She gave an embarrassed giggle, finishing off her milk as she refused to meet his gaze.  “Well, I’m not sure about all of that; we’ve both been working very hard.  I know he’s trying to save up.”

“Ah, this is true…” He cut another piece of sausage and rolled it around in the puddle of syrup on his plate.  “But when you’re with someone you really care about, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing together.  Chores, work, mundane things – they all become less of a burden when you spend that time with someone dear.”

Claire gave a nod, recalling their recent work with the tomatoes with fondness. Hauling baskets of tomatoes, laughing at jokes, splashing each other with the watering can…  At the very thought of the young man, her cheeks quickly turned the color of the fruits they had been harvesting.

Carter stifled a chuckle at the sight, and out of courtesy he turned back to his food and dug into his sausages, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. They were no longer two lonely strangers.  He turned his gaze toward the ceiling, as if to hint the gods of their progress, and he couldn’t help but feel rather proud of himself for figuring out the clues the gods had given him.

0o0o0o0

She slowly walked home, considering her behavior as she re-entered Mystic Acres and went inside, gathering her dirty clothes and some soap, heading back outside to do some laundry. There was food in her refrigerator; there had been no real reason for her to go running to the inn that morning to order all of those pancakes, even if she did get to spend some time with Carter.  She knew the real reason was in hopes that she could hang out with Cliff.  Claire shook her blonde head.  Tomorrow morning would come soon enough, and they’d be working together for the whole day – it wasn’t as if she wouldn’t see him for a while. 

Clouds were gathering in the sky as she worked and she smelled rain; her outdoor laundry line wasn’t going to be very helpful today. She shook the loose flower petals out of her sheets and watched them glide across the surface of the river, floating out of sight.  A little part of her felt sad for some reason; it was as if the loss of those flowers was the official end of the Fireworks Festival.

It had truly been a magical night. The decorations had been beautiful and it was nice to spend time with everyone as a group.  The food was delicious, and it was fun visiting the various booths that had been set up.  The fireworks had been more than amazing. 

Then, of course, there was also Cliff.

The young woman’s heart throbbed loudly in her ears at the very thought of him and she let out a silly chuckle as she squeezed out a pair of socks and missed the basket she was tossing them into. She allowed Cliff to reenter her thoughts, a warm, dreamy wave of happiness washing over her.  The joy written on his face the night before had been nothing short of beautiful.  She had snuck more gazes at him than she cared to admit; he looked very comfortable and handsome in his festival clothes and she was already feeling a little down that she wouldn’t get to see him dressed that way until next year.  It wasn’t just about the way he looked.  His kind touch had a way of making her feel very special and cared for, and she found that she was already craving more.  Claire wanted to give him the same warm reassurance.  She yearned for him to see how special he was, too, and how much she cared for him…  How would she show this to him?  Her pulse quickened at the very idea.  A warm hug?  Maybe something more?  They had hugged and touched a lot last night – was this going to become a regular thing?

The farmer shivered as she realized she was hugging a damp pair of overalls to her chest and she moaned at her lack of focus. There was laundry to be done.  At a light rumble of thunder and a light sprinkle, Claire speedily finished her work.

 _It’s my day off and I’m allowed to relax a bit_ , she reminded herself as she carried the basket of wet laundry inside. _And… thinking about Cliff makes me happy._

_Really happy._

Why wouldn’t he? Ever since they had met, they treated each other as equals, never judging one another about any of their faults or shortcomings.  He always had an ear to listen, a shoulder to offer, a laugh to share.  He had been so kind and gentle with her on the beach at Kai’s party, caring and willing to listen to her problems without complaint.  She couldn’t think of someone she would have rather spent the Fireworks Festival with; his company had been wonderful.  On top of all of this, she had been able to let go of her worries and have a lot of fun.  Claire felt rejuvenated after the festival – it was the first time she had truly allowed herself to relax for an entire evening in a long time.

Claire had placed a plastic tarp on the floor beneath her indoor clothesline and hummed as she finished hanging her laundry.

It was the deep love she had for her friend that had made her feel so mellow, she reminded herself with a nod and a smile. Before moving to Mineral Town, she didn’t realize it was possible to care about people so much that were outside of her family.  Still, she found it impossible to ignore the way her thoughts had been drifting lately.  Those deep blue eyes were a gorgeous color and always watched her with such kindness.  He made her think more carefully about the way she processed her thoughts and he valued her opinion.  She thought of his lighthearted chuckle; he was very good at making her smile, and seeing him happy made her filled with a deep joy…  He truly was very precious.  Claire averted her eyes from her very flushed reflection she caught in the mirror, her heart beginning to pound with dread.

_No, Claire, you know better. Don’t be so willful and desperate, especially over someone so genuinely kind and dear…  He doesn’t need that from you, and he never will.  Don’t kid yourself.  Cliff doesn’t need or deserve a stalker; he’s far too sweet…_

Her heart cried in protest as she stomped her bare foot on the wooden floor, dropping her bucket of wooden clothespins on the ground with a loud clank, a couple bouncing out onto the hardwood planks. Her cheery mood immediately turned to frustration as she finally openly acknowledged that she had a conflict in her heart.  After she was made aware last night how much she was openly flirting with him and trying to catch his attention, she had felt a strange combination of giddiness and guilt.

“But I _want_ him!” she cried aloud miserably as her throat tightened.  She longed to see those eyes looking lovingly at her, to hear his voice say her name, for his gentle touch and warm hugs.  She wanted that sensitive young man with the kind heart to belong to her.  Was that so wrong?

Maybe it was. Terrified, Claire stamped on the floor once again, her bare foot making a soft pat on the wood.  _No, no, no! You will not!  You cannot!  He’s your friend and it’s foolish and selfish to want more than that.  It’s wrong and you know it!  He knows about your annoying habits, your whiny rants…  Do you honestly think you have anything to offer him?  Think of how annoying you were to Gray.  Do you want to lose your best friend over something as stupid as this?_

Claire’s self-esteem deflated as she sank down, hugging her knees to her chest as she leaned against the wall. What was she thinking?  Why was she acting this way?  Wasn’t she still supposed to be in love with Gray, anyway?  It had been nearly a month and a half since he refused her.   She rolled her eyes; what she felt for Gray had been so weak by comparison when she really thought about it.  What did she even know about the apprentice blacksmith?  What did they have in common?  Her mind turned back toward Cliff.  Her heart began to pound when she thought of him fairly regularly now and she first noticed these more intense feelings around a week ago at Kai’s birthday party.  When had these emotions all begun?

_Cliff is so much more than Gray ever was…_

Claire’s breath hitched as she stared back in the mirror in shock and she stumbled back onto her unmade bed. Why had those thoughts come to her so easily, especially after how heartbroken she had been after Gray’s rejection?  She was acting as if she were lovesick – what if these feelings were real?  What would help her feel better?  She imagined his arms around her and his sweet whispers in her ear and her body shivered with pleasure at the very idea, her heart throbbing in her chest.

_Easy, Claire – calm down. You are in love with the idea of being in love.  Your heart must still be broken, and you’re looking for someone to latch onto.  Don’t look at Cliff that way.  He’s far too sweet for you to risk creeping him out.  He’s much too kind and funny and witty and amazing…_

Her eyelids felt heavy as she rested her head on her pillow, taking in the soft scent of rosemary.

_And gentle and loving… and… thoughtful…_

Hugging the cushion to her face, a faint smile played at her lips as she fell asleep to the smell of the herb that reminded her of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I can’t resist this idea of Carter being a former hell raiser, haha. I’ve also got this headcanon that he is from the UK or an equivalent. I think that stemmed from me seeing a picture online where someone thought Martin Freeman would make a good live action Pastor Carter and I immediately agreed wholeheartedly.
> 
> So, Claire’s finally being more honest with herself. I tried to make her realization stem from her collection of everything that’s been building up. A great friendship slowly transitioning into something more… I’m sure I’m not the only one who is relieved to finally write this out. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!
> 
> I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter and the Fireworks Festival! I am so grateful for your reviews and comments, as I have a tendency to get insecure of my writings. They’re so near and dear to my heart that I feel like I’m exposing a lot of myself in them, so I guess it’s a little natural to be nervous what others think of it. Thank you all for your continued support! :)


	73. Tea for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire learns some unexpected details of Mary's former love life as they share tea and scones.

“Miss Dumont.” Anna opened the door with a suspiciously raised eyebrow.  Her well-manicured nails curled around the edge of the door and Claire half wondered if the woman was going to slam it in her face.

She got the idea that she was supposed to curtsey or something; Manna and Sasha didn’t have this intimidating effect on her at all. Claire figured a polite bow of the head would suffice.  “H-hello, Mrs. Brown.  Mary invited me over.”

She said nothing in reply to this, but she stepped out of the doorway and gestured for her to come inside. “Must be a busy time of year for you.  I saw all your tomatoes when Basil took us out for our weekly hike.”

She was reminded once more of her overzealous venture and bit back a frown. “Yes, ma’am.”  She kept her voice low as she shyly followed the woman into the house.

“I hear you have that cute unemployed boy helping you out. I would think it’s probably not so bad working the fields with him… I bet he’d be pretty convenient to have around for squeezing your tomatoes and shucking all of your corn.”  She gave the young woman a smug smirk and took a raspberry from a bowl sitting on the kitchen table, popping it into her mouth with a slight giggle.  “After all, there’s nothing quite like a good _shucking_.”

Restraining herself from wringing her hands, Claire’s eyebrows vanished under her bangs as she watched the older woman in a mixture of disturbance and disbelief. The lewd meaning behind her words was blatant, but she forced the conversation into something more civil.  “W-well, when Zack picks up my shipments, I sell the whole raw produce.  I don’t process anything myself.”

“Ah, but that’s how you multiply your profits, honey.” Anna’s voice was sweet, but there was a condescending note that made Claire extremely uncomfortable.  “Perhaps next summer.”  She giggled at this, as if she was going to forgive Claire for her obvious stupidity.  A smile spread across Anna’s lips and Claire noticed that they were the same distinctive shade of maroon she had seen on Karen after a few drinks.  “For now, I suppose it would be nice to have a man around to plow your fields for the next season.  Goddess knows it’s hard and rather unsatisfying for a woman try to work them over… _herself_.”  She threw a bitter glare at Basil, who hadn’t looked up from his research since he finished eating dinner.

Claire’s cheeks were blazing as she wondered if Anna was ever talking about farming in the first place.

“Mom!” The normally hushed and pleasant voice of Mary echoed down the stairs and she ran so fast it almost sounded like she had tumbled down them.  “Ah, Claire is here!”  She sounded rather strained, and in a flurry of movements, she grabbed a couple of cloth napkins, a pair of teaspoons, and Claire’s wrist, all while managing to avoid eye contact with her mother.

Dumbfounded, Claire followed as Mary led her upstairs and pulled the door shut with a deep sigh. Muttering to herself, she put the napkins and spoons on a small table covered with saucers, tea cups, and a china teapot, all adorned with beautiful flowers.  Blowing her bangs out of her face, she gestured for Claire to take a seat.  Seeing her so flustered was definitely a new experience – Claire had always assumed that she had a permanent air of grace about her.

“I am so sorry about my mother. She’s usually not so rude, or hostile, or…” Mary apologized, her cheeks turning red.  She quickly gestured toward the teapot that had been waiting.  “Thirsty?”

Claire’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. The conversations this evening were strange, to say the least.  Claire wasn’t even aware people in the country were familiar with the slang term.  “D-did you just call your mother…?”  She was afraid to finish the sentence, but ended up mouthing the rest. _Thirsty?!_

“Oh, dear…” The librarian shook her head, the color draining from her face.  Despite the fact that there was a divider between her bed and her parents’, it was rather flimsy and she knew far more about her parents’ conflicting… _drives_ than she ever cared to.  More often than not, she dozed off in the upstairs of the library, waiting for her parents to finish their bickering, not returning to the room until she heard their deep, rhythmic breathing and Anna’s occasional light snore.  “Ah, I was offering you some tea.”  She held up the pot innocently, steering the conversation into a different direction.  Claire’s expression, despite her bright cheeks, loosened up considerably.  “This is the blend that I was telling you about.  Relax tea.  It’s made from local herbs.”

Claire caught a waft of the tea. Slightly floral and very earthy, she felt herself calming down.  “It smells wonderful.  I’d love some.” 

Mary poured the tea into a pair of stylish china cups, and a weak smile played at her lips despite the worry lines on her forehead. “The whole family goes out to Mother’s Hill once a week and we always are gathering herbs to make some more.  I think it’s safe to say that it’s my addiction.”  She carefully placed the teapot back on the table and let out a soft laugh.  A slight frown was still heard in her voice.

Claire gave her a concerned look in response. “Something’s still bothering you.”

Mary handed her a cup adorned with soft peach peonies and took a small sip out of her own. Claire admired the cheery yellow roses on it.  A nervous smile played at Mary’s lips; the young woman was becoming more open with her, which was something she had yearned for.  “Today’s been kind of difficult,” she finally replied.  “We – my mother and I – well… we got into a bit of an argument today.”  She leaned forward to add a bit of honey to her tea and stirred it thoughtfully.  “Not that it’s really anything too out of the ordinary,” she added with a smirk.

The blonde watched her curiously as she touched the hot liquid to her mouth. Deciding to wait a moment for it to cool, she set the cup back down on its ornate saucer.  “I’m surprised you and your mum don’t always get along,” she admitted.  Remembering Anna’s slightly rowdy behavior at Kai’s birthday party, she realized that the mother and daughter had their differences.  Claire stiffened her posture, as she realized that it was probably rude for her to imply that they didn’t always agree.

“I think it’s just part of having parents,” Mary confessed honestly, giving her brew a quick taste. She added a bit more honey for good measure.  “I know Mom means well, but we just don’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things.”

The blonde thought of the letter she needed to write to her parents and nodded.

“I hope she didn’t say anything too bad to you before I came down…” Mary’s frown grew and her cheeks flushed.  “She can be a bit… blunt and rude when she’s, ah, _partaken_.”

Claire felt herself blushing as well and she felt a little less dirty for wondering if Anna was making lewd remarks about her hiring Cliff. “I couldn’t help but feel that she was a bit…”  She searched for the word and frowned when she was unable to think of it.

“ _Hostile_?”  Mary’s voice was low as she took a sip of her tea.

The stern look Anna was giving the pair last night at the festival was not easily forgotten. Claire managed a slight nod.  “D-do… _I_ have something to do with your argument?”  She surprised herself at her own directness, but at the worried look on Mary’s face, she found it hard not to be bold.

“ _Please_ don’t take it personally…”  Her dark eyes shone pleadingly at Claire and took her by surprise.  “Mom just… well… she thinks I’m rather naïve.  You wouldn’t think that I’m turning twenty-eight at the end of the year with the way she goes on treating me like a little girl…”

“You’re twenty-seven?” She didn’t mean to sound so impolite in her shock.  While Mary certainly seemed very mature, Claire always assumed they were the same age.

“You sound surprised.” Mary took a sip of her tea and smiled.  “I suppose I should take that as a compliment?  Well, that’s what Mom says, anyways. _Always let people think you’re younger than you really are._ ”  She uncharacteristically rolled her eyes.  “I’m not the oldest of our age group, though.  Elli’s twenty-nine and Trent is thirty-three.  Same age as Harris.”

Despite the small population of Mineral Town, there seemed to be a wide variety of age ranges. “Well, I don’t see why your mum would feel the need to treat you like a kid, honestly.  You run a library all by yourself and you’re managing a big novel project.”

Mary set down her cup with a light clink. “You make my writings sound more impressive than they really are, and the library isn’t ever very busy.”  She paused, realizing that Claire was likely awaiting a reason why she and Anna had been arguing.  Mary had brought the subject up herself in hopes to talk about it and air out a few of her own worries.  “Mom and I don’t agree on a lot of things,” she began.  She twiddled her thumbs, trying to think of how to word the next bit delicately.  “Mom thinks… well, that is, she believes that… it’s important to protect those you l-love…  And while I don’t disagree with that, well, I think she goes about it all wrong.”

Claire frowned; Mary was talking in a very roundabout way and she wasn’t quite sure what her friend was getting at. “You mean she’s trying to protect you… from _me_?”

If Mary’s face had been flushed before, it had turned violet with embarrassment now. She hadn’t expected Claire to read into what she had said that particular way, but at the same time, it made perfect sense.  She bit her lip and her eyebrows shot up beneath her bangs.  “Y-yes and no…?  Ah, I’m sorry.  I’m doing such a terrible job of choosing the right words…”

A discussion from downstairs caught Mary’s attention. She could hear Sasha’s voice carrying on.

“… a nice girl really, Anna. I don’t think you should be so worried…  Karen’s rather fond of her and she doesn’t strike me as the predatory type…”

A wave of anger overcame her as Mary’s dark brown eyes scanned the table and she stood up abruptly. She managed to hold a neutral expression.  “Ah, I can’t believe I forgot the scones!  I’ll be right back with them, okay?”

A worried frown crossed Claire’s lips. “Alright.  Do you need any help?”  She rose from her seat.

She got a shake of the head in response. “I already have them plated; I just forgot them in the kitchen.  I’ll be right back…  And I’ll explain what I meant regarding my mom when I get back.”

The concern faded a bit from the blonde’s face, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit worried. “Alright.  I think I’ll try some honey in this tea.”  She drizzled a bit of it into her cup and the fresh waft of the tea made her relax a bit.

Mary gave her a nod and headed down the stairs, closing the door behind her.

“She’s a grown woman, Dear,” Basil was saying, not looking up from his books, his pen still in motion.

“Like _you_ know anything about women,” his wife spat in response with a bitter laugh.  Sasha snorted and stifled a giggle, nudging her friend in the side.

He rolled his eyes and continued to write; he had given up the fight long ago, especially when Anna had others backing her up. “Like I’d know…  I’ve only been living with one for almost thirty years,” he mumbled inaudibly.

Although the creaking of the stairs heralded her presence, Anna continued. “Looks can be deceiving, you know.  She still stops by that inn more than is proper.  Why, my sources even tell me-”

Choking down her anger, Mary quietly stepped into the kitchen, wordlessly snatching up her plate of scones in hopes that her mere presence would stop their gossiping.

“Sasha, did you know that Ann’s birthday party ended up being a _co-ed sleepover_?  Want to make a bet someone was sharing a bed?  I wonder if all of them slept in one room…”  Anna shook her head.

Sasha said nothing, but took a large swig of her wine.

Mary felt herself clenching her jaw. There had been times where she had halfheartedly agreed with Anna’s gossiping and implications; it had made her feel better in the past when she felt threatened by Claire’s presence and it was a bit of a guilty pleasure.  But Mary couldn’t bear to hear that kind of talk from her mother, as well-meaning as it was disguised to sound.  Not today.  No, not just today; not _anymore_.  She hated how ugly it made her feel.

_Just do it. Say something, anything.  You don’t want to be a part of this anymore._

Her voice came out a little squeaky, but she was grateful no one seemed to notice. “Huh… that’s funny,” Mary commented, pausing at the foot of the stairs, her mouth set in a pout.

The women immediately stopped talking. “What’s funny?” her mother asked, helping herself to another raspberry.

The young woman shuffled the plate in her hands and willed herself to stop trembling. If she didn’t say anything, how could she ever expect things to change?  Mary had given the very same advice to Gray countless times, and she thought now might just be the perfect time to try it out on herself.  “This house has curious acoustics.  Why, with the plush furniture and curtains, you wouldn’t think that voices would carry all the way up the stairs.”

“Oh-hoh!” Basil’s brown eyes grew wide as he grinned and clapped his hands over his mouth.  He got a dirty look from his wife, but Sasha roared with laughter.

“Sorry, sweetie, we’ll keep it down.” Her mother’s friend gave her a knowing wink. 

Mary was unable to keep a smirk from playing at the corner of her lips at the defeated look on her mother’s face. “Much obliged.”  She snapped her head forward and walked back up the stairs.  She let out a silent sigh of relief as she heard Sasha change the subject.

“Have you tried that new batch of tepache that Manna’s been going on about, Anna? She claims it’s better than pineapple upside-down cake…”

Mary pushed open the door to see Claire leaned forward, her hair shrouding her face. The loose curls had almost completely vanished through the humidity of the day.  “Your mum doesn’t care for me too much.  I guess I don’t blame her.”  Claire’s voice was scarcely above a whisper.  She felt her throat tighten as Mary closed the door behind her.  The words she had heard downstairs brought up a lot of thoughts and feelings she had repressed for a while.  It seemed people did notice she was calling on a room full of men in the evenings and not everyone was pleased about it, despite the fact that her reasons were harmless.  She must have looked so desperate and depraved in a town full of very conservative people.  “I… I didn’t really give much thought to how others saw me in certain ways.  It’s really strange, because I wanted so badly to fit in…”  A lump formed in her throat and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for herself.  She finally looked up at Mary with shiny eyes; she didn’t have to protect Claire the way she had a moment ago in front of her parents and their guest.  “Why do you even give me the time of day?”

The young woman shook her head, setting down the plate of scones and seizing Claire’s hands in hers. “Claire… _please_ don’t think of it that way.”

The blonde frowned. Mary spoke of honoring honesty, yet she was trying too hard to cushion the blow.  “Your mum thinks I’m a-a… _slut_ , doesn’t she?”

She shook her head once more. It was time for her to be bluntly honest.  “Let me tell you a story.  I’ve only dated one other guy before.  Harris and I were dating for four, maybe five months.  I… I _really_ liked him, but his heart just wasn’t there.  He never really said it, but I think he was still in love with his old girlfriend.  She ran away from home several years ago and I think he lost a bit of himself that day.”

Claire remembered the hollow smile Manna had forced on her face when mentioning her daughter. “Duke and Manna’s girl…”

She was given a slow nod. “They had been together when I was starting to become more interested in boys and became curious about writing love stories.  I… knew where they hid in the vineyard to be alone.  They had their problems, but I could see the strength they drew from each other.  I guess in the end, the family conflicts were too much for her.”  She had a wistful look on her face and she couldn’t help but feel a little sad.  “I wanted him to look at me the way he did at Aja, but he never did.”

Claire had felt similar emotions herself with Gray, but she hesitated from sharing this aloud. Her mind drifted toward memories of Harris and Ann at the festival the night before, laughing together.  She swallowed her tea.  “Was he always sad?”

“No… he… he was a _wonderful_ actor.  He didn’t want me to know he was still hurting.  We’d joke and tell stories and I didn’t realize anything was wrong.  The thing that made it worse was how _nice_ he was about it when he broke up with me, telling me that I deserved someone better.  To be honest, I was… well, _devastated_.  He was charming, kind, funny, polite and well-liked by everyone in the community.  I didn’t know what I had done wrong.  It wasn’t until probably a year later that I realized he was honest about simply not being able to let go; it wasn’t me that was the issue.”

Claire gave a slight nod. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Mary shook her head. “It’s fine.  It looks like he’s trying for a new start with someone else and I honestly wish them the best.  I hope he can find happiness again.”

Widening her eyes, Claire found herself nodding once more. She felt a little silly for not realizing Mary would have been astute enough to pick up on the cues between the two.

“After he dumped me, I naturally sought comfort in Mom. I can’t tell you how many nights she held me and listened to me cry.”  A slight smile played at her lips as she let out a weak laugh.  “Poor woman, consoling a twenty-two-year-old nightly for longer than the relationship had lasted.  I wasn’t interested in men for a long while after that.  Mom… _expressed concern_ the way mothers do.”  She paused and looked at Claire with sincere eyes.  “While she wanted me to find love, she didn’t want me to go through that pain again.  Mom never pressured me, even when I was painfully slow on developing my relationship with Gray.  I think she might always see me as that crying, heartbroken girl.  And now that I’m happy, I think she’s afraid that I don’t have a strong enough backbone to hang onto Gray.”

“Because of me,” Claire muttered, letting out a sigh. “She thinks I’m a threat, doesn’t she?”

A sad smile spread across Mary’s mouth and she leaned closer to her friend. “If she does, I think she’s scared because you and Gray have so much in common,” she explained, giving her hands a squeeze.

Claire let out a bitter laugh. “That couldn’t be further from the truth.  I couldn’t start a meaningful conversation with him after trying for months.”  She paused, feeling that strange sense of detachment she noticed the night before.  “I’m okay with that now.  I… I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s… _alright_.  Gray just wasn’t into me like he is with you.  I’m not going to try to fight that anymore.  I… saw how happy you two were last night… during the fireworks…”  Stating that she had been watching them made her a little embarrassed and she was afraid to look up at her.

When their eyes did meet, Claire was shocked to see Mary’s calm expression. There was a hint of pinkness in her face but she didn’t look flustered at all.  “We… _are_ very happy, despite our ups and downs.”

“I’m glad. Your mum doesn’t need to worry about me trying to steal him away from you.  You… _know_ that, right?”  She shyly looked back up at her, sitting up straight and taking her hands back.  “I realized he’s not what I’ve been looking for,” Claire admitted.  A hint of rosemary wafted from their tea into her nostrils.  Thoughts of the young man with the long brown hair filled her mind and she fought back her blush, twirling a blonde strand in her fingers.

Mary watched her curiously with a nod. “What are you looking for?” she couldn’t help but ask.

Claire was shocked at her friend’s boldness, but she also found it refreshing. “And I’m not sure, but… I…”  She paused, her cheeks flushing uncontrollably.  “I-I’m, uh… ah, I’m exploring some new feelings with someone else.”

She was grateful that Mary didn’t pry further, and she wondered if she knew who Claire was referring to. A warm smile covered the librarian’s lips as she took a drink of the tea.  “Well, I wish you both well, from the bottom of my heart.  I know that I said you looked pretty back at the Midsummer’s Dance, but you looked absolutely stunning last night.  Please, have a scone.  Carter’s recipe.”

“Thank you!” Grateful for the compliment, and eager to try one of the priest’s recipes, Claire helped herself to a scone and bit into it with a happy sigh.  It tasted like something her mother would bring home from the fancy bakery down the street on occasion, but it wasn’t as large.

“I decided to change it up a bit at the last minute. I used dried cranberries instead of raisins and threw in a bit of lemon zest.  I was thinking of the lemon curd crepe from last night.”

“They are wonderful. Hey, you looked really nice, too.  At the festival, I mean,” Claire was eager to say before the subject changed too much.  “That yukata was so pretty.”

“Thanks. It was Mom’s, but enough about her.  I am still shocked at how Saibara and Cliff hijacked the bon dancing!”  She let out a soft giggle as she helped herself to a scone and bit into it with a grin.  “Those two are an interesting duo, and I can tell Saibara’s been itching to cut loose like that for a while now.”

“Yeah, they both looked really happy. I haven’t done the bon since I was a girl, and I’m surprised I kind of remembered how to do it!  It was _so_ much fun!”  She bounced a bit in her seat in her excitement.  “The music, and the beat, and everyone just having a good time…  Cliff sure looked amazing…”  Her voice trailed off as she bit thoughtfully into her scone, a dreamy look spreading across her entire face.

Mary gave her a knowing smile. “You both did.”

Claire dismissed this with a giggle and wave of a hand, but her cheery expression only grew as she continued to ramble on about the magical evening before.

0o0o0o0

Karen’s green eyes lit up as the tinkling of a bell signaled Claire’s entrance into the grocery store. The brunette clumsily shoved the remaining bags of rice on the shelves and twirled with a giggle.

“ _Let us come and play with the stars~_ ” Karen’s sweet alto rang throughout the store.

There was no one else in the room except for a cheerful Jeff who was sweeping to the rhythm of his daughter’s song. Claire, still on her high from gushing about the festival with Mary, surprised herself when she sang the next line.“ _And celebrate all that we are~_ ”

The three of them sang in unison. “ _Al-right! And when the fireworks burst/ We’ll all forget our worst/ And our troubles that are near will be far~ (To-night!)”_ They finished amid giggles.

“Well, listen to you! You’re not half bad, y’know!” Karen laughed, catching her friend in a big hug.

“Maybe you could do a duet at the Music Festival this year,” Jeff chimed in, happily going back to work with his broom.

His perky personality and ease of movement was unusual; Karen’s father often had a pale face and a hand gingerly resting on his stomach. It was a welcome change.  “You look well.”

He let out a happy laugh. “I’m feeling great!”

“I gave him a couple bottles of my stash of ginger beer to settle his stomach. Honestly, I think most of it is the fact that we had a day off.  What do you think, Dad?”

Jeff considered this. “Well, I won’t say that hurt things,” he replied with a chuckle.  “I would like to take some more time off, but you know how your mother feels about that.”

He did put in a lot of hours, Claire realized. As she knew all too well, overworking added to stress, and a lot of his ailments seemed to revolve around his anxiety.  She waited for Karen to volunteer to watch the shop in his stead, but she never did. _Everyone has different relationships with their parents_ , the farmer reminded herself.  Perhaps Jeff was the only one who handled the money; it really wasn’t her place to ask.

When Karen gave a shrug and a hum of agreement, Claire began to focus on filling her grocery basket with her usual staples. “Huh…  Do you know if Cliff likes yogurt, Karen?”

Her friend shrugged. Karen was certain he would think anything Claire gave him to eat was amazing simply because of who was serving it.  “That kid will eat pretty much anything you put in front of him.  Buying some employee rations?”

Claire nodded and hesitated before she added a pack of premade rice balls to her basket; simple things that were easy to prepare and serve were nice, and he had never complained in the past, but she felt like Cliff deserved better. She shook her head and put the onigiri back; _no, he deserved_ _the best_.  She put a tub of yogurt into the basket along with a couple of peaches and bananas and her eyes wandered toward the small cooler of meat for sale.  A steak might be nice – she could cook it over a campfire just like he showed her with the fish.  A crusty loaf of bread Sasha had baked and a small jug of milk – did Cliff like french toast?

Karen wasn’t blind to the careful choices her friend was making. Claire typically purchased the cheapest things she could afford; something must have happened the night before between her and Cliff, and she was painfully curious. 

“Hey, Dad, can I lend Claire a couple of pans and the hotplate? She’s gonna need them if she’s buying meat.”

Jeff’s fingers danced over the cash register’s keys. “Sure, just don’t touch any of the copper-bottomed stuff.  Your mother doesn’t even lend those out to Manna or Anna.”

“Alright.” Karen hardly waited until Claire was finished paying to snatch her to the arm and pulled her back to the living quarters, tossing her bag of groceries in the refrigerator.  “Alright, girl.  Spill.”

The blonde looked up at her friend with wide blue eyes. “Huh?  Is something wrong?”

She was surprised to receive a ruffle of the hair and a giggle in response. Karen hadn’t realized how serious her tone of voice sounded.  “No, silly, I just wanted to talk about last night.”

“It was amazing, huh? I had no idea that the setup for the whole thing was going to be so elaborate!  Ah, the decorations and the stalls!  Did I tell you Cliff and I went turtle scooping?  The baby turtles were soooo cute!  Did you get a chance to see them?” she squealed, hopping up and down a bit in her excitement.  “Or should I say, did you _sea_ them?” she continued without missing a beat.  “And then Cliff picked out a tanuki figure that had realllly big assets, but don’t tell because it’s a surprise gift for him!  He says he sees them in the clouds, but I think he only says it to make me laugh.  Oh, and the guy running the turtle stall was a childhood friend of Gray’s.  Who knew, right?  And Stu ended up eating Ann’s missing cotton candy and you could see the dirt on his face from it; it was totally disgusting!”  Claire burst into giggles but continued, not giving much thought to the fact that half of these things wouldn’t make sense to Karen without further explanation.  “And Cliff is sooo sweet with the kids – I wish I could’ve made my little brothers respect me like that!  And I ate this super yummy red bean paste crepe.  Did you see the crepe stall?  It was amazing!  And the fireworks?  Ahhhh…”  Her face melted into a satisfied smile as she stared up at the ceiling with starry eyes.

Karen laughed and gave her a squeeze. “I take it you had fun?  You’re so cute it hurts sometimes, you know that?”

Claire curiously looked over her own outfit; while she had originally dressed to catch Cliff’s eye at the inn, she wasn’t expecting Karen’s strong reaction, and it likely wasn’t the clothes she was referring to as cute. At the admission that she was trying to get his attention, Claire felt her face warm.  “Ah, thank you…”

“I love seeing you happy like this! I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you _this_ excited.  It’s nice.  There couldn’t have been a better day to hold the festival, too.”

The clear sky had been wonderful above the fireworks, and the temperatures were comfortable. “It was nice that it wasn’t too hot.”

Karen could still picture her two friends curled up together on the edge of the pier, blind and deaf to the rest of the world around them. The pure innocence and affection surrounding them was simply adorable.  She couldn’t resist a mischievous grin.  “Good cuddling weather, huh?”

She was surprised to see a smirk on the blonde’s face. “You would be the one to judge, you flirt!”  Claire let out a soft giggle at the memory of her friend sneaking off to have some time alone with her boyfriend.  While Karen and Rick were an unusual pair at first glance, their comfort around each other brought a happiness to Claire’s heart.

“Well, I think you can agree one of the nicest feelings in the world is the warmth of a sweet, loving man’s arms around you.”

The blonde found herself nodding in agreement before she could stop herself. In her own surprise, she burst into happy giggles and Karen joined along, forcing herself to stop from prying further, her fears and frustrations from her new emotions that morning a distant memory.

“W-we… we can agree Cliff is… _sweet_ , right?” she asked shyly, averting her eyes as her face quickly turned to a rosy hue.

Karen bit back a smirk. “Sure.”

A grin kept spreading across Claire’s lips, but she continually bit it back. “I told him that he was,” she continued boldly, playing with her fingers.  “He seemed… really happy.”

Karen watched her curiously. After her friend had voluntarily offered the information, she found it impossible to resist.  “Claire… are you trying to tell me something?”  She patiently waited for the young woman to begin gushing about her new love.

She suddenly looked back up at Karen, her sapphire eyes wide and her brows furrowed a bit. “I-I don’t know what I’m trying to say… or…  I do, maybe…?”  She wasn’t quite sure how to express why she was so scared with all of these new changes.

The brunette tilted her head and frowned.

“I’m just learning a lot about myself right now… about my feelings and emotions… Sorry, I didn’t mean to get carried away.”  Claire gave her friend a cautious smile.  “I thought I knew all there was to know about myself…  I guess I’m full of surprises, huh?”

“Yeah, you’re like a piñata filled with candy and toys!” Karen had been there herself many times, and she wasn’t about to judge her best friend for taking time to be honest with herself.  Her laughter died down and she pulled her friend into a warm embrace.  “Hey…  I don’t think you need to feel like you got carried away.  You’re allowed to have fun and laugh.  I love you, Claire.”  She kissed the top of her blonde head and held her close.  “I’m always up to talk about anything, okay?”

“Thank you. I love you, too, Karen.”

She was given one last squeeze and a giggle. “Alright, let’s get you that hotplate and a couple of pans so that you can cook a feast for your lackey!”  She reached into the cupboard and produced a couple of pots, clanking them loudly as she shuffled through the cabinet.

“Aw, you make it sound like I have to lure him in with food to make him stay.” Claire mock-pouted, retrieving her bag of groceries from the refrigerator.

 _Yeah, right. He’d stay even if he had to do the cooking, all the farm work, and didn’t get paid!_  Karen snorted.  “Nah.  Once the season slows down a bit, I demand another cooking lesson!  I want to cook something for my family sometime and have them actually want to try it.”

“What do you want to try to cook?”

“Pizza!” Karen pumped her fist excitedly, dropping the pans into a canvas bag that always housed their hotplate, handing it over to her friend. She led the way to the door and opened it for her.

“Well, pizza is actually pretty easy. That seems like a good one to try,” Claire commented as they made their way back onto the sales floor.  “We can have a pizza party and My Dear Princess marathon!”

“Yes!” Karen ruffled her friend’s hair. “Sounds awesome!  And a slumber party!”

The two were giggling with delight when the sound of the bells on the shop’s door sounded, signaling a new arrival.

“I’m back! Anna says hello.”  Karen’s mother gave them a smile as she entered the room.  “Hi, Claire.  Ah, borrowing the hotplate, I see?”  Sasha recognized the bag as she stepped a bit closer, a breezy smile on her face.  Anna had offhandedly told her that Claire was visiting with Mary after her daughter had brought a plate of scones upstairs, giving her mother a few words in that passive-aggressive manner she had learned from her.  She was surprised to see the farmer at her own place with her daughter so soon.

“She’s cooking meals for her hired help,” Karen explained. “There’s only so much you can do with tomatoes, corn, and spa-boiled eggs.”

Sasha gave the farmer a kind smile and pulled a box of curry roux off of the shelf, along with a bag of rice, a few carrots, and a couple potatoes. Whether it was because she pitied her after the way Anna had talked about her earlier, or the fact that she was entertained by the juicy gossip, Sasha wasn’t quite sure.  Either way, Claire was someone’s daughter and her heart felt touched.  In addition, she wanted to believe that Anna had been worked up over nothing.  “Curry is Cliff’s thing, right?  Free of charge.”

“S-Sasha!” Jeff looked surprised.  He was normally the one being scolded for giving away free merchandise.

His wife dismissed his concern with the wave of a hand. “Claire brings in plenty of money for us as it is.  You know she’ll be back soon enough to buy a load of seeds.  Here you go, sweetie.  You have any cayenne at home?  Add a touch of that and it’ll be irresistible.”

Claire nodded as thanked her profusely and added the items to her bags.

Karen raised a curious eyebrow. Claire knowing their friend’s favorite things was one thing, but her mother was another.  “How did _you_ remember what Cliff likes, Mom?”

Sasha gave a shrug. “You mentioned it at the Cooking Festival, right?  Besides, it was my sister’s favorite, too.  She was the one who liked adding the extra spice.”

“Thank you again, Mrs. Blanchette. I’m sure Cliff will appreciate it, too.”  She was never sure how to address her friend’s mother.  Claire had always referred to Jeff by his first name because all of his customers did.  She wasn’t quite sure why Sasha was a different case.

Anna was sorely mistaken, Sasha realized. She shook her head with a laugh; she had seen enough positive changes in her daughter through their interactions to be convinced Anna was just being insecure.  “Sasha is fine, you silly girl.”

“Alright. Well, thank you again.  Y’all have a good night!”  She waved to them with a cheery grin as she headed back outside, unaware of her best friend’s stifled giggles.

Practically skipping across the cobblestones, Claire headed home, humming an upbeat melody from the night before. The glow that she had in her heart when she awoke that morning had returned, and she hurried back to Mystic Acres, a little surprised at how giddy she was at the thought of working the next day.

She shook her head. It wasn’t the work – it was the company.  Now aware of the emotions that had been bouncing around in her heart, she couldn’t tell if she was nervous or excited.  She finally decided on the latter as a grin spread across her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, and following! I hope that you enjoyed! I’m always open for suggestions, ideas, or if you want to talk about your own stories, feel free to drop me a line!
> 
> We haven’t seen much of Anna yet, and I hope I did her justice. I wanted her to come off as protective, but well-meaning. However, I also wanted her to be hostile if threatened. There are also a few hints about the nature of her relationship with Basil here, another character that I’m hoping will be making some more appearances in the future.
> 
> We also get a new last name in this chapter – the Blanchettes! I wanted a French surname as Jeff looks French to me, and Blanchette means “pale” which I think works for someone who is often sickly, poor guy. I also like the way the name sounds with everyone in the family. :)
> 
> Thanks again for reading! :D


	74. The Dumont Reports

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire works on some correspondence to send home to her parents and thinks back on the day she announced her plans to move to Mineral Town.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_Things are going well at Mystic Acres. Since the end of the summer growing season is coming up, I have a lot of things to harvest before the cool weather sets in.  Cliff and I came up with an arrangement where he’s helping me out with the crops every day until this season is done._ _While I know there is a sense of pride in doing it all myself, it’s gotten beyond the point where I can manage it alone._

Claire frowned and shook her head, erasing the latest sentence she had just composed. That wouldn’t do.  She didn’t feel like telling her parents that she hadn’t planned properly, especially when she was still trying to convince them that she had made the right choice by leaving her steady accountant position in favor of something new.  She was determined to focus on the positives for her report back home.

_I’m really enjoying getting to work with my best friend, and he’s a hard worker, too. We make a really good team._

That sounded much better. That new feeling of warmth spread through her belly and up to her chest.  She set down her pencil and closed her eyes gently, her hands resting over her heart as she focused on the feeling.  It was soft.  It was gentle.  It made her relaxed and full of energy at the same time.

Eyes the same color as the deep ocean. The lovely sound of his warm tenor with that endearing folksy lilt.  The scent of rosemary and mountain air.  The tender touch of his calloused hands.

“Oh, Cliff…” she murmured, her quiet voice nearly inaudible. She breathed in deeply and let out a happy sigh.  The young woman’s eyes opened at the sound of Koro’s nails tapping on the wooden floor.  The puppy approached her and sat against her hip, letting out a squeaky yawn.  “Hey there, Cutie.”  She gave the top of his head a rub and he looked up at her with large, soulful eyes, begging her not to stop.  “You’re a bit of a flirt, you know.”  She laughed aloud when she got a snort in response and Koro rested his chin on her thigh, nuzzling the denim.  Claire continued to pet him with her left hand as she wrote with her right.

_I don’t know what I’d do without such great friends here._

Shaking her head, she erased once more, brushing the pink eraser dust on the floor. Although the line had come naturally to her, it could easily be interpreted as her struggling on her farm if she didn’t have others to rely on, and that simply wouldn’t do.  Dumonts never showed signs of hardship – doing so was embarrassing and gave off the impression that one was weak.  Therefore, all letters Claire sent back home were full of nothing but good news and mild boasting.  If she were completely honest about it, she disliked writing to her parents because it always felt like a bit of a lie.  It was a twisted, convoluted game – struggling to navigate her way through words and phrases in an effort to make them all sound positive.  It was almost like writing a persuasive essay, and she hated it.

Claire sighed as she wiggled her pencil between her fingers, watching the instrument appear to bend like rubber in her loose grip – a fun illusion she had learned as a child. No one pressured her to keep up her letter writing when she moved out of home for the first time; she rarely received more correspondence than a birthday card and a New Year’s card after she had moved into her own apartment.  Every time she had tried to call, she got voicemails or she always managed to catch either parent as they were heading out the door or in the middle of a very pressing project.  After seeing how close Ann and Doug were and witnessing Karen laughing and singing with her father, Claire couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.  Even Mary was gaining the courage to talk a bit more honestly with her mother.

Claire could still remember the day she visited her parents to tell them about her decision to move. She hadn’t given herself much time between her purchase of the house and her move in date, and she was already in the process of selling her belongings off when she came to visit.  She had reasoned if she was already in the process, they would have a hard time talking her out of it, as she had a feeling they were likely going to try.

It had been a mug of Earl Grey that sat on the table between the palms of her hands that snowy evening, but it wasn’t the cold that was making her fingers tremble as she watched her parents take their seats with matching cups of black coffee. Her mother placed a plate of colorful bakery macarons in the middle of the table and her brothers eagerly reached.

“If you’re eating, you’re sitting down,” Yvette ordered with a mix of sternness and playfulness that only a mother could master.

“So, is everything alright, Claire?” Her father offered her a sweet from the tray, his brows furrowed a bit in concern. 

The young woman nodded and chose a green one, hoping it was lime or pistachio. She stared at the round dessert on her plate, too embarrassed to look up as she murmured her thanks.  It was rare for them all to get to be together for a meal like this, and she knew that it was because she had specifically asked if she could speak to them both; she had an announcement to make, referring to it as “exciting news” over the phone.

“Armand, of course she’s alright! This is our little Claire.  Let me guess, you got a promotion at the firm.”  Yvette’s eyes were glittering as she inhaled the dark, pungent scent of coffee.

“Claire became president!” Byron shouted out.

“No, Queen!” Lucas was determined to top his older brother. “Queen of the numbers!”

“She became the math-magician!” Unable to really explain what an accountant did to a couple of children under the age of six, Claire simply told her brothers that she worked with numbers and did math and counting for a living.  The young woman couldn’t help but smile; they had broken up the tension in the room – for her, anyway.

Their father was losing patience. “Let Claire speak, kids.”  It was a phrase that she had heard several times throughout her childhood, often spoken to her older sisters, and now more frequently to her rambunctious younger brothers.  She had a tendency to slip through the cracks due to her much more verbal family members. 

Now that the reason for their meeting revolved around news of hers to share, she realized that she couldn’t hide behind the noisy boys anymore. Her confidence in her announcement deflated and her throat closed up a bit.  “Ah, i-it’s not a promotion, but rather… a change in careers.”

“You were offered something different?” Yvette looked over her coffee curiously.  “Did someone from corporate take an interest in you?”

“Did you end up taking that subway lad’s offer at Peachtree International?” Armand’s face lit up as a grin spread across his lips.

Claire sunk further down into her seat and she wished that she could melt through the floor. The mere mention of that embarrassing interview made the blood rush around her ears.  After telling her parents several times she wanted nothing to do with that man or his company, she was annoyed they were still bringing it up.  She shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat.  The young woman took a quick sip of tea for good measure and pulled the wrinkled, folded up newspaper insert from her pocket, smoothing it out and placing it in the middle of the table with an inaudible gulp.  The bright colors caught her parents’ eyes, along with the headline, “A fulfilling future in agriculture awaits you in beautiful Mineral Town!” blaring across the top.  It suddenly looked hopelessly corny and embarrassing to Claire, and at the sight of a large ear of corn decorating the bottom corner of the page, she disguised a weak chuckle as a light cough at her lame pun despite the seriousness of the conversation.  She folded her hands in her lap and stared at them, refusing to make eye contact.

“Agriculture?” Yvette tried the word in her mouth, but she shook her head. “Is there an agricultural firm out there that needs you for their financial department?”

“Uh… no.” Claire bit her lip and struggled to find the words as her parents looked at her curiously, her own eyes straying to her brothers who were quietly helping themselves to more macarons.

_Just say it._

“I-I… I purchased a large piece of property out there and I’ll be moving there in a week to run a farm.”

Armand blinked and stared ahead blankly. “A _farm_?  You’re pursuing a new career in farming?”

A frown spread across Yvette’s lips as she gave her daughter a concerned look. “What kind of farming?  What kind of property and how large?  Are you running it yourself?  I take it you’ve stopped by to check it out?  I didn’t even know you had an interest in being a farmer.  You have no experience.  How are you even planning on starting?”  Her voice’s pitch raised slightly in urgency and she was unable to hide the worried look on her face.

Claire wasn’t sure how to begin responding; it hadn’t hit her how rash her decision had been until she heard their reactions.

“Crops? An orchard?  Livestock?  Have you been researching it, Claire?  You’ve come so far with your accounting in the past couple of years.  Are you sure you want to just let that go?  You really had such a great position offered to you at Peachtree…”

Of course her father had to bring up the Peachtree proposition again. _Perhaps the whole idea really is foolish._

“A lot of farmers have a hard time making ends meet. Is this _really_ what you want to do?” Yvette’s blue eyes were wide with worry and she stood up, her hand accidentally pushing off of and crushing the dainty yellow macaron on her plate into a crumbly mess.

Seeing her mother behave less than gracefully was disturbing to Claire; she knew at that moment that she had made a huge mistake. Yvette’s eyes traveled to her husband, and Claire found herself watching him as well as he cleared his throat.

“Claire, let’s talk about this rationally.”

The young woman’s cheeks burned and she stared back down at the table’s surface. If anyone had been overemotional about all of this, it would be her parents, surely.  Still, she managed a small nod.  Perhaps she _had_ been too rash with her decision…  Maybe she should have given more thought before purchasing the farm in Mineral Town…

 _No, this is for_ you _! Don’t let them ruin it!_

Claire let out a tiny gasp at how defensive, feisty, and slightly mean-spirited her inner thoughts were becoming. Her eyes drifted to her mother, who was carefully wiping off the lemon cream and crumbled cookie off of her hand.

_She could have at least licked it off. Lemon macarons are delicious.  What a waste…  But I guess that’s why Mom’s the graceful one and I’m a bumbling fool…_

Armand’s voice brought her back to reality. “You’ve been working since you were sixteen.  Bussing tables and running the cash register before finally landing a desk job.  You were so happy when you got your receptionist position, and when the finance department saw your skills, they were happy to adopt you and pass on some more projects and hours to you…  Sixty-hour weeks.  Most people can’t score something that big at twenty-two.”

“I-I was twenty- _one_ when I was offered the position…”  Claire’s voice was nearly inaudible as she corrected him.  It had felt like an eternity ago – taking basic accounting courses on the side of her full time job had made the days go by so slowly.  She was _so_ exhausted from it all…

“Exactly my point, Claire. You’re making great strides despite your young age.  They were willing to take you on while you were still training in accounting.  So… _why_ do you want to throw that away for a job that’s going to be so much more work with a fraction of the pay?”

 _But I’ve been working far more than sixty hours a week! That_ doesn’t _include all of the work I bring home!_ Expressing this aloud would make her sound like a slacker; Claire bit her tongue as she felt her forehead gather beads of perspiration.  Her throat tightened and all she wanted to do was cry.

“I purchased the property already. It’s finalized.  I’m moving next week,” she replied, removing the emotion from her voice, lest she lose her nerve.

“I’m sure that if we speak to the realtor, we can come up with a reasonable solution,” Armand replied calmly, giving her a kind smile.

Claire bit her lip. She felt ready to burst with frustration.

“I bet there’s some sort of escape clause in that deed,” Yvette added, a bit more confidence in her voice. “We can help you find it.”

Claire found that her nails were digging into the palms of her hands, suddenly aware she was clenching her fists. “I don’t need a _solution_!  I don’t want to _escape_ from it!  I _want_ to live there!  I want something different and I found it!  Why is that so hard for you to understand?!”

The room fell silent; even the two boys stopped eating their sweets.

“Boys, run along now and wash your faces.” Yvette’s voice was quiet.  They looked eager to get out of the room.  Each boy cast their older sister spooked glances before hurrying off.

Claire gritted her teeth; she hated that her parents were behaving as if she was someone to be frightened of.

“Claire, what is this all about?” Armand reached his arm across the table to her.  He gave her hand a squeeze.  He looked at her with concerned eyes.  “Did that boy from Peachtree do something… _inappropriate_ to you?”

The young woman let out a cry in exasperation. “You’re not listening to me!  It has _nothing_ to do with Peachtree!  I want to do something _new_!  I don’t want to be someone’s doormat anymore!  I’m tired of living day in and day out exhausted and unhappy with what I do.  I’m sick of wishing for something more!”

“Claire, you’re twenty-two,” Yvette’s tone turned a bit sterner. “You’re far too young to start acting jaded.  This kind of attitude breeds laziness-”

Her daughter snatched her hand back and stood up, her chair screeching loudly on the wooden floor. “I just want something new!  Why does that have to be a bad thing?”

“You have to work your way up,” her father interjected, his brows furrowing at the fact that she had interrupted his wife. “Claire, you can’t expect great opportunities to just fall into your lap.  We taught you from a young age that you need to put in the time and effort for them!”

“Why can’t Mineral Town be a great opportunity?” Claire’s voice cracked as she gripped the edge of the table with white knuckles. “Why is this idea so _stupid_ to you?!”

Her parents both flinched as if she had used a strong curse word. Yvette blinked a couple of times in shock, startled at the fact that Claire was raising her voice at them.

“Claire,” Armand’s voice was steady and firm. He ran a hand through his pale hair.  “Why farming?  Why not use the skills you have?  Why something so vastly different?”

“You didn’t listen to me at all!” she cried. Shoving her chair in loudly, she refused to meet their gaze.

Yvette grimaced. She could tell that her daughter was upset, but she didn’t want her to do something she was going to regret.  “Darling, think about it.  You’re emotional and you’re setting yourself up for failure…”

“I quit my job at the firm! My notice is put in with my landlord!  I’m going to Mineral Town next week, whether you like it or not!  I just…  I just wanted you to be _happy_ for me.”  Claire’s voice cracked and heavy tears tumbled out of her eyes before she could stop them.

Armand slammed his fist on the table, causing both women to jump. “Next week?!  Why are you only now just telling us?!”

“Because I knew you’d try to make me change my mind!” she sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

“Did it not occur to you that there might be a reason for that? We’re your parents, Claire.  We have more experience than you about these kinds of things.  You don’t want to just throw away what you have for something like this.  Think about it.”

“You _never_ listen to me!”  Her voice rose into a shriek.  “I’ve followed your rules my whole life, and I don’t understand why I’ve never earned your trust!”

“It’s not about trust, Claire. It’s about experience.  You’ve worked so hard for these things that you’re just throwing away,” Yvette frowned, “in favor of _what_? _Adventure_?  Life isn’t a fairy tale; I thought we taught you that years ago.”

“We Dumonts have our pride and always play to our strengths. You’re a city girl, Claire.  You’re _not_ a farmer.”  There was a tone of finality to Armand’s statement.

Claire often admired the way her parents acted as two parts of a whole. They were a well-oiled machine, complementing each other; she sometimes wondered if they shared a brain.  That day, Claire had learned just what a formidable force the two of them were combined, and in that moment, she hated it.

She wanted to continue crying. She wanted to scream and yell.  However, she knew that these would only make her parents further believe that she was incapable of making her own decisions.  She wiped her eyes, choking down her emotion.  “If that’s how you really feel… then I’m sorry.”  She unhooked her purse handle from the chair she had been sitting in and slung it on her shoulder.  She hurried outside, deciding to take a further bus stop so that her parents wouldn’t come looking for her.  Claire shivered with cold and clenched her teeth.  She had left her coat on the rack by the front door.  She shook her head, her eyes becoming blurry once more from tears.  She would not go back to get her coat.

Dumonts had their pride, after all.

That had all taken place only a little longer than half a year ago, Claire realized, looking back down at her paper as she listened to Koro’s soft, rhythmic snores. In the time she had been here, she had only written a few reports to her parents, and no correspondence had been sent back from them.  What was she trying to tell them?  Was she trying to rub their faces in her successes?  Was she apologizing in some way for how she had ignored their advice and stormed out of the house like a spoiled child?

_I… I want them to know I’m happy. That’s what they wanted for me underneath it all._

Things had changed so much since she lived in the city; it was a completely different life. It was something she had dreamed and wished for – something fresh and new.  She was her own boss, and the loving support she had gotten from Mineral Town was unexpected, but more than welcome.

This report – no, this letter – would be different than the rest of them. Claire looked down at her erased words and carefully traced her pencil back over them. 

_I don’t know what I’d do without such great friends here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I was a little nervous about posting this one, as it’s pretty OC heavy. I know I’ve written small sections with Claire’s mother in the past, but I was hoping to expand on their personalities and relationship with Claire in this one. After looking up how to properly shift into a flashback, I hope this scene wasn’t as jarring as some were in the past. I hope I was able to portray them as loving parents who mean well, but aren’t quite on the same page with their daughter, and I wanted it to connect with her fears of coming off as a city girl who doesn’t know what she’s doing with her life. I didn’t want to make her parents come off as outright villains, and I hope I succeeded in that. I also wanted to highlight the rashness of Claire’s decision to move to Mineral Town in the first place.
> 
> I might be posting chapters on this a little less frequently as I work on a few projects and prompts I’m working on for the next couple months or so. On top of that, I’m not in the best place emotionally right now (read: I’m a complete wreck), and this was extremely difficult for me to write. Maybe once a month? Every three weeks? I’m sorry, I just can’t make any specific promises right now, and I don’t think any of you will be tapping your foot, waiting for me to rush something that’s not written to the best of my ability. I’m just a bit tapped out at the moment. I want to write this happy and cheery section ahead well, but I have to be in the right mindset first. :/
> 
> (Archive of Our Own Folks - you are now officially caught up. This chapter was originally posted over a month ago. I'm really hoping to get the next chapter up for my birthday - Wednesday, but writing's been incredibly slow. Thanks so much for reading!)


	75. Attraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that she has realized she is drawn to him, Claire must remain on task while working alongside Cliff.

Koro was so pleased to see his friend visit that he nearly tripped him in the doorway. “Good morning.”  Cliff’s cheery greeting turned into a laugh as the young dog brushed against his legs while he removed his shoes.

The puppy wasn’t the only one who was excited to see him. “’Morning!”  Claire chirped, carrying a couple of bowls of yogurt layered with fruit.  Upon turning around, she caught a glimpse of his deep blue eyes watching her in that kind way they always did.  There was a light behind them that made her heart race, and the slight smile playing at his lips made her stumble a bit.  She let out a surprised squeak as she caught herself before she fell over.

“Are you alright?” He gave her a concerned look, helping her place the breakfast on the short table.

She poured a couple of glasses of water from her pitcher, annoyed at herself for behaving in such a foolish manner. “I’m fine.  Sorry about that.  I didn’t mean to worry you.”  The young woman quickly changed the subject.  A mere smile from him had never caused her to act this way and she didn’t want to make a fool of herself in front of him.  This was the man who had so tenderly kissed her hand a couple of nights ago…  “Uh, I…  I had a really great time hanging out with you the other night.”  She handed him a spoon and they took their seats.

He gave her happy nod, his own heart pounding with joy. “That might have been the most fun I’ve had a festival.”  His eyes were dancing as they drifted to the ceiling.  How could he even begin to thank Claire for her kindness and friendship?  His gaze curiously moved to a clothesline strung up behind her.  A couple of pairs of overalls hung on the line, among white cotton undershirts, flannel, socks…  His cheeks burned as he attempted to tear his eyes away from the cutesy panties hanging on the line.  Some were pastel, striped, or polka-dotted, and the back end on one had been embellished with a winking teddy bear’s face.  As much has he had tried to forget Claire’s mentioning of her lucky undergarments, the image had popped in his head from time to time.  He had no doubt in his mind that she had worn this so-called lucky pair the night of the festival.  He promptly put a spoonful of yogurt in his mouth in an attempt to distract himself; it wasn’t as if didn’t know what female undergarments looked like and he was acting immature by getting so embarrassed.  Still, his fantasies now had a concrete reference.  He wiped the goofy smile off of his mouth as he imagined a playful Claire dancing and shaking her hips in them.

“Not having to work there certainly didn’t hurt things,” Claire laughed, taking a drink of water. She observed the color in Cliff’s face.  He certainly looked happy, but a little out of it.  Perhaps he was happily remembering their evening together?  It was nice to think he treasured it as much as she did.

He tore his eyes from the clothes line and shyly met her gaze. This was no time to allow his thoughts to drift in that direction, especially when he was in her presence.  “That’s true.”  He thoughtfully took another bite of yogurt parfait, willing himself to calm down.  “The peaches in this are really good.” 

“I’m glad you like it!” Claire squeaked out, finding generous chunk of peach in her own bowl.  She was grateful she had decided to be a bit choosier at the grocery store; the gratitude on his face was well worth it.

“Thanks again for all of the food. I really enjoy getting to spend time with you like this.  It doesn’t even feel like work.  It’s like another day of play…”  His voice drifted off as the dreamy look vanished from his face and his eyes widened in embarrassment.  “Th-that’s not to say I won’t work hard, of course!”

“Well, n-now I’ll have to watch you more closely!” Claire laughed, battling with the violent flock of butterflies residing in her stomach. _Stop sounding like a creep, Claire! You make it sound like you want to stalk him!_   “… To make sure you’re actually working!” she added for good measure.

“Yeah, yeah…” He gave her a playful smirk as he set down his spoon, eager to focus his mind on work.  “We’ll have this work done before we know it!  Look how quickly we’ve cleared your fields so far.”

She gave a perky nod, but she couldn’t stifle the bit of sadness she felt in addition to this. Could she talk Cliff into working with her next season?  No.  This was her farm, and she should intend on running it alone, she reminded herself.  Plus, with her planned addition of a kitchen, hiring help probably wouldn’t be in her budget.  It was best to enjoy the moment while it lasted; after all, it wasn’t as if she could ask Cliff to work for her for free, especially when she knew he didn’t have a permanent job of his own.  Claire’s stomach twisted uncomfortably.  What _was_ he planning on doing? _Right, hunting season’s coming up and he looks so excited for it.  He’s going to do great!_   She remembered the clanking of coins as a sour Won handed them over to Cliff the night before.  Her friend definitely had a bit of extra money he was sitting on at the moment.  While she was a bit frustrated at how frazzled her thoughts were this morning, there was something exciting about it.  She nodded happily to herself and noticed Cliff was flashing her a smile; he had likely taken her body language as a reaction for what she had been talking about.  “Right, the fields _are_ getting done fast!  There’s no way I could’ve finished it myself.  I owe you so much.” 

“Again, you don’t need to thank me,” Cliff recited the same way he had been doing most mornings. They exchanged warm smiles and ate in silence for a couple of minutes.

Claire finished her bowl and stood up, her mind turning to business. “Rick and Popuri are going to be stopping by within the next few days to harvest the corn, so we don’t really have to worry about that.  Gimme your plate and I’ll clean them before taking care of the chickens.  I’ll be out to join you in the fields in just a moment.”

“Sounds good. Thanks again.”  Cliff stood up and walked over to his friend, hesitating before throwing his arms around her in a deep hug. 

Claire felt her knees go weak as she returned the unexpected but very welcome embrace, enjoying the warm comfort of his body against hers. Yes, something about this just felt right.  All too soon he let go, giving her a playful smile.  “Let’s get to work!  No slacking now, Claire!”

She gave a pout when he let go of her and pretended it was in response to his words. “I never slack!  I better see a full bushel of tomatoes when I get to the fields!”

He gave her a salute and laughed. “Yes, ma’am!”  His eyes once again flicked to the cutesy teddy bear winking at him and his cheeks burned as he quickly turned on his heel and hurried to put on his shoes.  “I’ll shoot for a bushel and a half!” he challenged, giving her a quick grin before hurrying outside.

Claire’s gaze turned toward where Cliff had been looking and her face caught on fire as she noticed her panties hanging on the line. She couldn’t believe she had forgotten to take the laundry down.  Cursing under her breath, she took the clothing down and folded it, stuffing it into her cardboard boxes.  Did he think she was attempting to seduce him, leaving her undergarments on display like that?  She pulled down her pair of lucky panties from the line and laughed at the absurdity of the idea.  He was likely laughing as well, she realized with embarrassment; the pair of underwear was rather silly-looking.  Still, the thought of him knowing what the underwear looked like caused a jolt of electricity to run through her.  It was as if he was in on a secret.

She took her time washing the bowls in the basin she left by the refrigerator. She wanted Cliff to know her secrets, and she longed to hear his.  They had shared so much with each other recently, she realized.  Their relationship was flourishing at a rapid pace.  She wondered if it made his stomach feel giddy as well.

0o0o0o0

“It’s uncomfortable, but I’m not in extreme pain or anything,” Cliff insisted.

His friend pulled the floor cushions beside each other and gestured him to take a seat as she retrieved her first aid kit. She knelt beside him with a kind smile, taking his hand in hers.

“Either way, something needs to be done about it. It doesn’t look too big, but it’s in there pretty deep,” Claire observed after turning his palm over in her hand.  She opened the latch on her first aid kit and retrieved a pair of tweezers, handing them over.

He fussed with the tool in his right hand, frowning after a minute or two of attempting to remove the splinter. “Ugh, it just doesn’t want to come out.”

Claire dabbed a bit of salve on his hand and shot him a kind smile. “There.  Drawing salve will help work it out.  Gimme the tweezers.  I had a lot of practice the other day when I was building that pen for my chickens.  I think I need to buy a thicker pair of gloves for that kind of work.”  He handed them over, a little grateful to be given a break from trying to do it himself.  She gently cupped her other hand to hold the one she was working on and he fought back his blush.  “I’ll need to mend that basket.  I’m sorry you got hurt on it.”

Cliff gave her a small shrug. “It’s really not that bad.  It’s just a splinter.  I should’ve had my gloves on anyway.”  He let out a small sigh; the weather had been so hot that he removed them for a short while.  He was regretting it now.  He caught her staring, and he hoped it wasn’t a sign of her feeling guilty about his mild injury.  “Besides, I’m practically ambidextrous, remember?”

A sly smile spread across her lips. “Practically, but not quite.  You favor your left hand, after all.”

His face warmed at the fact that she had noticed this small detail about him. “I’m… surprised you could figure that out.”

She felt a small wave of embarrassment; would he think it was strange she had been watching him closely enough to notice something like that? She had admittedly struggled taking her eyes off of him today…  He had caught her staring a few times but never said anything about it.  A small smile played at Claire’s lips; Cliff was far too polite to call attention to something like that.  “Got it!” Claire cried triumphantly, removing the small shard of wood.  “How does it feel?”  She lightly ran a finger over his palm.

“Ah, much better. Thanks.”  He closed his fingers over hers and gave them a playful squeeze.

“Uh-huh…”

She found that she didn’t want the moment to end. Her breath caught in her throat as she wondered whether he was going to move her hand back to his lips the way he did the night before.  Their eyes locked and she felt a flutter in her heart.  This felt so familiar and new at the same time.  A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he let her hand go, standing back up a bit regretfully.

“Alright, I promise to put on gloves now. Sorry about all that.”  Despite his friendly expression, it was still apologetic.

“You didn’t have to get up.” The voice that escaped Claire’s voice was dangerously close to a whine.

Cliff sat back down so quickly she thought for a brief moment that he had fallen onto the seat cushion beside her. “But, there’s still a lot of work to be done…”  His protest sounded rather weak as his lips shyly turned upward.

Claire leaned forward and gave him a light shove on the shoulder, giggling. “Hey, _I’m_ the boss!  Whatever I say goes!”

“ _Whatever_ you say?”  Cliff’s eyebrows rose.  He looked at her suspiciously.  His gaze moved to the floor in embarrassment at his own thoughts that were swiftly turning suggestive.  He forced his mind back to reality.  “… As long as you don’t overwork yourself, I’ll be happy to do what you want.  This is a partnership after all, right?”

Claire recalled the words of the agreement and she spoke a little louder than she meant to. “Yeah!  P-partners!  I think I remember agreeing to something like that!”  What if he was her partner all the time, and not just for work?  What if they could walk together like they had the night before, arms linked, smiling and laughing?  They could share an evening of happiness together, musing about their dreams and their futures as they watch the sun sink behind the horizon on the farm.  As the fireflies would rise into the night, they could find a comfortable spot alongside the river on her property and they could sit together again.  If it got chilly, she could move a bit closer to him.  A marvelous, bubbly feeling rose in her stomach and traveled up to her heart, and she struggled over whether or not to quell it.

 _What if he_ becomes _my dream? Is this feeling okay?  He’s my best friend, after all…_

Had he not been smiling as well the night before?

She was drawn back to reality, and she couldn’t tell if she was alright with this or not. “Well, good.  So is this a scheduled break?” he asked.

“A proper snack break!” she retorted importantly. “I put some tomatoes in the watering hole to cool.  I thought we could eat them outside by the river.”  At the realization that she was attempting to somewhat recreate her fantasy, she felt her cheeks get hot.  There were no dreamy fireflies involved or a clear sky of stars above them, but she was willing to settle for what was available now.

0o0o0o0

“I’m sorry. You’re probably more than sick of tomatoes by now,” Claire apologized glumly as they stepped outside under the partially cloudy sky.  When they started had working together, she had made the same offering every afternoon and she was glad but a bit surprised he didn’t seem fazed by the lack of variety.

“They’re cold and juicy. I’m not about to complain,” Cliff replied, kneeling down by the watering hole to remove the net of rich, ripe tomatoes.  He passed one along to her and took one for himself, biting into it like an apple.

“Well, it looks like we have a bit of relief from the weather for right now.” Claire took the net bag of fruits in her hand and led the way to the river.  “It’s cooled down quite a bit with that rain yesterday, and it’s supposed to rain again later this week and stay cooler for a while.”

“Summer’s ending.” A hint of sadness resounded in the young man’s voice as he took a seat next to her.  “It’ll be time for a new start again.  For you, I mean.”  He turned the fruit in his hands.  “For me, too, I suppose.  I’m going to really have to buckle down.”

Claire wiped the tomato juice from her lips. “Hunting?”

He nodded, his mouth full. After a few more chews, he swallowed, letting out a small sigh of satisfaction.  “Once fall hits, I’m going to need to keep a closer eye on the wildlife.  I make most of my money by mid-fall.  Last year, Cain and I got a real big haul.  That’s how I was able to move in here,” he explained with a smile.

The sun broke through the clouds and Claire immediately felt the change in temperature. The bright rays sparkled across the ripples in the water like glitter; she had to squint.  “Did you know you wanted to move here in particular?”

“Uh-huh.” Cliff took another hungry bite from his tomato and gave her an enthusiastic nod.

“What drew you here? Did you want to move here all along since moving out of your parents’?”

“I honestly had no idea where I wanted to go when I left home. When I traveled to the outskirts of Mineral Town, I was drawn to it.  I can’t really explain it.”  He hesitated, his eyes staring at the water in concentration.  “Well…  Mother’s Hill looks an _awful_ lot like Akiyama.  It was… kind of shocking.”  He could still remember the tears uncontrollably streaming down his face as he discovered this area that gave off an aura of home. _Shocking_ had been a light way of putting it; he had found something that he thought he had lost forever.  He was eager to change the subject from himself.  If Claire knew how the state of things was when he left, she might not like him anymore.  It felt like a half-lie, avoiding telling her these details, but whenever he thought about it too hard, his heart began to race and he broke into a cold sweat.  After that, his emotions would quickly spiral downward as he shut out the rest of the world.  Dwelling on it did no good for anyone, he decided for now.  “What about you?  You said you found an advertisement for the farm and just went for it, huh?  Did you check out other farms first?”

Claire shook her head in embarrassment, watching a stick aimlessly bob along the water. “I probably should’ve.  It’s just, whenever I saw the ad, I lost all my sense of reason.  I had this uncontrollable urge to be here.  To do something different.”  She remembered the letter she had written the night before.  “My parents weren’t exactly thrilled with my decision, but I went for it anyway.”

Cliff let out a wistful sigh, shaking his head. “I know what that feels like for sure.”  He paused, rinsing the tomato juice off of his hands in the river.  Shaking his hands dry and wiping the excess water off on his handkerchief, he sat back down and stared at Claire, stone-faced. 

The smile vanished from her lips and she set down her tomato. “Cliff?”

He struggled to unfurrow his eyebrows, but the worried expression remained glued on his face. While he wasn’t ready to share what he had done to his mother, he didn’t want Claire to make the same mistake.  “Whether your parents are supportive of your decision or not…”  He swallowed the lump forming in his throat and seized her hands, his face going pale.  “D-don’t…  Don’t shut them out of your life.  You never know when you might lose your chance to make up with them.”

These words from anyone else would’ve put her in a defensive state. At seeing the pain in his eyes, Claire knew not to ask the details on his own situation at this time.  She was learning little by little as time went by, and she got the feeling he rarely shared any of this with anyone.  She looked down and squeezed his fingers, stroking their undersides with her thumb.  “I actually wrote them a letter last night.  I think they just wanted me to be happy.”  After ruminating on it the night before, it had become clearer to her.  “I know they wanted me to continue working as an accountant because I would make more money.  It still kind of makes me mad, because I feel like they wouldn’t listen.  I wanted something _new_.”  She paused, letting go of his fingers with a blush; her hand had lingered for far too long.  “Most of my letters to my parents in the past were more like progress reports, really.”  She paused, wondering if he would judge her for the lack of emotion she displayed for her parents.  She twisted a piece of blonde hair around her finger and frowned.  “But it’s not like I’m like a mindless robot or anything,” she insisted with a weak laugh.

“You didn’t want them to worry,” he replied logically, his voice soft. He supposed he could have done the same…

A smile appeared back on her face. “Exactly.  But last night, I also wrote all about my friends and the festivals and birthday parties I’ve been to.”  Upon seeing his facial features soften, her eyes shyly moved to his and quickly flicked to the ground.  “I-I hope you can meet my parents someday.  I think… they would really like you.”

His chuckle came out far more bitter than he was intending on. “I made a similar mistake to you when leaving my own home.  I did not leave on good terms.”  Despite his desire to keep every detail surrounding this incident hidden, he found he was voluntarily giving out information and it annoyed him.  “Perhaps they would think that I would be a bad influence on you for that reason.”

Claire didn’t comment on this, as she could see the discomfort on his face. She rested her hand on his and wished her own palms didn’t feel so sweaty.  “But you make me happy.”

Cliff’s heart jumped into his throat. They were good friends and it was a simple declaration.  He was likely reading into it too much, but it was exactly the kind of thing he needed to hear at the moment.  “Then I would be honored to meet them.  Especially if it made you happy, too.”

Her breath hitched at his sincere blue eyes and she disguised the sound as a happy giggle. She attempted to stabilize her breath as she moved in a little closer, as if an unseen force was drawing them together.  Leaning against his arm, she rested her head on his shoulder, watching the sunbeams dance across the water to a song none of them could hear.

“It would.”

This was all so new – the closeness, the bubbling emotions, the fondness reflecting in her eyes. Was it wrong to look at her best friend the way she once looked at Gray?  She bit her lip.  No, she wouldn’t let it turn into the same disaster; it already felt so different.  This sweet, kind, and gentle man was everything she didn’t realize she was craving and her heart pounded at this realization.

_It’s okay… I’m allowing myself to be happy._

The emptied tomato plants didn’t sway in the gentle breeze, but their leaves flapped like the infinite butterflies that were occupying Claire’s stomach. They were in broad daylight, no less, and she was behaving like this.  Anyone who walked through her property could see what they were doing.  They might get the idea that she was goofing off and flirting with a cute boy instead of working.  She buried her face into his shoulder with a soft sigh.  She didn’t care about those things at the moment.  It was after the festival and he still seemed comfortable being this close to her. 

_If he didn’t like it, he’d put some distance between us, right? But what if he’s just being polite?_

The shy hand moving around her waist scared away her doubts. Her tongue felt heavy as they shared a shy smile, looking out at the flowing river together.  Claire wasn’t imagining the feelings she had toward Cliff anymore – she was fond of him, she realized, swallowing the lump in her throat, and she was beginning to look at him with tenderness.  Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing.  Her heart swelled with satisfaction as she struggled to keep from nuzzling his shoulder – there was no need to come off too strong. 

A kiss in the future sounded lovely, she mused as her face caught on fire. She lifted her head and their eyes met.  He gave her a friendly smile and she gulped as her eyes focused on his lips.  Would they be soft?  Would he run his fingers through her hair as their lips were joined?  Would he whisper sweet words in her ear and beg for another kiss?  Would she be coy or grab him by the shoulders in response?  She was reminded vividly of her romantic dream not long ago…

_Ah, too much right now. Nope, no attempts at kissing now…  Let me just process this all first…_

She was so lost in her emotions that she didn’t notice the sneaky Koro behind them proudly trotting off with her half-eaten tomato in his mouth, carrying it to the shade of the apple tree to devour.

“I… enjoyed sitting with you the other night,” the young man murmured quietly. “The sky was beautiful, even after the fireworks.”

She nodded excitedly. “Yeah!  Uh, w-we can stargaze sometime!  I bet it would be a lot of fun!”

Cliff’s face turned burgundy. “You mean… j-just you and m-me?”

Claire’s eyes widened, and she realized she must have looked as terrified as he did. “Ah, Ann’s been wanting to stay the night here at the farm!  She can come, and Karen, too!  A slumber party!”  Realizing what she had said excluded him in this, she bit her lip in frustration.  It was more about what others would say – she didn’t mind Cliff staying at her house, but people like Anna would talk if they knew what was going on.  “Ah, I mean, the girls can stay over after we all watch the stars!  Ann’s been wanting to stay the night out here.”

“You already said that,” he pointed out gently. “If you want to do something with the girls, I don’t mind.”

“No!” she yelled a little too loudly. She briefly clamped her hands over her mouth.  “Ah, I mean… I w-want to do something with _you_ , too!  We could have one last hurrah before summer’s over, y’know?  I can invite Kai too, before he leaves.”

Cliff gave her a sad smile and shook his head. “Yesterday, he started going into what he calls ‘Move-Out Mode’.  He’s extending his hours to get rid of his remaining food that he can’t travel with and he’s organizing and packing up his stuff.  He wouldn’t even go downstairs for a beer with Gray.”

“Well, let’s go to his place for dinner tonight! I’ll save the beef curry for another night!”

Cliff’s eyes widened and Claire almost laughed aloud; he was practically drooling. “Ah, Ma used to cook it with red meat sometimes…  I haven’t had it like that forever…”

“Well, now you’re making me feel bad for putting it off,” Claire giggled.

“Ah, it’s fine.” He gave her a grin.  His eyes traveled to the apple tree where Koro was snacking on a tomato and he noticed the seeds and juice spurted on the ground beside Claire.  “Looks like our friend didn’t want to wait for special dinner plans.”  He cocked his head toward the young dog.

Claire let out a laugh and stood up, feigning a stern look in Koro’s direction. “Trent said you could have tomatoes as long as they’re ripe, but that’s no excuse for stealing!”  She jogged over to her pet and Koro looked up at her, giving her a bark in greeting.  “Curry tomorrow night!”  She gave Cliff a friendly wink before chasing after the dog.

He gave her a happy nod. “I don’t mind waiting,” he replied, standing up himself.  His heart pounded as he bit his tongue and watched her.  The blonde had scooped up the dog and tucked him in her arm, giving him a wave.  He waved back, his mind wandering to the festival.  Her contagious laugh, those smiling eyes that reflected on him throughout the evening, her quick wit as she effortlessly joked with him about the turtles, the warmth he felt in his heart as she rested her head on his shoulder, the delight he had experienced that she felt so comfortable around him…

He wanted that every day. He wanted to wake up to those gorgeous sapphire eyes and fall asleep to the warmth of her body innocently curled up beside him.

_Maybe someday…_

No, he didn’t mind waiting.

Claire gestured him over with a giggle and the beckoning of her finger. His feet moved automatically as he was drawn toward her.

There was something definitely special about this town, Cliff decided as he listened to the grass brush against his shoes. It wasn’t solely a _something_ , but rather, a _someone_ as well.  He remembered the promise he had made as they walked along the beach in their geta.  He would try his best this hunting season.  He couldn’t think of a better reason to, he reminded himself with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you for your patience as I have spent some time trying to recollect myself. I couldn’t resist posting a chapter tonight as a birthday present to myself. Writing this story makes me really happy, and I really do enjoy sharing it with all of you out there. Whether you’re an avid follower who has been reading along since the beginning, or a newcomer yourself, I am grateful for your time and support for this labor of love.


	76. The A-Maize-ing Harvest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally the day to clear out the corn for the Lockard family. Claire realizes with surprise that she is technically the head of the operation.

Claire rubbed her sleepy eyes, stumbling a bit as she walked across the creaky floorboards. The sun had yet to rise, and a dim light was beginning to peek through the gap in her curtains, limiting her vision to several dull shades of gray. 

A small part of her had toyed with the idea of resting her eyes for another few minutes, but she knew how dangerous that game could be. She had pulled herself out of bed, as closing her eyes sounded more and more inviting.  The house was silent, but the earliest birds were beginning their morning songs outside.  It was a far cry from the constant light pollution and soft din of the city in the early morning, but as she poured herself a glass of water, she couldn’t help but feel the same solemn stillness before a hard day of work she had grown so accustomed to then.  Her stomach twisted in anticipation of the busy day ahead, and it wasn’t unlike those quiet mornings in the city while she struggled to contain her trembling nerves on the bus to work.

_It hasn’t even been that long, has it? I wonder if they were able to finish those reports without me…  How are they getting along?_

She sat down cross-legged at her table and found herself reliving the memory. It had been so ingrained into her that she wasn’t soon to forget.  Those long hours as she became lost in the repetitive work – she could still remember the way her chair used to squeak at the front desk when she rotated her seat.

If she had allowed herself to become aware of how uncomfortable her office chair was, she would have had trouble focusing. She sat on the edge of her seat, craned over her desk; perhaps the discomfort had been due to poor posture more than anything else.  The numbers blurred before her eyes, her right hand moving automatically across the adding machine, the clicks and cranks her daily soundtrack.

_Type. Verify.  Correct?  Yes._

_Type. Verify.  Correct?  Yes._

It was typically nerve-wracking work. While it was overall a simple task, she had to be focused and accurate with the numbers, and the frequent calls at the front desk where she worked startled her and made concentrating difficult.  Claire allowed the rhythm to put her in a trance as she blinked her exhausted eyes.  There was a slight lull in calls, and she needed to take full advantage of this.  The young woman felt a familiar hand on her shoulder and stiffened.  She let out a tiny squeak as the pen wedged between her fingers tumbled to the floor, but she made no motion to retrieve it.

He was always laughing, and his chuckle caused her to jump a bit in her chair, earning one last amused snort. “There’s our little go-getter.  Claire, I can expect these reports to be complete by tomorrow morning, yes?” His voice was always friendly but had a resounding authority to it.

“O-Of course, Mr. Frederick.” She bit back a sigh, her dreams of eating microwave pizza and watching _My Dear Princess_ that evening dashed.  Not that it was _that_ luxurious of a plan to begin with…

“You’re always so formal,” he chuckled, slapping down the heap of files on her desk. Claire’s eyes widened; he hadn’t said anything about this new stack.  Papers threatened to flutter out, and Claire lurched forward to catch them before they fell.  He smirked as he watched her silky blonde locks fall into her face.  “I’ve told you before, you can call me Len.”  He leaned over her desk to straighten the files and brushed his hand accidentally against hers.

He was kind enough, but his touch always made her skin crawl. She had no intention of being his friend.  “I’ll have the reports done.”  She didn’t mean for her voice to sound so cold.

He let out an amused laugh. “Atta girl!  We could use more hard workers like you!”  He gave her a hearty thump on the back as he returned to his office, another employee quickly following him with a pressing question.

Claire’s stomach sank as she stared at the pile of paperwork. It wasn’t about missing what the Demon Lord on _My Dear Princess_ was planning this week – it was the seemingly inescapable mountain of work she could scarcely handle digging herself out of.  Out of fear for losing her additional hours and responsibilities, she had tried to be as agreeable as possible.  She had honestly thought it was the only way forward for a long time.  After all, she was “just beginning her climb up the corporate ladder”, as her parents had put it.  They had also said with a laugh that “no one likes who they work for”.

Her thoughts moved back to the present as Claire stood up and stretched, looking outside her window at the sun slowly rising on the horizon, illuminating her fields.

_No, this is completely different. I let myself get overwhelmed, but it was my own doing.  I’m in charge now, right?_

Turning toward the pile of folded laundry on the floor beside her bed, she set to dressing for the day. It was sure to be a busy one.  It wouldn’t be long until she got to share breakfast with one of her favorite people, she realized with a sudden heart throb and silly grin.

0o0o0o0

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Claire asked hesitantly, a little afraid she had come off as nagging at this point.

Popuri hoisted herself over the fence joining the two farms and dropped her basket onto the ground before she landed. “Oh, no, we’ll be fine.  Rick said it won’t take long, and Mom insisted that we bring along Zack to help.  It was kind of funny, really.  Rick made a big stink about it, saying that we didn’t need to bother him with this.”

“And we don’t!” Rick huffed, pushing a wheelbarrow. “We should have it done by the end of the week.”

Claire still couldn’t help but give the two siblings a skeptical look. She had a feeling they didn’t realize the sheer amount of corn they had purchased.  While they had seen it growing, she wondered if they realized how many ears were on each stalk.  She had planted a ridiculous amount the second day of the season, and in hopes of pleasing Gray, she had planted even more.  The result was comical; Claire was going to have a stash of dried corn for chicken feed to last her for a very long time.

She was about to volunteer her and Cliff’s services once more when she was startled by a sharp beep. It was Zack’s cart as he backed into the entrance of Mystic Acres.  He looked over his muscular shoulder and shot Claire a grin.  “Mornin’!” he called over the rumbling of the engine.

The farmer giggled and gave him a shy thumbs-up. The two had been working together for the past couple of seasons, and she was grateful that Zack always came prepared.  Despite his friendly mannerisms, he had a very commanding presence and Claire hoped to learn from him.  Cliff looked back and forth between the two, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

It was the day of the great corn harvest. Or, as Cliff had put it at breakfast, the a-maize-ing harvest.  Claire had said she was all ears for less corny suggestions, and before Cliff could think of a quip in reply, she pulled him by the wrist outside before no work got done at all that day.  Claire had suggested they help harvest the corn for a day because there was so much of it, but Popuri had refused right away, reminding her that the original agreement was for her and Rick to handle it.  At the sight of the cart, Popuri’s eyes widened; it was starting to sink in just how much corn they were to harvest that day.

Zack stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles. “I reckon between the five of us we should be able to knock this out by end of the day.  Half the corn, right?”

Popuri was eager to accept the assistance now, and she let out a soft giggle at the surprise on her brother’s face, who was looking back and forth between the cart and his own wheelbarrow. “Maybe it’s best we let them help.  I’ve been watching these two work, Rick.  They’re like machines.”

The farmer wasn’t sure whether to feel proud or flustered at her words. Her eyes scanned the fields and she realized with satisfaction that it wouldn’t be much longer until all of the tomatoes were harvested.  She instinctively reached for Cliff so she could hug his arm in her contentment, but she stopped herself with the extra company present.  There was a beat of silence between the two as their eyes met.  He gave her a fond smile before pulling on his gloves, his cheeks rosy as his eyes moved out toward the field.  Claire looked out at the corn stalks as well, oblivious to Popuri’s curious garnet eyes flicking back and forth between the two.

They took a methodical approach. Each person took a burlap sack of their own and set to filling it and adding it to the nearby wheelbarrow.  Zack’s portable radio was hanging from the handle of the wheelbarrow, playing oldies music for ambiance.

Claire realized with a bit of excitement that she was essentially the leader of this operation. It was time to prove herself; she could oversee a project.  “Please be sure to twist the ears off the plants instead of tugging,” she advised.  Her voice squeaked and was barely audible as she shyly ducked her head, afraid someone might think of her as bossy, or worse, make someone feel singled out.  She was most concerned about making Zack uncomfortable.  He was in his late thirties, significantly older than the rest of them, and she wanted to prove that there was a good reason he continued to work with her.  She cautiously looked up and everyone was hard at work filling their bags.  Rick and Zack had already started working with a fluid rhythm, and Popuri was humming and bobbing her head along to the music as she filled her bag.  Cliff, who was working by Claire’s side, gently nudged her shoulder with his, giving her a playful but reassuring smile.  A grin found its way back on her face as she dug into her work.

0o0o0o0

“Your turn, Rick!” Popuri chirped.

He shuffled the ears of corn in his bag and went right back to filling it once more. “How about… corn chowder?”

“Corn salsa,” Zack contributed without missing a beat. He had obviously been holding onto this answer while others were coming up with theirs.

Cliff paused for a moment and quickly picked up his pace, remembering their discussion was a way to keep working, not a break from it. “How about…”  He twisted off an ear of corn with a loud snap.  “Corn tortillas?”

Popuri made a buzzer noise. “We already said that!  Try again!” she giggled, eager to be the host of the game.

Again, Cliff fought the urge to stop and think. “Ah… corn…”  His pace slowed down as he thought.  “Corn bread!” he exclaimed triumphantly, earning a wave of approval and chuckles at his enthusiasm.  He turned toward his friend.  “Claire?”

Her heart swelled as he said her name. She was grateful she had been thinking of an answer of her own while he was lost in thought.  “Polenta.”  She smirked, getting ooohs and aaaahs at her creativity.

“Must be that cosmopolitan big-city lifestyle,” Zack replied with a grin, and Claire was only then aware of the drawl in his voice. It wasn’t a Mineral Town accent, though.

“How about candy corn?” A soft, feminine voice caught them all by surprise.

“Mom, that’s not actual corn,” Rick shook his head with a laugh. He froze and nearly dropped his bag in shock.  “Mom, what are you doing all the way out here?”

“Oh, it’s only next door! Besides, I thought you all could use a pick-me-up,” Lillia gave them a gentle wave as she approached them.  Her eyes traveled across the cart, which was heavily loaded with sacks of corn.

Both siblings perked up to attention. Popuri quickly relieved her of the basket and thermos she was carrying and Rick offered her his arm.

“Are you sure you feel alright leaving the house, Mom? How are you feeling?”

She let out a soft chuckle, but everyone could see that her face was rather pale just from the short trip. “I’m just fine.  I thought of all of you out here working so hard and wanted to contribute to the cause.”  She produced a rolled up blanket that she had tucked under her arm.  “How about a little break?  I’d imagine you’re pretty hungry talking about all the ways to eat that corn.”

Although they were all getting tired and a bit hungry, the main reason for the group’s agreement was to allow Lillia a moment to rest. Rick and Cliff unrolled the picnic blanket while Zack insisted on fetching a wooden crate from his cart for her to sit on.  Claire’s cheeks burned with embarrassment that she didn’t have much to offer for her to sit on, and she hurried inside for plates, cups, and a floor cushion to make Lillia’s seat more comfortable.

Lillia’s daughter hadn’t heard Rick’s comment earlier. “By the way, candy corn doesn’t actually have corn in it, Mom,” Popuri feigned a pout as she helped her sit down.

Lillia only gave her daughter a silly smile and stuck out her tongue. “Of course it does.  Corn syrup.”

Claire’s worry over the seating arrangements faded at seeing the pair giggle together. Despite Lillia’s ailment, she still had a quick wit and sense of humor.

Rick unpacked the picnic basket and among “You didn’t have to do all this, Mom” and “This is too much”, along with murmurs of thanks, sandwiches, pear slices, and cheese cubes were distributed among everyone.

While the Lockard family and Zack bit into their sandwiches heartily, Claire looked at the filling in confusion. It looked like a combination of mayonnaise and what looked like eggs, but it was a light shade of bubblegum pink.  Strawberry flavored, perhaps?  Cliff had already dug into his sandwich as well, but she got the distinct feeling after wandering so long, he wasn’t a picky eater and accepted all offerings with gratitude.  The bizarre color of the sandwich filling was less than appetizing and she worked on her fruit as she tried to puzzle what was inside the slices of bread.  She knew Lillia was a good cook after tasting her entry at the cooking festival, but the sandwich left her a little baffled.

She wasn’t aware that someone had been watching her closely. Popuri finished her cheese and took a quick first bite of her sandwich.  “The egg salad’s really good, Mom.”

“Ah, thank you.” Her eyes moved to Claire and her untouched sandwich.  “Ketchup.  I added a bit of it to the egg salad.  Rick started the trend, and now the whole family eats it that way.  Gives it a little bit of a tangy kick.”

The farmer could recall Popuri teasing her brother for putting ketchup on everything. Claire bit into it and was not disappointed.  Lillia’s homemade mayonnaise was much richer than what Claire had purchased in the past, and the owner of the poultry farm unsurprisingly had cooking eggs down to an art.

“I’m afraid it’s the only way I like it anymore, too,” Zack admitted with a soft chuckle. “Nothing beats it.”  His dark eyes flicked to Lillia and he looked away, stretching his neck, a slight dusting of blush on his cheeks.

Popuri’s posture suddenly became erect and she let out a tiny gasp, looking at the chicken coops across the fence. “What if we get a customer?  What if Pete calls and needs something?”

Lillia shook her head with a gentle smile, as if she knew Popuri would ask this sooner or later. “I gave him a call right before I left.  I told him you two were going to Claire’s.  He told me to say hello to everyone.  He ordered quite a few things, and I’ll make sure Thomas gets them before he heads out to the Valley today.”  At her son’s inquisitive look, she continued.  “He’s building a new brooder for his new set of ducklings, and he’s afraid that a couple of them are starting to show signs of Angel Wing, so he ordered a big bag of alfalfa pellets.  He seemed a little upset, but I told him that you could take a look at them soon, Rick.”

Finishing the last bite of his sandwich, he nodded. “They’re young; we have a good chance to reverse the damage and their wings will be fine.”  He gave Claire a reassuring look.  “It only really affects waterfowl.  Makes their wings stick out unattractively.  I think Pete was hoping to show those ducks in competitions on the side, though.”

Claire was a bit surprised to hear that the experienced farmer was running into any kinds of problems with anything. Pete seemed so perfect in her eyes.  She wondered what kinds of crops he was growing right now – surely something well thought out and organized.  She’d see him soon enough at the Harvest festival in Forget-Me-Not in a couple of weeks.

“How’s your little friend doing, Cliff? The one you wanted the giblets for back in spring?” 

Rick’s question caused Cliff to jump a bit in shock; he had been content listening and hadn’t really anticipated on joining in. “Oh, uh, he’s fine,” he replied shortly, averting his eyes.  While he had spoken to Harris at Gotz’s advice and accompaniment, he still wasn’t eager to advertise Cain to everyone.

“So Harris is alright with you keeping that bird over in the mine?” Popuri asked curiously. “I’ve seen the two of you together sometimes when I’m at the spring.  He’s very beautiful.”  She set down her plate.  “It is a _he_ , right?  Male peregrines are smaller than females.”

“His name is Cain. Th-thank you, I try my best to take good care of him.”

Popuri gave him a friendly smile. “You look so kind when I see that you’re talking to him.”

Claire grinned; she had caught him doing the very same thing, and there was a very particular warmth she saw in his eyes when he was spending time with Cain.

Upon seeing the two watching him, Cliff attempted to fight back his embarrassment. “W-well, he’s a good friend of mine.  We’ve been through a lot together.”  He ducked his head a bit in shyness; while he was comfortable around Claire, he didn’t spend much time with everyone else.  He was still half afraid they would be upset he was keeping a bird of prey in a town that raised poultry.

“Your hair’s cute today, Claire,” Popuri commented suddenly, twisting her own hair into two low pigtails. “I always think of doing double buns, but I always either forget, or it looks too sloppy.”

Claire bit back a self-critical chuckle. “Thank you.”  She knew the weather was going to be muggy, so she had pulled her hair into a pair of low buns that weren’t exactly tidy.  Cliff had looked at her hair with an amused yet kind smile earlier that morning, but he had said nothing.  “I’m sure the buns would look nice on you.  You and Lillia have such pretty hair.”

They both thanked her, and while Rick snacked on some pear slices, Cliff was quietly observing the way Zack’s eyes kept darting to Lillia.

“Ah, the color runs in the family. My mother had the prettiest curly hair.  Rick takes after his father, though.  Rod has lovely copper hair,” Lillia said dreamily.

Rick had mumbled under his breath something about his father probably growing bald before he returned back home and Popuri shot him a sour look. Although the two had been trying to avoid arguing, there was undeniable tension, and Lillia looked for an outlet.  Zack had politely continued eating, pretending to overlook the discomfort forming.

“You know, Cliff, your hair actually reminds me a lot of Karen’s. It’s got a bit of gold in it, doesn’t it?”  Lillia’s eyes wandered toward the young man sitting beside his friend.

Claire had never really considered that the streaks in Karen’s hair were natural, especially with the way it was lightened toward the front. She watched with interest as Cliff draped his hair over one shoulder.  It had grown much longer in the time she had known him and she loved the way it caught the sunlight.  It did remind her of Karen’s a bit when she really looked at it, but her hair was a cooler shade, while Cliff’s was warmer.  She found herself wanting to run her fingers through it and her cheeks felt far too hot even for the summer heat.  “Moreso in the summer.  My grandmother was the one with blonde hair.”

Lunch was over before too long, and after the basket was packed back up, Lillia announced that she was heading back to the farm. She managed to head back without too much of a fuss from everyone else, insisting that the basket was much lighter and it was a short walk.  The workers rested for a few minutes more.

Claire finished the last of the fruit juice in her cup and watched Koro and Tucker share a drink out of the river behind them. Cliff watched them with a happy chuckle and took a swig from his canteen, offering it to her.  She accepted it with a nod, realizing at once how thirsty she had been.

“Keep your hydration up,” Zack reminded them. “We don’t want anyone getting sick.”

Cliff took another quick sip from his canteen and reached into his bag to get a towel to dampen and cool down his face with. He shuffled through the contents and as he triumphantly removed the washcloth, a brass compass tumbled out and onto the grass.  The young man picked it up to put away and it caught the light, causing Zack’s eyes to widen.

“Where did you get that?” He didn’t mean to raise his voice in surprise, and Cliff handed it over with a bit of bewilderment.

For a brief moment, Cliff wondered if Zack thought he had stolen it. It wouldn’t be the first time he had been accused of thievery simply for being a traveler, but it would be a first in Mineral Town.  He slouched his shoulders a bit, hoping he was reading too much into Zack’s behavior.  “It’s May’s.  She left it outside last time we were playing in the church courtyard and I’ve been meaning to bring it back to her.”  He smiled at the memory of May leading him and Stu on an “expedition” in search of lost treasure.

Zack’s weather-beaten hands traced the familiar scuffs along the brass lid as he remembered the salty sea air that day long ago. He could still see her dark hair flapping in the wind as she stood on the deck, illuminated by the morning sunrise.  It wasn’t a complete stretch of the imagination that she had entrusted the trinket to her daughter as a toy, but that simple compass brought back a lot of memories.

Her father hadn’t wanted her to leave, and it had caused an uproar in the entire village. Zack had supported her decision to take charge of her own life, and, despite the popular opinion, he had escorted her by boat to a new life in the city at her request.

Cliff gave him a sad smile. “It’s the only thing May has of her father’s.  She said that her mother got it with the instructions to follow her heart, and she passed it on to May with the same intent.”  A small lump formed in his throat.  Despite Joanna’s hopes for her daughter to follow her heart, May was constantly asking how her mother was doing; her heart was drawn toward having a solid family.

“That’s beautiful,” Popuri murmured, eyeing up the beaten compass. She held out her hands to look at it and Zack’s trembling hands let it fall into her palms.  Both women admired the muddled tarnish that had formed over the years, as it had created a pretty copper-toned variegation. 

“It’s well-loved,” Claire observed with a kind smile. Her eyes were drawn to it and she couldn’t help but feel a little sad she hadn’t been given the same advice when she left the city.

Rick’s gaze was focused on the old watch with a leather band he was wearing. The constant worry lines on his forehead faded as he gazed at the face of the watch, gently adjusting the way it fit onto his wrist.  “It’s nice to have mementos from your parents.”

Cliff’s hand rested on the well-worn hunting knife at his waist given to him by his father, but his eyes curiously looked up at Zack, who nervously stood up to stretch despite his wobbly limbs.

“Guess we should get back to it,” Claire agreed, pulling herself to her feet.

0o0o0o0

The work that afternoon continued as normal, the slight static on the radio complementing the heat.

“Me and Karen and Ann used to play house here,” Popuri was saying. “We’d take turns over who would be the dog.  We’d always fight about it, because they got to go in the doghouse.  After a while, we all decided to be dogs.”

Claire looked over at Koro’s house with a laugh. Her dog rarely slept in it; he was currently snoozing in the shade.  The beagle/corgi mix fit comfortably in the doghouse with room to spare, but he was a fairly small breed.  “You could fit in there?” she asked in surprise.

Popuri laughed. “Well, maybe not now, but we could then.”

“Back home, the hawk transport boxes were my go-to place for hide-and-seek. They were about half the size of that doghouse,” Cliff explained with a shrug.

Claire stared at him in disbelief. “H-how…?”

“I never said it was comfortable.”

“Kids can fit into much smaller spaces than you can expect,” Rick added, loading his full bag of corn into the wheelbarrow with a grunt. “I remember Mom would fill a five gallon bucket with cold water and I’d sit in it to keep cool in the summer.”  He grabbed a fresh burlap sack.  “So, a few years later, I thought I’d try it again.”  He broke out into a snort, and smiles cracked across Claire’s and Cliff’s faces.

Popuri burst into giggles. “Ah, I wish I was old enough to remember this story!”

“She was still a baby,” Rick explained, picking up his pace on the corn in his excitement. “Mom didn’t like me around water unsupervised, I just decided to sit in the bucket.  My bottom sunk right down and I got stuck, and my legs and arms were all stuck in the air.  It didn’t hurt, but I was supposed to be inside taking a nap, so I didn’t want to get in trouble.”

“How rebellious!” Claire was a bit shocked at the idea of Rick disobeying his mother.

“I-I was trying to flap around to get out.” He took a break to imitate the weak flailing of his arms for a moment.  He stopped to catch his breath from laughing.  “S-so I…”  He struggled to maintain a level voice.  “I-I rocked back and forth to tip the bucket and I was crawling on all fours like a turtle back to the house in my shame.”

The four young adults collapsed into laughter at the image.

Popuri wiped a tear from her eye. “Could you imagine?  Rick was all, ‘Mooooom!’ waddling along.”

This started a new round of laughter.

“Mom thought I had given myself enough punishment and she only sent me to bed for my nap. She was trying so hard to look serious, but even at that young age I could tell she was struggling to keep a straight face.”

“She didn’t send you to bed in the bucket, did she?” Claire asked. “How did you get out?”

“Between Dad and Zack, they managed to pull me out,” Rick remembered with a laugh. “Do you remember that, Zack?”

Claire was only now aware of the fact that Zack’s loud, rumbling laugh hadn’t been heard during their merriment. She looked over at the large man who clumsily missed the bag, dropping his ear of corn on the ground.  It was more than apparent he was distracted by something.  He quickly picked it up, flustered as he felt everyone’s gaze on him.  “Huh?  Oh, yeah, you two were a handful, alright…”

Claire moved over to work beside him. “Anything I can help you with?”  Her voice was very soft.

The look on his face was a mix of incredulousness and fear, and it startled her when their eyes met; she had never seen him look so intense. “I think I’m going to be able to move this bag of corn just fine.  We’ll have this done before we know it!”  He shot her a smile, as if to apologize for the volume of his own words.  There was something else in his eyes, however – a pleading look that she not ask any further questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: A great, heartfelt thank you to all of you for your patience. I know my writings have slowed down significantly recently. I sincerely appreciate all of those who have supported me during this rough patch I’ve been going through. Whether you’ve written to talk to me, left feedback on my stories, or just read along, I really do appreciate it all. 
> 
> I am planning on picking up the pace once more as I get used to posting again. I am going to be traveling quite a bit this month, but there will be another fresh chapter at either the end of this month or the beginning of the next. I really was having fun writing Cliff x Claire moments in the previous chapter, but I could only imagine them as rather shy around each other when others are around. I’m really hoping to move this story along to fall soon! Thanks for reading!


	77. Goodbye, Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last of the tomatoes are finally harvested from Mystic Acres, and Claire and Cliff feel bittersweet about the end of summer.

The fields of red that had once consumed Mystic Acres were now practically gone, Claire realized with a sigh of relief. She stood up straight and stretched her arms over her head, her vertebrae popping and crackling as she moved.

Cliff stopped picking the tomatoes for a moment as his eyes were drawn to his friend. He was silent as he looked out at the fields.  His lips curled up into a bittersweet smile. _All good things must come to an end, after all_.  “Well, it looks like tonight the tomatoes will finally all be taken care of.  Congratulations, Claire.  You’ve worked so hard.”

She shook her head, a chuckle escaping from her lips. “Do you have any idea how many of these tomatoes would’ve rotted on the vine if you didn’t help?”  Claire’s voice softened as she reached over and gave his hand a friendly squeeze.  “I can’t thank you enough…”  The daily wage and meals she had provided to him could hardly convey her gratitude.

The young man stood up, fussing with his gloves. “That’s not necessary…”  He stole a glance at her and shyly looked away; her thanks made his heart swell and he drank it in.  There was truly nothing that felt better, and seeing the relief in her eyes and knowing he had helped contribute to that was the most rewarding thing he had done in recent memory.

“Hey, we can be happy about it,” Claire replied with a grin, looking out at the fields and back at him, tucking her thumbs behind her overall straps.

He playfully bumped his shoulder against hers. “Yeah, I guess you’re right…  It feels pretty nice – being happy, I mean.”  His arm found its way around hers and she leaned into him with a pleased giggle.  It was more than happiness, he realized.  It was being able to help someone and playing a role in the success of Mineral Town, a place he so desperately wanted to call his home.

“Hey… I want to give the rest of this corn another week... If you’re interested…  W-well, I know you’re probably going to be pretty busy…  But… I was thinking…”

“I’d love to help.”

Claire smiled. “It shouldn’t be too much – I’m going to save a lot to make into feed and let it dry on the stalks.  I’m planning to keep on top of the harvesting as the season changes, but one full day ought to do it.  After that, I’m going to start investing.”

He looked at her curiously. “Investing?”

“Hopefully not completely in seeds!” Karen’s firm voice behind them caused the pair to jump.

Claire gave her friend a sour pout as she turned around. “No, not in seeds.  Invest in my property.  I’m going to ask Gotz for some quotes on installing a kitchen.”

The brunette pumped her fist. “Alright!  Then we can have our pizza party, too!”

“It’s really more of a cooking lesson,” Claire laughed, “but I guess we can call it a party.”

Karen ruffled Claire’s hair and the farmer let go of Cliff’s arm, turning pink. “Of course!  Any time we get to hang out is a party!”  Her playful giggling died down and her eyes softened.  “I’m looking forward to it, really.”  She looked over at Cliff, giving him an apologetic smile for her behavior making Claire a bit shyer around him.  “You still part-timing here, Cliff?”

He gave her a sad smile. “Today’s the last day for tomatoes.  Looks like we’ll have the last of the tomatoes shipped before sunset.”

She wasn’t oblivious to his expression. “Well, now Claire knows who to call when she needs extra help, right?  I’ve been telling Dad how hard you two have been working, if you catch my drift.”

Claire curiously looked back and forth between her friends.

Cliff’s eyes lit up. “Ah, did he mention anything about needing any extra help around the shop?”

Karen twisted a lock of hair around her finger and frowned. “Unfortunately, no.  Things usually slow down a bit as the weather cools.  We don’t get as many orders from the farms around here in fall and especially winter, and that’s our main income.”

Cliff’s face fell, and Karen was a bit surprised to see him so emotionally open in front of her. She considered him a good friend, but he had never been so easy to read.

“Hey, I’ll keep trying, okay? I might be able to convince Dad yet.”  She gave him a playful punch on the arm.  “Besides, Won left you with a pretty hefty chunk of change at the festival, right?”

His expression perked back up as he nodded. “Hunting season’s coming up, too, so I’ll be keeping busy.”

Claire bounced excitedly, her cheeks rosy. “Yeah!”

Karen gave them both a fond smile. “Aren’t you going to ask why I came over today?”  At Claire’s bewildered glance, Karen let out a good-natured laugh.  “If the three of us are going to get snow cones this summer, now is the time!”  She already started heading toward the entrance to town.  “Come on, you goofs!  My treat!”

With the late summer heat and the blazing sun overhead, it was hard to refuse. Claire hurried after her friend, listening to Karen softly hum a melody as she walked along the cobblestones, a bounce in her step.  She incorporated a spin into her walk and continued along, breaking into song.

_“Tonight there are diamonds in the sky/_

_And I’ve never really questioned why/_

_Your smile maaaakes me want to swoon~…”_

Claire jumped a little when Cliff appeared by her side and harmonized his voice with Karen’s.

“ _Tonight let’s dance under the moooooon~._ ”

Karen’s green eyes lit up. “How did you know that song?  Most people our age don’t; it’s a really old one.”

Cliff’s face had a faraway look on it as he continued along. “Ma used to sing it to me and my sister to help us sleep.”

Claire imagined a young Cliff and Ivy bundled up in their sleeping furs and her knees went weak at the endearing image. She suddenly wished she was familiar with the song as well.

“Huh… It’s a small world, I suppose,” Karen mused.  “My grandmother used to sing that to my mom and her siblings when they were little.  I have a couple records with that same song on it.”

Claire was quietly relishing in how nice her two friends had sounded singing together, contemplating the similar warm quality both of their voices had despite their differing accents. She continued along the cobblestones as a cozy feeling spread to her heart.  “I wish I could sing nice like you two,” she admitted shyly, playing with the ends of her hair.

“You want to sing along with me at the Music Festival coming up?” Karen asked excitedly. “Ah, that would be so much fun!  We could do a duet!  Or a trio!”  She gave Cliff a nod as they descended the stone steps to Mineral Beach.

Claire immediately shrank back. “I’m not much of a singer,” she confessed.  “I’ll sing to Koro or Tucker sometimes, but that’s about it.  Maybe I’ll watch.”

“Oh, I’m sure Carter will find something for you to do,” Karen chuckled. “He’s always trying to get more people to participate.  I’m looking forward to it~,” she sang, giving another twirl in the damp sand.

“So, something good must have happened, judging from the way you’re acting.” Cliff’s voice caused both women to jump a little bit in surprise.

Karen stuck out her tongue. “Is it that obvious?”

Claire awaited some news about her friend’s relationship with Rick. Judging from the singing and dancing, it was apparent there must have been a reason for it.

“Dad actually went to the winery today and demanded Duke to pay up his tab!” Karen exclaimed.  “Mom didn’t even have to get on his case about it like she usually does, either!”

Claire remembered the perky mood Jeff was in the other day. It had been more than him just being energetic; he looked much more relaxed, and she had never seen him that way before.  “I wonder if that time off has him feeling better?”

“Actually… yeah. His stomach is feeling better and he has been much more active,” Karen explained.  “I’m not quite sure what it’s all about, but I’m not going to complain about it!”  She flung the door open to Kai’s shop and the cowbell clanked as Kai turned around from behind the counter.

“Hey, guys! You coming in for food, or are you going to try to make me feel bad about leaving, too?”  Kai’s face had a sad smile on it despite his friendly laugh.

Karen frowned and walked behind the counter with her arms open for a hug. Claire watched the two friends share an embrace and wistfully realized how little she actually knew about him despite getting to know him better throughout the last few months.

“You know I’d never pester you,” Karen replied with a grin. “Although I do wonder if you’ve made up your mind yet.  I bet you’d get customers here year round if you stayed.”

A snort came from Kai. “There’s nothing to debate.  It’s never been about the money, and I could never get my father to see that.  He’ll never understand how sometimes you just have let your happiness guide you.  I’m cool with where I am right now in life, and I don’t plan on changing that any time soon.  Traveling’s my passion.  You just gotta do what you love, y’know?”

Claire gave him a small nod as Karen ordered three rainbow snow cones and a couple orders of takoyaki at the not-so-subtle suggestions and steep discounts from Kai.

“Doug won’t pay much for my leftover octopus if anything at all; I don’t think he cooks with it. Ann will grill it and eat it herself, but apparently it’s not a very popular item on the menu at his place.”

The friends took seats at the counter and Claire curiously looked at the boxes of shelf stable edibles. “Do you sell the stuff you can’t bring with you to Doug?”

Kai poured the batter into the griddle and spoke over the sizzling. “Bingo!  If it’s a good season, I always just tell him to put it toward my rent for next year.  That’s probably what I’m going to do this season.”  His brown eyes shifted to his roommate, as if silently asking him for permission for something.  “So…  I hear that you’ve had a busy summer yourself.  Cliff says you have been busy growing and harvesting the mother lode of all tomatoes.”

Now that the harvest was nearly gone, Claire was finding it easier to talk about it in a more lighthearted manner. “I think I’ll be able to provide ketchup to the entire world,” she replied with a slight smirk.  A more genuine smile spread across her lips as Kai turned back around and slid a couple of paper baskets of takoyaki toward the seated friends, adding an extra pinch of dried bonito flakes to the top.  “I wasn’t expecting everyone to be so supportive of me, especially despite my obvious mistakes…”

“No one starts out perfect,” Karen reminded her with a kind grin. “You did better than any of us could.”

Claire shook her head. “You and Cliff pretty much ran my farm for a week right after I planted all of those seeds…”

“And you managed the rest when you were healthy again,” Cliff pointed out.

“Well, with _you_ ,” she added, giving him a fond gaze.  She owed him so much…  Their eyes locked and a shy smile played at his lips.  The pair’s cheeks began to glow.  Karen and Kai exchanged knowing glances.

“Either way, that piece of property looks nicer than I’ve ever seen it.” Kai began scooping ice into his snow cone machine, the clanking drawing Claire out of her dreamy state.

“You can say that again. That used to just be a patch of overgrown weeds,” Karen said over the volume of the machine’s whirring.

Mystic Acres still had a bit of work that needed to be finished; although she had toiled hard in the fields, the chicken coop and barn had some rotting wood and she hadn’t done a single thing to improve her own dwelling yet. “Well, I do plan on getting some repairs done around the house.  I want to fix it up before it gets cold out.”

“Right! Pizza party!” Karen popped a takoyaki in her mouth with a grin.

“A _cooking lesson_ ,” Claire reminded her with a giggle.  She used a toothpick to spear a takoyaki for herself.  Kai had definitely loaded up on the sauces and toppings – she half-wished _he_ would give _her_ some cooking tips.

Claire bit into the treat and was immediately taken back to the busy subway station back in the city. She had been there so many times before, fumbling with her messenger bag of documents, and her feelings of exhaustion and hunger were quickly brewing into the perfect recipe for disaster.  There were always a few minutes to wait before the train took off, and the familiar scent of fried octopus balls and the sounds of sizzling made her stress melt away.

 _Just this once_ , she’d always tell herself.  _Tomorrow I’ll have dinner prepared, or I’ll be disciplined to make something when I get home… Maybe I should do that today…_

But the gingham-printed paper tray was always in her hands by then and she couldn’t fight the grin spreading across her face as she dragged her things to a bench, let out a tired sigh, and indulged in a quick meal, allowing her worries to be forgotten for the moment.

“I’m just going to take your expression as a compliment.” Kai’s good-natured laugh pulled Claire back into reality and she saw a trio of colorful rainbow snow cones sitting in front of them.

She gave him smile and nod at the takoyaki. “These _are_ really good.  I was just thinking about life back in the city.  It was so different from Mineral Town,” Claire admitted, rolling the toothpick between her fingers.  “I was practically a regular at the takoyaki stand by the subway station I took every day to get to and from work.” 

“I guess even a place like that can have similar comforts to here,” Karen replied, spearing another piece.

“I’ve never ridden a train in my life,” Cliff confessed with a slight smile that had a hint of sadness to it. “Sometimes I think about how different the two of us are from each other and wonder how we get along the way we do.  I mean, we came from almost opposite places…”

Kai leaned against the counter and flashed his roommate a grin. “Actually, I think you two have a lot in common.”  He pulled a stool to the other side of the counter and perched on top of it.  “Your home doesn’t have to define who you are,” Kai shrugged.  “I am proof of that.”

Claire swung her feet from her stool; having others notice her bond with Cliff tickled her a bit. Still, she was curious of Kai’s situation. “What do you mean?” she asked, taking a bite of her snow cone. 

“I didn’t get along with my family, so I moved out and decided to do what makes me happy,” Kai explained.

Karen nodded as he spoke; it was likely she had heard the story before. She probably knew quite a bit about Kai since they dated for a summer.  She watched Karen’s warm gaze on him and was glad that they were still were able to remain friends.  Claire’s eyes flicked to Cliff and she was surprised to see the color had drained from his face and he stared at the floor.

“Five brothers and a father who didn’t know the meaning of the words _rest_ or _recharge_ …  Now I travel around where it’s always warm out,” Kai continued, “and I get to serve people my favorite foods.  I work my own hours and pace myself so I don’t burn out.”

Claire could definitely relate to the benefits of choosing her own schedule. “You don’t mind not having a permanent home?” she asked.  Because he always worked in the busy season, Kai likely didn’t have much down time; it wasn’t a year-round vacation like Rick had implied in the past.

The young man’s eyes lit up. “Well, I see Mineral Town as my home in summer.  I’m pretty free everywhere else.  I think it’s exciting.  I’ve got my standard stops for each season, but in between my travels, I enjoy working at random festivals or stopping at some towns just to get a feel for them.  Cliff probably knows what I’m talking about, right, buddy?”

His roommate frowned and looked up from the floor. “Actually…  I’m looking for something more permanent.”  He started on his snow cone; it was beginning to melt.

“Fair enough,” Kai replied. “You’re getting ready to settle down, eh?” He gave him a wink. 

“In a sense, I suppose,” Cliff chose his words carefully. “I’d like a place that I can safely call home.”

Kai looked at the two friends. While he was a seasonal resident, he felt a sense of belonging to Mineral Town.  He noticed Cliff had never referred to their room as home.  “This is the first summer I’ve spent with either of you, but you both seem to fit into town just fine.  I’m sure Karen agrees, too.”

The brunette covered her mouth with a napkin and nodded, snorting at the fact that he had mentioned her the moment she took a takoyaki in a single bite.

“And I’m sure I’ll see you both again next summer,” he continued warmly. He turned toward Cliff and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.  “Things will work out, man; you’ll get a good season in this fall.”  He stood up and pushed his stool back before turning back towards the kitchen.  “You gonna be home early tonight?  I might have some leftovers if Gray doesn’t eat them all first.”

A silence hung in the air as Kai awaited his response. He noticed that Cliff never referred to their inn as a home for him, but Kai had never brought up the subject.

Cliff chose his words carefully. “We’re finishing up on the tomatoes today.  I probably won’t get to the inn until late.”

A sad smile crossed Kai’s lips at his response, but it wasn’t over the fact that Cliff was working overtime. “Alright.  I’ll see you whenever, man.  Don’t work too hard.”  The melancholy faded from his expression and he flashed them a grin.

0o0o0o0

Claire peeked outside at the heaping shipping bin and turned back to her dinner with a grin.

“Have some more curry,” she encouraged her friend, holding out another spoonful of food to him.

“I’m getting pretty full,” Cliff admitted with a soft chuckle, shaking his head to decline the offer. “Thank you for dinner; it was really delicious.”

She put the spoon in her own mouth and wiped her lips with her napkin; food just tasted better with good company. “I’m glad you liked it.  Please, take some home with you.  You can have it as a midnight snack.”  She quickly began to scoop some of the leftovers into a container for him and gathered the dishes to clean out in the river.

Disappointed that the tidying up was signaling the end of the evening, Cliff fought to keep a frown off of his face. Working by her side had been more than satisfying and he wished he could come up with an excuse to spend more time with her.  He gave a small shake of the head as he helped her carry the dishes outside to clean.  Why did he feel like he needed an excuse?  Still, he felt his cheeks burn as he knelt by the river beside her.

“I had a good time today.” His voice was laced with excitement as he carefully cleaned his bowl, debating how to say he still craved her company.

He was met with a soft giggle in response.  “Well, I’m glad you like to work, because we got so much done!”  She set down her clean plate and turned to him with rosy cheeks.  “I-I had a great time today, too…”  Claire shyly looked over at him and slowed down her breath, her heart hammering noisily in her ribcage.  She let out a nervous chuckle, a little embarrassed that she felt so high strung.  This was her best friend, after all, and she scolded herself for being so shy about asking if he wanted to spend more time together.  “If you want… w-well… that is to say…  I mean, you’re probably tired after all we did today…”

Their eyes locked and they both fell silent. The sounds of the water flowing through the river beside them along with the songs of the frogs and cicadas made enough music to fill the quiet summer night.  The sun was on its way down and the sky was painted with a warm combination of gold and bright orange, the heavens above them turning to a rich indigo.

“I am pretty tired,” Cliff admitted quietly, “b-but… I’m happy I got to help you.”  A smile spread across his lips and only grew when he saw that she was mirroring his expression.  There were light streaks of dirt on her face and her hair was tousled, her bangs clinging together from the sweat on her forehead.  Her cheeks were ruddy from the exertion and hard work that the toil brought – she was a farmer, and she looked more and more like one every day.  He had never seen a more beautiful, breathtaking person in his entire life.

She was twisting a loose piece of hair in her fingers, looking at the grass as if it was fascinating. “I, uh… I don’t suppose you’d want to hang out, huh?  You’re probably eager to get back to the inn to-”

“I’d love to,” he breathed. “Spend some more time with you, I mean,” he added hastily with a weak chuckle.

“Oh. Good!”  Claire’s face lit up.

She quickly changed into her pajamas as Cliff excused himself to the outhouse, tossing her sweaty work clothes in a heap behind her bed. She swiftly ran a brush through her hair and checked her appearance in the mirror.  She could see his reflection behind her as he closed the door.

“Ah, you l-look comfy,” he stammered, rubbing the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile. “I-I’m sorry.  I wouldn’t have barged in if I knew you were freshening up…”  The snug pink tank top and cutesy sheep-printed shorts suited her and he couldn’t help but imagine crawling into bed with her and cuddling, peppering her face with kisses until she giggled with delight.

“It’s fine. I changed real fast.”  She set down her hair brush and twisted her hair around her fingers nervously.  They had spent Ann’s birthday party in pajamas, but had she crossed the line and made this too intimate of a setting?  She had purposely worn this sleepwear because she thought it was cute.  She suddenly wondered if the shorts were too short…  “W-well, my work clothes were feeling too bulky and hot and taking them off makes it feel like the official end of the tomato harvest!”

Cliff’s eyes glowed. “That’s right!  You got through it!”

She hurried over to him and threw her arms around his neck. All of her concerns about her attire were immediately gone.  “I really do owe you so much.  People here have been nicer than I ever could have dreamed of.”

He wrapped his arms around her to return the embrace with a sigh. “I know what you mean.”  Something about that concept was exciting and terribly frightening to him at the same time.

The young woman broke off the hug and gave his hands a perky squeeze. “Hey!  There’s something I want to give to you!  Close your eyes and hold out your hands!”  When he complied, she stood on her tiptoes and waved her hand in front of his face.  “No peeking, now!”

He bit his lip as he wrung his hands before nervously holding them out. _It better not be money… The last thing I need is her pitying me…_   “A-alright…”

The thank-you gift had been in plain sight; it really wasn’t much of a surprise at all. Still, she found herself letting out a delighted giggle as she removed it from the top of the television.  “Don’t look so worried!” she playfully chided, taking his hands and gently placing the tanuki figurine in them.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked down at the figurine he now held. “Ah, I remember this little guy!”  He let out a delighted laugh, but it died down quickly as he shyly met her eyes with his.  “Are you sure you want _me_ to have it?”

“Of course! You picked it out, silly!”  She placed a hand on his arm.  “I wanted to thank you for all your help this season…”  The sudden mistiness in her eyes wasn’t anticipated and she quickly ducked her head.  She snatched her hand back and brushed away the beginnings of a tear.  “Thanks… for believing in me.  I really feel at home here, you know?”

Cliff gave her a hesitant smile that still managed to look sad and her own faded. He seemed to have something on his mind that was bothering him.  “Hey… can I ask you something?”  Her voice became soft as she pushed her floor cushions together so they could sit side-by-side.

Cliff wasn’t sure why his throat closed at the notion. Despite her gentle tone of voice, there was a sense of warning in it, as if she was going to say something that could potentially hurt.  He nodded his head, unsure of what to expect.  When someone asked a question like that, was there really any other way to respond?

They both sat down and he placed the tanuki on the table. She took the opportunity to hold his hands in hers once more.  He had a slight curious smile on his face, but it was a poor mask for the same sadness he displayed briefly at the beach shack.  “I’ve noticed it for a while, but I thought about it again when we were at Kai’s…”  Claire wasn’t sure how to ask without being blunt.  She took a deep breath and looked up at him, playing with her fingers.  “Y-you never refer to your room at the inn as _home_ …”

His posture stiffened as he quickly looked down at the floor. “That’s not really a question…”  His voice was hardly audible.

They both could feel the tension in the room. Claire swallowed the lump in her throat.  She didn’t want to pressure him, but he wasn’t really cooperating with her.  “Well, then… Why don’t you call it home, then?”

She wondered if she was pushing too hard when he looked up at her and his face was pale. _Isn’t the answer obvious?_ “Because I don’t see it that way.”

“I thought you wanted to settle down here…” He had seemed so excited after the fireworks festival…

“More than anything!” He gave her an earnest nod.  His enthusiasm quickly faded.  “I-I… I just don’t want to let myself get too excited, is all…”  When he saw the worried look on her face, his own expressions softened.  He hadn’t meant to make her upset, after all.  “I think that someday I might feel more confident in it all.  I haven’t had a home in a long time, and this is the longest I’ve stayed anywhere.”  He ran a hand through his bangs and let out a sigh.  “I feel like I’m just faking my way through this…  I mean, I have no clue what I’m doing.  How do I even begin to call somewhere home again?”  He gulped and looked down at the floor.  “I mean, it takes more than just wanting it…” _The gods surely know how badly I want it…_

Claire watched her friend’s ears turn red as he didn’t look up from the wooden planks. “It _does_ take more than that,” she whispered.

He looked up at her curiously, and some loose wisps of brown hair fell into his face. His lips were slightly parted as he awaited her response.

“It takes faith, Cliff,” she murmured. She gave his hands a warm squeeze.  “I still believe something wonderful is waiting for us.”  Her cheeks flashed pink and her heart gave a joyful leap.  “Remember?”

He gave her a slight nod as he held her hands tightly. “S-something wonderful…”  He swallowed the lump in his throat.

Perhaps the wonderful thing was right here in front of them.

0o0o0o0

A news program started, detailing a bazaar in a town a few hours away. Claire closed her eyes, gently looping her arm around Cliff’s and resting her head on his shoulder.  She let out an exhausted sigh as she got more comfortable.

Enthralled with the idea that Claire enjoyed this kind of closeness, Cliff allowed a warm smile to spread across his entire face as he shyly rested his head against hers. He debated over whether he should tell her that he wished they could work together like this every day, but decided against it.  He didn’t want to make her feel like she needed to continue to pay him, although he would likely need an income in the future.  Besides, he would be busy hunting to cover his rent through the colder seasons…  He pushed the thoughts from his head; it was time to relax.  An overwhelming sense of peace filled the two friends’ hearts.  Spending time like this felt so calming, so natural.  They were soothing presences to one another, just as they had always been.  Neither of them was listening to the program on the television – they were soaking in the healing rest that the moment had provided.  It had been a tough and long day.  They unknowingly synchronized their breathing and it gradually slowed as they drifted asleep, letting the busy day wash away.

Claire woke up to the yawns of her friend and stirred slightly, letting out an irritated moan that the lights were so bright. A sleepy Cliff stumbled toward the light switch and turned it off, earning a mumbled “thank you” in reply.  The television cast a blue glow over the room as a fishing program droned on in the background.  He tiredly sat back down and she leaned back into him, closing her sleepy eyes.

“It’s half past one. I better head back to the inn to go to sleep.”

“Stay here,” she slurred, hugging his arm. “We can sleep just like this.”  Her blonde hair tumbled across his shoulder and he couldn’t help but go weak at her cuddling.

He was a little startled she had suggested it, but he couldn’t say that he didn’t like the idea. After all, he had been thinking of a sleepover ever since the subject was briefly mentioned after the Fireworks Festival as a joke.  He knew he should politely refuse, but he couldn’t help himself.  “That… _does_ sound nice.”  He allowed a pleased grin to spread across his face, too exhausted to put up much of a fight in going back to the inn.  His heart pounded in his throat.  “You sure you don’t mind?”

She gave a shy nod. “Not at all,” she murmured into his shoulder.

The television was still rambling about fishing and the two friends blinked tiredly.

“ _And today we have a very special guest. A traveling fisherman who has made himself at home in Flowerbud Vil_ -”

She flicked off the television with her remote, making the entire room go dark. She let out a sigh and leaned into him. 

Cliff’s cheeks only felt hotter, feeling a little guilty that his eyes traveled toward the form of the mattress behind them. He quickly decided that he would be much more comfortable lying down, even if it was on the hard floor; it wasn’t as if he hadn’t slept on firm surfaces before.  As much as he loved having Claire so close, she was likely going to wake up with a stiff back.  “B-but what if your back gets sore?  It’s not really good to sleep slouched like this, you know…”  Would she think he was trying to invite himself into her bed with her?  He immediately cursed himself for his suggestion, unsure if what he said had sounded inappropriate.

She didn’t open her eyes. Her fatigue left her feeling a bit drunk.  She left the remote on the floor and stood up and crawled into bed.  He watched her curiously as she pulled herself to the far side of the cotton mattress.  His eyes widened as she patted the empty spot beside her.

She was asking him to come into bed with her. As nice as it sounded, that wasn’t really what he had meant at all; he had intended on sleeping on the floor beside the bed.  His head began to spin and he was so dizzy he wondered if he was going to be able to stand.  He found himself unable to disobey, however.  “Ah, o-okay…”  On shaky legs, he sat on the edge of the bed and gently lowered himself onto the mattress, stifling a delighted cry that the sheets and pillow smelled of lavender, the scent he associated with Claire. _Stop being creepy_ , he chastised himself. _She’s just letting you rest here; don’t make it into something weird._ He attempted to will himself into calming down, grateful that it was too dark for Claire to notice the obvious excitement his body had decided to react with.

Her lips went into a satisfied smile as she rested her eyes, her heart fluttering. _This is nice; it just feels right…_ “Sleep well, Cliff,” she whispered into the dark, curling up under the sheets and turning away from him.

“Ah, you, too…” He shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable.  It was a small mattress, and brushing against her was inevitable.  His heart continued to pound and his mouth went dry as her hair grazed his shoulder. _This isn’t much different than how we were just sleeping_ , he tried to convince himself.  He slowed down his breathing as he let down his own hair, silently exhaling.  He stared up at the ceiling, still trying to relax.  The problem was that he was more awake than ever.  While his entire family shared sleeping furs, he knew the implication of a man and a woman sharing a bed.  Most people would read into this wrong.  His own bed at the inn was empty tonight; he wondered if Gray and Kai were guessing about where he was.  What if word got around the entire inn that he spent the night here?  He heard her soft, rhythmic breathing beside him and his heart melted.  Claire was sleeping beside him in her bed.  His body gave a jolt of excitement at how cute the notion was and he had half a mind to verbally scold himself.

This was simple resting and recharging, nothing more. They were both tired and Claire had simply offered to share her sleeping space.  There was nothing unseemly happening, and even if there was, it was really no one’s business but their own.

He rolled toward her and stared at the back of her head, admiring the way the moonlight highlighted her tresses. His eyes traveled down her body and lingered on the way her waist dipped in and curved back out at her hips.  She was truly a beautiful woman in the simplest of his terms – healthy and feminine with pretty features.  Claire was attractive, and he’d be a fool if he thought others hadn’t realized that as well.  If word got around that he had stayed the night, a lot more could easily be implied.  What if it didn’t remain only their business?  This was Mineral Town, after all.  What if Rick saw him coming out of the house with her in the morning wearing the same clothes as the day before?  What about Thomas?  Or what if Anna was going to the mountains with her husband?  Word would spread fast and Claire’s reputation could easily be tarnished.  After the young woman had worked so hard to become a reliable member of this town, he couldn’t stand the thought of people speaking ill of her…

Claire murmured in her sleep as she rolled to face him, nuzzling the pillow with a quiet moan. His eyes popped open in surprise as he realized a very soft part of her body had rolled over and filled his open hand.  His immediate instinct was to pull away before she slapped him.  After all, the last thing he wanted was her to think he had set this up on purpose.  Despite this, a tiny voice inside of his head was pleading for him to simply enjoy the moment and his closeness with Claire, coaxing him to etch the feeling of her body into his memory.  She was beautiful… and she was incredibly alluring to him, he admitted, swallowing the lump in his throat.  Why should he be so afraid? _She is unconscious and doesn’t realize what she did; this is incredibly wrong_ , he scolded himself, disgusted with his inner thoughts.  His blood ran cold with shame at the fact that there had been any debate as to what to do at all as he slipped his hand out from underneath her breast, clumsily stumbling out of bed and tripping over the television remote, flustered.

Claire was awakened by the creaking floorboards. Her heart dropped a little bit at his presence leaving her.  “Cliff?”  Her voice was soft and groggy.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispered, pulling on his shoes in the dark.

“Where are you going?” Her question came out as a soft whine.

“Back to the inn.” The silence between them felt deafening to Cliff, unaware of the fact that Claire simply wasn’t speaking much out of fatigue.  “Ah, I f-forgot that I needed to check on something there, s-so I’m just going to crash there for the night, okay?”

“Uh-uh, good night,” she slurred, closing her tired eyes and stretching out on the bed. He bit back a cry at how luxuriously she had stretched; he would give anything to be lying beside her once more and he immediately regretted getting back up.  “Don’t come until after nine.”

The tomato harvesting was over. Did she intend on having a serious conversation with him the next morning?  “You sure?” was all he could manage to choke out as he slung his bag over his shoulder.  He wondered if he had hurt her feelings in some way; she was awfully quiet, after all.  Was she angry he had referred to it as _the inn_ and not _home_?

He waited for an answer, but he heard her deep breathing and realized she had fallen back asleep. He quietly pulled the door behind him and hurried back to the inn, a muddle of emotions and thoughts running through his head. _I lied to her_ , he shook his head in shame, adding another worry to his heap. _It doesn’t matter if it was a little lie, I still didn’t tell her the truth; I don’t have to check on anything back at the inn…_ His throat tightened as he walked home.  He hated how badly he had wanted to stay with her.  How hard would it have been to lean in a bit and touch her lips with his own?  His imagination ran rampant as he pictured them wrapping their limbs around each other, savoring their kisses and whispering sweet “I love you”s and letting their activity inevitably escalate into something more sensual, their kisses becoming passionate as she slowly pulled up her shirt while looking up at him with hooded eyes, wordlessly inviting him to lift the rest…

Cliff snorted at his own thoughts. He needed to go back to the inn and get some sleep.  He shook his head; he needed to take a cold shower and then he needed to go to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This chapter was a long time coming – I apologize for the wait. A lot of this chapter was written from quite a long time ago when I was struggling with dialogue punctuation. I’ve run though it several times, but if you catch something, please send me a PM and let me know; I’d greatly appreciate it! I really hope you enjoyed it! It’s FINALLY going to be fall in this story now! :D  
> A couple of announcements!  
> The Shy Newcomer will be celebrating its ten-year anniversary this August! (That's when I first started posting it on fanfiction.net!)
> 
> I can’t believe I started writing this so long ago! Admittedly, I did neglect it for quite a few of those years (but I did think about it off and on again for whatever that’s worth!). Either way, I’m very grateful to everyone who has been following along to watch this story unfold. Whether simply reading along, providing feedback, bouncing around ideas with me, encouraging me, or drawing fan art, I’m truly grateful for it all! This story is about so much more than Claire, Cliff, and their friends to me – it’s about be gathering the strength to pick myself up from one of the lowest points in my life and find an outlet to express myself when I felt like I had no voice. My life is by no means perfect now, but I do feel that it has been enriched by sharing this story with others and talking to and hearing from the amazing people who have been following along. Thank you all so very much! I am truly grateful!


	78. Falling into a New Rhythm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer finally sees its end and Claire prepares for the fall season and its festivities.

Cliff’s stomach twisted with anxiety as he weakly knocked on Claire’s door the next morning. The fact that she had asked him over even though they finished working on tomatoes together left him confused and his emotions giddy.

_She either wants to talk to me about something important or she… wants to spend more time with me… Is it okay to think that?_

He found himself trembling either way.

The door creaked open to reveal a bewildered Claire with wide but sleepy eyes. “Ah, good morning, Cliff!”  She quickly began mirroring the panic on his face.  “I-is something wrong?  Come on in.”  She ushered him inside to sit at her small table set for one.

The young man dragged his feet inside, plopping down nervously. While it hadn’t taken him too long to fall asleep the night before, his mind had been running through possible scenarios since he woke up.

She gave him a weak smile as she looked down at her half-drunk iced tea. “I just got up a little bit ago, actually.  If I knew you were coming over, I would’ve made us both breakfast.”  Claire stretched her arms over her head and yawned, apologizing as she did so.

“B-but… you told me to come over… You said that late last night when I left…”  Cliff’s voice was quiet as he watched her curiously.  “I thought you needed to talk about something important because the harvest is done.”

A pair of sapphire eyes blinked at him and a blush quickly crept over her face. “Ah, I’m sorry!  I don’t remember saying that…  I guess I said it out of instinct, huh?”  The young woman let out an embarrassed giggle.  “I-I’m definitely not complaining, though!”

Cliff’s fears instantly relaxed. “M-me, neither!” he said a little too loudly.

Their eyes met and they shared a grin. Perhaps it was his imagination, but it seemed like Claire was cheery and rosy a lot more often lately…

She pulled herself up to her feet and hurried to the refrigerator, pulling out a couple of yogurt cups and peaches. Claire got spoons and returned to the table, handing him one of each.

“It’s nothing fancy, but please have some before you get back to prepping for hunting.”

He felt a small wave of guilt for accepting; he wasn’t employed by her anymore, after all. “Thank you…”

She gave her yogurt a stir and gave him a keen look. “There is one thing that I did need to talk to you about, though…”

He fumbled with his yogurt lid. “Y-yeah?”

She felt a little bad for making him look so worried. Claire gave him a playful wink and cocked her head toward the tanuki figurine sitting in the middle of the table.  “You forgot to bring Mr. Moneybags back with you.  You see… he wants to be with you all the time now.”  She picked up the small statue and mimicked it doing a little dance of joy at seeing him.

She felt her cheeks burn at his smile. The silly figurine wasn’t the only one who wanted to spend all day at Cliff’s side.

0o0o0o0

The farmhouse’s wooden floors creaked under Gotz’s heavy boots and Claire subconsciously took on the carpenter’s casual posture, tucking her hands into her pockets. However, there was sense of nervousness to this as she closely watched him, biting her lip and furrowing her brows.

“It’s definitely going to need to be overhauled.” His gruff voice took her by surprise.  He pointed out a spot in the floor boards that was sagging.  “See that?  I can already tell there’s work to be done on the foundation.  Can’t put a kitchen over that.”

Claire’s face fell and she shyly rubbed her arm, averting her gaze to the floor. “I was hoping it was just a sign of an old house…”  She began to silently curse herself for being so reckless moving into this property, but she stopped herself as she remembered the pained look on Cliff’s face when she had mentioned that regret.

“Well, it _is_ old, but unfortunately that’s why it needs fixed,” he said a little more softly, shooting her an almost apologetic look.  He looped his thumbs in the belt loops of his jeans and leaned backwards to stretch, letting out a groan as his eyes drifted to the ceiling.  “No question about it; you can tell the place has been neglected for years.”

A sour feeling rose in the pit of Claire’s stomach. She had enjoyed the notion of owning her property, but she was quickly learning the responsibilities that were involved with upkeep.

“It’s not going to be cheap. You’ve got the roof and the foundation that need an overhaul, and a lot of rotted wood needs to be replaced…  Then there are the kitchen counters you want installed…”

She gulped and nodded, giving him what she believed to be a stoic face.

“I… I know you’re going to be wantin’ to fix up the coop and barn in the future, so I’ll give you a small discount, okay?” His beady eyes focused back on the floorboards.  Claire looked like she was about to cry, and he admittedly had a soft spot for wide, misty eyes.  “I want to make sure you have enough to pay your mortgage and taxes.  And I’m sure you’re lookin’ to plant some more crops once the summer ones die off…”

Claire nodded, blinking and swallowing the lump in her throat. It was going to be a lean season, but it wasn’t as if she hadn’t lived through one already.  She had money set aside for her required bills and an allowance for crops and the remaining money was being pumped into making the house more livable when the weather got cold.  According to the spreadsheets she had been poring over late that morning, once the crops started coming in toward the end of the season, she’d be able to live frugally through winter and her farm would be in a better state for the beginning of the spring season.

“I know you’re itchin’ to do more repairs, but I think this will be good for now… I can also fix up that old outhouse you got back there.  It looks pretty sturdy, but I can make it a little more comfortable.”

Claire gave him a sad smile. “Thank you…”  She fought back the frustration at having to put off installing an indoor bathroom, but she was glad that he was keeping an eye out for her.

He nodded with a gruff grunt. “I’ll just use some spare lumber.  A little sprucing up can help…”

Claire promptly covered her mouth and attempted to stifle a giggle at his choice of words. She failed and an undignified snort escaped, causing her to break into a new wave of giggles.

Gotz looked at her curiously and there was a light behind his dark eyes she hadn’t seen before. “Didn’t think I knew how to make a joke, did you?”  He burst into laughter, filling the room with a warm, deep rumble.  He gave her a grin.  “I think I misjudged you, little lady.  You’re okay.  We’ll have this house lookin’ better in no time.”

Claire grinned. She could already imagine a cozy winter night, serving Karen and Cliff freshly baked bread and a hearty stew while Koro napped at their sides.  A warm, comfortable home for her to share with those she loved.  That possibility was becoming closer to reality, she realized.

0o0o0o0

Claire shuffled the tied bundle of onions in her arms as she pushed the church door open with her shoulder and let out a sigh. It was well into the heat of the day and the air conditioning felt amazing.  Despite the fact that fall had started, the summer heat was determined to have one last hurrah.  It took a few moments for her to register the children’s laughter and screams; it was too hot to play outside. 

“He did that on purpose!” May squealed, hopping from one foot to the other.

“And if I did?” Stu stuck out his tongue at her.

Claire looked around; the priest was nowhere in sight. Cliff appeared to be on babysitting duty.  Claire was surprised to see him there, as she had assumed he would be absorbed in hunting preparation.  The farmer remembered on especially hot days in the middle of summer, she would wake up the next morning and there would be bundles of herbs and plants in her shipping bin tied up in Cliff’s signature style along with a list of items in his scratchy handwriting; he must have planned on working that night.

“Be careful of where you’re stepping, May.” Cliff didn’t raise his voice as he crouched down to pick up a small toad that had jumped out of her hair and was quickly making its way to the altar.

Both children flocked to him; even May forgot she was afraid for a moment.

“See, look at how small he is.” Cliff smiled at the young girl, but kept a good hold on the brown creature.  “This poor little guy must’ve been much more afraid than you, sitting all the way up there on top your head.”

The shy girl said nothing in reply, but stooped down to get a better look at the amphibian; curiosity had gotten the better of her. The scene taking place in front of her left a warm smile on Claire’s entire face.

“Yeah, you scaredy cat!” Stu taunted. Nonetheless, he peeked over her shoulder, as if using her as an extra barrier between him and the toad.

“And you scared him, too,” Cliff continued. He looked up at Stu and his eyes were serious, taking Claire a bit by surprise.  While she had seen her friend be very lenient with the children before, she noted that he kept a kind yet firm voice with the boy.  “Animals are not toys, Stu; they are living things that have feelings.  You have to be careful with them and treat them with love.  Would you want someone to pick you up and stick you on top of a giant’s head?”

Stu was quiet as he pondered this question for a few seconds, which was pretty impressive for him. “It could be fun.” He grinned mischievously with an enthusiastic nod.

“Don’t be such a jerk!” May put her hands on her hips.

“You’re a jerk!” Stu returned, sticking out his tongue.

“Well, you’re a… _butthead_!”

Cliff spoke over them, but Claire could see he was struggling to keep a straight face. She found herself grinning as she adjusted the small bundle in her arms, careful not to bruise the onion greens on top.  “Let’s take the toad outside.”

“Do we have to? Why can’t he stay in here with us?” The distraction worked and the kids stopped bickering.

“He might be trying to find his way home,” Cliff reasoned.

A pair of wide, dark eyes focused on his. “You mean just like you?” Stu looked up at him.

Claire could see the young man’s body stiffen. Her heart broke a little.  She almost went to Cliff’s side, but she didn’t want to startle the three of them; their focus was solely on the toad.

“Ann said at breakfast that you’re looking for a new home,” May explained very matter-of-factly.

Claire could see him swallowing before speaking. “Well, I hope I’ve found one here.”  He gave her an optimistic smile.

For a brief moment, Claire thought May and Ann were referring to another home than Mineral Town and her blood ran cold. She steadied herself against the back of the pew, surprised at how she had to recover from that tiny misunderstanding.

“I hope so. I really like you, Big Bro.” May hugged his arm and leaned her head against him fondly, her braid brushing against his bare skin.

“I like you, too. Let’s get this little guy outside.”  The three stood up and Cliff almost dropped the toad when he turned around and saw the young woman standing near the doorway.  “Cl-Claire, hi!”  His voice cracked in his shock.  He stepped down from the altar and his eyes flicked to the bundle of green onions she was holding with both hands.  She was at the end of the aisle and looking up at him demurely.

_It almost looks like a bouquet…_

An impatient hop in his closed hands reminded him he was carrying a toad and brought him back to reality. He immediately averted his eyes and turned burgundy.

“Big Sis!” May ran up to her and hugged her around the waist.

She was charmed by the affection of the little girl and was immediately reminded of the rare hugs she got from her younger brothers when they weren’t busy shrieking at the top of their lungs or jumping off of furniture. Children could be sweet when they wanted to, Claire reminded herself with an inward chuckle.

“Did you come to play? We found a toad!”  May did a quick hop of her own, completely forgetting that she had been so upset by it sitting on her head mere minutes ago.

While Claire wasn’t completely opposed to spending some time with them, she was eager to learn more about the upcoming festival Karen had mentioned the other day and she had a pretty busy schedule today.

She gave May an apologetic smile. “I’d be happy to play with you another day, but I need to talk to Carter right now.”

Cliff’s eyes darted around the church. “Huh…  While we were outside, he must have gone into the-”

The confessional door swung open, revealing an emotionless Zack. The man sniffed, running a hand through his hair and giving the priest a nod before stepping out.  He gave Claire and Cliff a silent but friendly nod, going pale as his eyes landed on the children.  He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath and continuing on his way.

“’Afternoon.” His tone was businesslike as he stepped past them.

They all managed a friendly greeting in response, but Zack didn’t seem to react to any of them as he continued out the door. Claire found herself frowning as she watched him leave.  It seemed he still had something heavy weighing on his heart.

“Claire, how nice of you to visit!” Carter’s expression was serene as always.  He tucked his prayer book under his arm.  “What can I do for you?”

She handed over the cluster of onions. “I thought you might like these.  I’m surprised how sweet they turned out.”

The priest accepted the gift with a grin. “Well, that would be thanks to the power of the gifts from the gods – sunshine, water, good soil, and, of course, love to help them grow.”  His smile faded a bit and his eyes moved to the main door of the church.  “After all, everything thrives best in a loving environment.”

She followed his line of vision curiously and gave him a kind smile. “I suppose you’re right.”

“I’m thinking… onion gravy.” Carter turned the vegetables over in his hands.  “I’ve been craving bangers and mash lately.”  He gave her a grin.  “Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

“You’re welcome,” Claire replied. “I’m actually stopping by to ask about the music festival, too…”

At her words, Cliff’s ears perked up and he listened intently. However, the children had grown impatient with the adult conversation and Stu folded his arms across his chest.  “Oh, c’mon!  Big Bro, you were _sooo_ eager to take that toad out a minute ago!”

“Stu, don’t talk to your elbows like that!” May scolded him.

“ _Elders_ ,” Cliff corrected them with an amused smile.  He snapped his attention back toward the children.  “Alright.  Let’s release this little guy.”

“Elbows!” Stu laughed, pointing his elbows outward and flapping his arms like a chicken.

“ _Elbows_!” May joined after him and the three headed to the door in a single-file line.  Claire could hardly stifle her snort; Cliff was looking over his shoulder and struggling to hold in his own laughter as the two children adopted a poultry theme, bobbing their heads and doing a very creative interpretation of The Funky Chicken.

“Hey, did you notice we’re birds now?” Stu asked very loudly to no one in particular.

Carter let out a soft chuckle. “Ah, children do certainly have free spirits and imaginations.  Were you looking to participate in the festival?  We’re always happy to have new people join!”

“I guess I was wondering what it was all about, really,” Claire admitted. The concept of having to sing in front of a group of people was nerve-wracking to her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Elli had opened the door and was talking to her little brother. May was pointing to the top of her head with a sulk and Stu gave a sheepish grin.

“It’s tradition to hold a musical recital here at the church at the beginning of fall to celebrate the Harvest Goddess and her season. In a way, it’s kind of your season, too, Claire.  The harvest season is your time to shine as a farmer and be an instrument for the gods’ blessings.”

Claire’s eyes widened. She appreciated that his words made her sound like more than just a bumbling amateur.  However, it made the upcoming Harvest Festival all the more daunting.  Singing in front of a crowd suddenly sounded like child’s play.

In Claire’s peripheral vision, she saw Stu pointing to Cliff’s hands and Elli blanching, forcing a smile on her face and shooing the boy along outside with one-half of a shriek and one-half of a chuckle.

“Thomas is going to take me to Forget-Me-Not Valley so I can see what’s expected of me for the Harvest Festival. I’ve saved some crops, but I’m still not sure if it’s going to be good enough,” she confessed as she wrung her hands.  “I really hope I don’t screw up the festival…”

“I can assure you that you won’t. It’s a large potluck.  People aren’t going to complain about free food no matter what ends up in the stew.”

A soft, feminine giggle startled the pair. “He’s right,” Elli chimed in.  “We all try our best to pick pretty neutral ingredients, or at least things that go well together…”  Her face flushed with color.  “But… some people… don’t really take that into consideration,” she finished with an embarrassed cough.

Claire found herself playing with her fingers. She was certain she knew who Elli was referring to.  Karen did have a flair for ingredients that clashed, and she had hoped these cooking lessons would help her friend choose ingredients in a more practical manner.  Despite Elli’s delicate way of approaching the subject, Claire still felt the need to defend her friend…

“But it’s also true that some unusual dishes made some waves back at the Spring Cooking Festival, too,” Elli supplied with a kind smile.

Claire felt the worry lines on her forehead disappear. “Yeah…”

“I’m looking forward to it already,” Carter stated with a grin. He turned toward Elli.  “I take it you came here to pick up the sheet music.  Which flute part did you want?

Elli nodded. “Ann said she wanted something easier this year, so she volunteered to take second flute.  I’ll take first; I know she’s rather busy.”

Claire thought of Elli running the pharmacy in the clinic on top of her nursing duties, raising her brother, and being the caregiver for her grandmother. The nurse was really good at multitasking and Claire found herself hoping she could be that responsible herself someday.

Carter placed the bundle of onions on the altar and rifled through a stack of papers sitting on top of the surface. He handed Elli her part and she thanked him in a sweet voice.  The young woman turned around to see the trio returning inside and gave Carter and Claire a friendly nod before walking down the aisle.

“C’mon, Stu, we need to go home and start on that sauerkraut casserole after we drop off May.” She took her little brother by the hand.

“But I _haaate_ sauerkraut!” he wailed, dragging his feet.

May smirked at him, grateful she didn’t share the same fate.

Being used to her brother’s minor tantrums, Elli had the perfect response. “How do you know you hate it if you’ve never tried it?  Besides, it’s good for you.  We’ll go home and make it together, and you can even help shell the peas for the side dish.”

“Allllright,” Stu sighed melodramatically as Elli led them outside, one small hand in each of hers. Elli gave Cliff a respectful nod as he held the door open for them and they continued on their way.

“Are you musically inclined, Claire?” Carter brought Claire’s focus back to the upcoming festival.

She could feel herself blushing as Cliff renewed his interest in their conversation and came over to join them. “W-well… I’m not much of a singer…  But I do still have my ocarina from my school days.  I’m _very_ out of practice, though,” she admitted sheepishly.  “I figured I can help with the decorations or something…”

The priest nodded. “I’m more than happy to have help decorating.  A group of us is planning to go up to Mother’s Hill to gather some fall leaves and flowers.”

Claire realized with surprise a few of the trees she could see out the window in the church courtyard were starting to change color. “W-wow… fall really _is_ here.  I’d be happy to go out and help.”

Carter was still sorting through the music as Cliff approached them. “And, there just so happens to be a part for you here, Claire.”  Her eyes grew and he chuckled.  “It’s alright.  These are very simple folk songs.  I know that most of the people who participate in this festival only dust off their instruments once a year.  I pick the music with that in mind.” 

He handed her the piece of paper and Claire’s eyes lit up – very simple notes with a reasonable tempo, and three songs managed to fit on one page. “Oh, I can do this!”

The pastor let out a good-natured chuckle. “Well, I’m glad because it doesn’t look like Cliff was going to let you leave without agreeing to participate!”

The young man quickly stepped away from looking at the music over Claire’s shoulder and turned bright red, rubbing the back of his neck. “C-Carter…” he grumbled under his breath.  “I-I…  I just thought it would be nice for her to see what it was all about.  You were the one saying you wanted more people to join in anyway.”

He gave Cliff a cordial pat on the shoulder and Claire half-wondered if it was a bit patronizing, as a pout decorated her friend’s face. “Speaking of joining in…  I’ve got something that I’ve been saving to show you for a special occasion, Cliff.”  Carter beamed, motioning for them to follow as he picked up the bundle of onions.  As they entered the confessional, Claire hung in the doorway, unsure if she was supposed to proceed.

“You can come on back,” Cliff reassured her with a smile. He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, leading her through the narrow space.

She gave him a curious look and walked around the privacy screen and Claire was only now realizing a door stood beside the chair Carter often occupied.

“My humble abode,” Carter explained with a small smile. “I prefer to think of it as… _cozy_.”

He opened the door to the tiny studio apartment and led the way inside. A twin bed lined one wall and an old, worn couch lined the opposite.  A small coffee table sat in front of the couch and there was a tiny kitchenette and dining area further in.  The door off to the side was likely a restroom.  Despite the lack of adornments and small size of the apartment, Carter was right; the space did have a cozy feel to it.

He motioned for the friends to take a seat on the couch together and rummaged through a cabinet, triumphantly producing a small stringed instrument and a large pick. He handed them over to Cliff with a beaming smile.

The young man’s expressions emanated nostalgia as he ran his fingers along the snakeskin body of the instrument. “Why did you wait so long to show me?” Cliff laughed as he turned it over in his hands.  “Do you know how to play, Carter?”  A little too eager to wait for an answer, Cliff eagerly began to tune the sanshin.

Carter took a seat on his other side and let out a sigh. “Oh, it’s been so long…  I’m kind of surprised it is still in such good shape…  I picked it up at a pawn shop when I still lived in the city, long before I considered becoming a priest.”  Claire tried to picture a younger Carter in his rebellious phase playing the instrument.  “… I thought it would make me cool with the ladies,” Carter admitted with a chuckle.  He watched Cliff’s fingers nimbly work at tuning the strings and folded his hands in his lap.  “How would you like to play the sanshin at the Music Festival, Cliff?”

Claire could see that he was struggling to keep from jumping up and down. “I would _love_ to!”  His voice was confident.  In his joy, he started playing a traditional song and sang along, and Claire could tell right away that it was an instrument he grew up on.  She immediately thought of the song she and Cliff danced to together at the fireworks festival and her heart glowed; it was truly nice to see him relish in something he felt confident and comfortable doing.  Claire had never heard a sanshin before and in reminded her a bit of a banjo.  The young woman found that she already couldn’t wait for the Music Festival to begin.  

_“When the grass turns from green to gold_

_Wait by the gate for a while_

_Because I’ll always be yours to hold_

_And I’ll come home with a bag and a smile…”_

Cliff looked so content in his song that Claire felt the urge to join in despite not knowing the lyrics. Her eyes moved toward Carter, who was focused on the singer; she could see the deep unconditional love reflected in his eyes for the young man.  She hoped Cliff understood how loved he was…  A strong swell of emotion rose up within her and she quickly played it off, bobbing her head to the perky beat.  She saw Carter tapping his lap to the same rhythm.  His eyes met hers and he gave her a quick wink.  She couldn’t tell if he then cocked his head toward Cliff or was simply bobbing his head as well, but she found herself shyly playing with a strand of her hair.

Cliff finished playing his song and beamed; he hadn’t performed on that instrument in a long time. Both of his friends applauded him.  He laughed at their reactions, but his cheeks were rosy.

“Well, you certainly play much better than I could ever hope to,” Carter chuckled.

Cliff gave him a smile of gratitude for the compliment. “It was the first autumn-themed song I could think of…  We used to sing that one when the hunters came home in the fall,” he explained.  “… Every other week…”  A sad smile spread on his lips as he stroked the instrument.  It had felt like another lifetime ago that he had calluses on his fingers from instrument strings as opposed to the ones he knew he was going to develop soon from bow strings.  “I used to really hate that song, but…  I don’t think I really mind it so much anymore.”

Claire watched his fingers slide over the frets and smiled. It hadn’t been that long ago when the mere mention of home nearly had him in tears.  She watched a yellow leaf flutter to the ground from outside Carter’s tiny window.

 _Change comes with time_ , she supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: An update again?! This soon?! Yes, it’s true! I’m making plans to really work on this story for the next couple of months and get it moving along. I’ve got a drafted plan and chapters outlined, and I really hope you enjoy them! I plan on publishing a special treat on August 29, 2018 – the ten-year anniversary of this story! I hope you’re all as excited as I am!
> 
> The Shy Newcomer officially has brand-new commissioned artwork done by the lovely Christon-Clivef on Deviant Art. She was super sweet and added all the little details I requested. One of the things on there is a minor spoiler, so keep your eyes open! :D Be sure to check out her works when you get the chance. You can also see the full image of the cover art on there as well!
> 
> So we are now officially out of the eternal summer! (In the story – it’s hot as blazes right now over here!) I honestly had no intention of that season dragging on so long in my story, but I think it ended up leading to some good developments. As you can see, time is picking up once more. I’d really love to hear feedback about what you think of the story so far! Reviews are always greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for reading along, and look forward to another update in the near future! ;D


	79. The Music Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their way to pick up May, Claire and Popuri stumble across an old-fashioned shouting match between two unlikely people.

Claire stared down at her rows of what looked like plain soil. It was a far cry from the fields of tomatoes she had sported up until recently, but it was time for a change.  The tomato vines had grown frail and yellow, their leaves curling up.  The farmer had cleared a section of the plants and started some new crops, but it was a little disappointing to see bare dirt once more.

“Ah, your part-timer’s gone now? I haven’t seen him in a few days.”  Popuri was leaning against the fence, twirling a basket in her hands.

“Hunting season,” Claire explained with a slightly regretful smile. “I’m glad we were able to help each other out while the harvest lasted, though…”

“Yeah… I could tell you two had a lot of fun working together…” Popuri’s eyebrows furrowed as she bit her lip; Claire noticed she looked like something was on her mind.  She opened her mouth to continue, but Rick’s voice caught his sister by surprise.

“’Afternoon, Claire!” He gave her a casual wave as he hoisted a bag of feed onto his shoulder and headed out to the coops.

“Good afternoon!” She waved back, rolling up her sleeves and removing her work gloves.

Popuri lost her nerve and sighed, climbing over the fence. “Well, I suppose it’s time we pick up May and meet the others.”

Claire nodded and grabbed her rucksack from the shade, along with a basket. She wasn’t sure how many flowers and leaves they were going to need for the Music Festival decorations, but she didn’t want to come unprepared.

0o0o0o0

May was outside and looked grateful to see the two women. She was sitting in the dirt in front of her house, patting her grandfather’s napping dog, Hannah.  The raised voices of Barley and a gruff baritone could be heard from inside the house.

“So you think I’m just going to _hand_ her over to _you_?!”

Claire’s eyes widened; she wasn’t aware Barley was capable of yelling at anyone, and the normally gentle old man sounded furious.

“I never said that! I-I just want to be a part of her life!”

Claire blinked; she knew that voice…

“Grandpa and Zack are inside _discussing_ ,” May said importantly, but there was an uncomfortable look on her face.  The old dog gave her a nuzzle at the sound of her voice.  “He came over and I was sent out here.  They keep talking about a ‘her’.  I wonder if I did something wrong?”  Her bottom lip quivered as her brave front crumbled and a couple of tears slid down her cheeks.  “Grandpa… told me to go outside and play…”  Her voice cracked as she miserably wiped her eyes.  “B-but… I really don’t feel like playing…”

Determined to be a source of comfort for the young girl, Claire flew to her and held her arms out to her. Desperate for releasing her emotions, May began to cry harder as she vaulted herself into her arms and Claire found herself staggering backwards to maintain her balance.  The girl wrapped her arms around Claire’s neck and sobbed into her shoulder.  Claire felt a warm but firm hand on her back.

“You got her okay, Claire?” Popuri gave her a concerned look.

She shifted her hold under May’s legs so she wouldn’t slip. “Uh-huh…”  She rested her head against the five-year-old’s.

“May, I’m sure you didn’t do anything wrong,” Popuri began with a gentle tone.

There was a brief moment where May hushed her crying, but she screwed her face up again and wept afresh. “B-But Grandpa looked s-so _mad_ when I came in from feeding Hannah!  And then he said, ‘Go out and play, May.  The adults are _discussing’_ ,” she mimicked in a gruff voice.

The two women looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

“I’m sure we don’t have the whole story,” Claire reasoned hesitantly. She frowned as she looked at the farmhouse and wondered what could possibly have them both so fired up.  Her normal instincts would have chalked it up to something shipping related, but Zack’s curious behavior recently had her confused.  He had picked up Claire’s shipments for the past couple of days with a distant, emotionless stare instead of his usual wave and a grin.

Popuri gave a nod. “I have a feeling it’s none of our business, though.  Still…”  She cocked her head toward the crying child.  “ _This_ isn’t right.”  She squared her shoulders and confidently walked to the farmhouse door and gave it a smart rap.

The voices inside immediately died down. “Y-yes?”  Barley’s voice was strained.  “I apologize but this is not a good time…”

“Your granddaughter is out here _in tears_ because she thinks you’re mad at her!”  The sharpness in Popuri’s voice silenced May’s crying and stiffened Claire’s posture.  “I’d think now is a _wonderful_ time!”

“P-Popuri?” The old man opened the door with a frown on his face.

“We came to pick up May to take her to Mother’s Hill and found her like _this_!”  The young woman gestured toward the girl in Claire’s arms with frustration.  Her eyes flicked toward Zack, who was attempting to casually lean against the countertop, his eyes red and puffy.

“May, no one is angry at you.” The aggressive wrinkles in Barley’s forehead immediately disappeared as he approached her and Claire.

She gave him a brief peek before burying her face into Claire’s hair. “I-I’m sorry.  I made you and Zack unhappy…”

Claire’s eyes traveled toward a pale Zack who stopped furrowing his brow and pathetically reached out a hand toward the girl, quickly stopping himself and staring down at the floor. The young woman wasn’t sure what was going on between them, but the heartbreak on his face was hard to watch.

“Grandpa and Zack were angry because…” Barley hesitated and selected his words carefully before looking cautiously over at Zack.  “Sometimes people have hard times agreeing on things and we let our emotions get out of control.  Grown-ups sometimes have a hard time getting along, too.”

May frowned. “Y-you’re not mad at me?”  She turned toward Zack.  “And _you’re_ not mad at me?”

“N-no!”

“Of course not!” Barley adjusted his glasses.  “May, we’re really sorry that you felt that way, and that was not our intention at all.  Zack and I need to talk things through, though.”  He shot the women a pleading look.  “Please go with Popuri and Claire.  I will talk more with you tonight.  Grandpa’s sorry he made you cry, May.  Can I have a hug?”  He reached his arms out to her.

May gave him a warm, nuzzling hug. “I love you, Grandpa…”

“I love you too, May…”

The little girl walked up to Zack and threw her arms around Zack’s waist. He immediately turned a bright shade of pink and awkwardly patted the top of her head.  “Sorry for making you cry, May…”

She sniffed and gave him a smile. “It’s okay…  I’m going to go and pick flowers with Popuri and Claire now, okay, Grandpa?”  She was already bouncing with excitement for the next activity.

May gave her grandfather a kiss goodbye and gave them one last wave. Claire walked out of the room with May’s small hand wrapped around hers, and Popuri turned toward the pair one last time.

Zack’s eyes were wide and pleading. “Popuri…  I’d really appreciate if you didn’t bring this up to your moth-”

The sharp look she gave him caused his voice to die in his throat. “I might be young, but I’m not as dumb as everyone seems to think.  Whatever you and Barley have to work out is between the two of you, but for Goddess’ sake, at least keep May out of it!”  She gave them both a reproachful look before refocusing her gaze on Zack.  She said nothing more, but rolled her eyes at him as she closed the door behind her abruptly.

0o0o0o0

Claire didn’t say a word about what had happened back at Barley’s, but the words continued to ring through her head as the group hiked in the mountains together. She couldn’t help but notice that the smile Popuri was giving May was a very clumsy mask as she carried the young girl on her back and chattered with Carter.  Claire found she was beginning to dread the Music Festival.

“I think some of those blue Himalayan poppies would be perfect for the altar, don’t you think?

Claire gave Mary a silent nod as she helped pick some of the blooms and added them to her basket.

Barley usually had such a reedy voice, high and thin, and Zack’s was deeper, but they always had friendly tones to them. To hear the volume of both of them elevated to a yell…  Claire shuddered.  What could have possibly happened to make them so upset?

The young woman could see the stress etched on her friend’s face. Mary bit her lip, unsure of what to say, and her eyes moved to her boyfriend.  She was surprised that he had so willingly volunteered to join them in the search today.  No, she inwardly shook her head.  She shouldn’t be shocked; Gray was trying to grow.  He gave her a warm smile in response.  Mary watched curiously as Gray gave Claire a soft tap on the arm to get her attention.

The blonde was rather jumpy and she apologized as she dropped a couple of flowers at his touch. Mary watched them closely, silencing the nagging voice in the back of her mind; the flush on Claire’s cheeks was surely out of embarrassment and surprise, as Mary could see the way the young woman’s eyebrows were furrowed with worry.  It was a far cry from the dreamy gazes she gave the young man in the past.  Mary’s heart settled a bit as she silently chided herself for her previous inner doubts, no matter how small.

He gave Claire a nervous smile before he pointed up to the sky. “Hey, check out that bird.  That’s a falcon.”

She couldn’t see the speckled belly from where she was at, but she recognized the distinctive shape of the wings. “Cain…”  The bird’s name was hardly a whisper as it escaped from her lips.  “Cliff…”  It seemed her dear friend was busy working.  She could see him in her mind’s eye, carefully watching his hunting partner’s movements.

Cliff was doing something he loved and he was doing it with someone he had a special bond with. She could still see his eyes sparkling like a couple of stars as she recalled his excitement for hunting season…

Mary saw the stress leave Claire’s face and she gave Gray a kind smile, but he was busy watching the sky with interest. Shaking her head with a silent chuckle, she clipped and added some more wildflowers to the basket.

0o0o0o0

Claire walked along the cobblestones, playing a few bars on her ocarina as the breeze caught at the skirt of her dress. She found a mixture of excitement and nervousness in her stomach, despite the simplicity of the music.  The young woman shook her head; it wasn’t the music she was nervous about.

May had stayed at the church while the others went home to prepare for the night’s events. Claire couldn’t help but feel concerned over the young girl’s situation.  She entered the church and made her way to the altar where the performers were tuning their instruments and chatting.  Before Claire could refocus her thoughts on her worries about May, Karen called her name and gave her a shy wave.  Startled by the unusual greeting, Claire made her way over.

“I’m actually a little nervous,” Karen admitted, averting her eyes and twisting the heel of her shoe on the carpet. It was strange behavior for her and Claire thought it looked like something that Mary or herself would do. 

Out of curiosity, Claire looked over to see how Mary was doing, but she saw the bench at the organ was empty. Her eyes traveled to the pew, where she saw the young woman hugging her sheet music to her chest and chatting happily with her father, who was staring intently at the urns of wildflowers on the altar.  A stone-faced and pale Gray was tightly wedged between Mary’s parents, and he kept soundlessly opening his mouth, trying to get a word in on the conversation.

Anna wasn’t paying much attention to that exchange, as she was busy gabbing with Manna, who had taken a seat beside her. Her husband, Duke, was standing in a cluster with Doug and Harris, laughing loudly.  Ann had worry lines on her forehead despite her smile and she suddenly turned on her heel, flouncing up to the altar to chat with Elli, her fingers pressing the buttons on her flute in an agitated manner.  Elli’s focus was torn from Trent, who was talking to Carter in a surprisingly animated manner and holding a tambourine, of all things.

May was sitting with her grandfather and Claire was surprised to see Zack seated on the other side of Barley. There was a stiff awkwardness between the two adults, but the young girl didn’t seem to mind as she happily slapped her hands on her knees in excitement.  Seeing May smile once more brought great relief to Claire and she found her own anxiety fade significantly as the girl gave her a little wave, which she returned with a grin.

Claire refocused on Karen. She didn’t know that the outgoing young woman was even capable of feeling nervous.  Her mind went back to the first day she had spoken to her.  Karen had always stood strong and tall, her green eyes glittering with confidence.  Claire could remember in that moment seeing Karen as everything she wished she could be for herself someday.  Karen wouldn’t have had any trouble telling her parents she was going to start a new life on a farm regardless of their support…  Claire shook the thoughts from her head.

“I think things will go well,” she replied to Karen. While it was genuine, Claire feared it might come off as a bit generic and she struggled to think of something else to say. 

The brunette snapped back to attention, a little surprised her friend had replied at all. Claire had seemed very pensive and preoccupied this evening.

“I think you have a really nice voice,” she added sincerely, “and I think everyone’s going to have a fun time tonight.”

Karen put an arm around her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. “You’re sweet.  You’re right, though – I’m sure everything will be fine.  I usually feel good once I get started.”  A smile played at her glossed lips.  She knew that once the music began, she could close her eyes and let the familiar rhythms take her back to her mother telling stories about her grandmother, who loved music and dance as much as making her famous home brew.  Karen never thought of her grandmother as an old woman, as she had passed away well before her time.

“She was actually a lot like you,” Sasha had joked, showing her teenage daughter an old hand-painted portrait of a young blonde woman with stern eyebrows and a smirk playing at her cherry red lips. “Mama could be a bit sassy, too, you know.”

“ _Hey_!”

Sasha laughed. “Well, that’s where I get it from, too!”  Her expressions softened as she gazed fondly at the photograph, her fingers tracing the golden tresses.  “She definitely was a free spirit.  Mama always did feel conflicted being cooped up in that old farmhouse.”

_Just like Mom and the supermarket…_

“I bet she would have told you to keep dancing,” Karen said, a little surprised her voice cracked.

Sasha gave her daughter a sad smile. “Those days are far behind me.  They were fun while they lasted, though.”  There was a wistful look in her eyes as she swallowed the lump in her throat.

Guilt overwhelmed her as Karen felt tears splash down onto her balled up fists. “It’s _my_ fault!  If I hadn’t-!”

“Karen Eve Blanchette, don’t you _dare_ apologize!”  Sasha’s firm voice stunned Karen into silence.  “ _Never_!”

It was the last time she had seen her mother cry…

The young woman looked down at her red cocktail dress, a precious heirloom of days and dreams gone by. Tonight, she could reignite her grandmother’s legacy dreams, if only for a little while…

After all, when she sang and lost herself in the music, she felt _free_.  Perhaps it was her own dreams as well…

“Karen, are you alright?” Claire had her hands on her friend’s shoulders and Karen snapped back to reality, surprised by the concern and tight grip she had on her.

The brunette let out a soft chuckle. “I’m fine.  Just got lost in memories is all.  Remind me to tell you about my grandma someday, okay?  I’m… I’m gonna go talk to my mom for a bit.”  Karen’s face flushed as she gave Claire a quick hug and walked to where Sasha was seated beside Jeff.

Claire was quickly realizing how family-oriented the event was and tried to fight the lump forming in her throat. How nice would it be to look out at the pews and see someone that had specially shown up for her?

“Hey, Claire!”

The folksy tenor shot a shiver down her spine and her sadness immediately melted. She was never truly alone, after all.

“I’m pretty sure we saw Cain when we went to gather some wildflowers this morning.” Claire gave her friend a smile and waved as he approached her.  Upon closer inspection, she could see that he had dark circles under his eyes, and she quickly realized that he was likely hunting the night before.  The ends of his hair still looked slightly damp and he smelled of soap; it was likely he took a break from hunting to freshen up and come here.

“Ah, he was pretty excited today. I think he’s eager to have a good season,” Cliff replied.  “We didn’t have the best luck today finding anything, but I have a feeling we’re on the right track.  The next few days are going to be busy if all goes according to plan.”  He let out a soft chuckle as he recalled his partner’s antics that morning.  “Cain was very chatty at breakfast and he was practically singing when I took him outside.”  Cliff had that kind look in his eyes the way he always did when he spoke of the falcon.

Claire clutched her ocarina to her heart, a grin creeping across her face as her eyes lit up. “That’s so adorable!”

The young man’s cheeks became rosy at her expression, and hers immediately followed. They could both think of something right in front of them that could match that description.

The sound of Carter clearing his throat caused the church to go silent.

Carter walked to the altar with his conductor’s baton, and everyone’s eyes followed him as the musicians arranged themselves. Claire’s stomach lurched when Ann appeared on the other side of Cliff and gave his arm a squeeze, burying her face in his shoulder for a minute.  He leaned over to whisper something to her and she shook her head. 

“Is everyone ready?”

Karen took her place up front, flashing her friends a confident smile that looked much more genuine than earlier.

“Every year we share in music to celebrate the harvest season. It is important that we take this time to reflect and give gratitude for the bounties of nature the gods have blessed us with.  Without further ado, we present to you the Music Festival!”

Claire’s nervousness quickly wore off by the middle of the first song, and her years of playing in her music club at school kicked in. She was able to enjoy listening to the different parts playing – the flourishes from Elli’s and Ann’s flutes, the vibrations of Mary’s organ, the twang of Cliff’s sanshin, the rattle of Trent’s tambourine.  Karen’s strong speaking voice translated well into song, and Claire enjoyed listening to her friend sing.

“ _When the autumn leaves Fall down Fall down I know that I will see you again Because for all this time I have been waiting Waiting For the autumn to return me to my friend_.”

It was an upbeat song, and people in the audience clapped to the music. Claire smiled as she played.  Karen would define the style of this song as “backwater”, but she sang with comfort and joy at the melody.  They played a few more songs, all upbeat and rather folksy sounding.  Claire smiled to herself as she played.  She knew some people in the audience probably thought it was kind of funny that someone raised in the city was playing folk tunes, but she was happy that everyone could enjoy and share in the music together.

Besides, she realized, she was feeling less and less like city folk every day.

0o0o0o0

There were stars in Karen’s eyes as she draped an arm over each of her parents’ shoulders.

“Let’s all go home! I’ll cook us some chocolate curry dip!”  A grin broke across her face and she was oblivious to the way her father’s face turned pale.

“And I can put on some old records! We can dance!” Sasha giggled.

The color immediately came back to Jeff’s face and the pure love shining in his eyes as he looked adoringly at his wife took Claire by surprise. “I… I _love_ you Sasha...”

Karen’s cheeks turned burgundy as they gazed at each other, but the happiness on her face was unmistakable. “Okay, okay!  You guys can be all lovey-dovey _after_ your child has gone to bed!” she teased as they exited the church.

Claire watched May take Barley’s hand and follow suit, giving a wave goodbye to Zack. The large man’s cheeks flushed as he gave her a shy wave, his eyes returning to the ground as he hurried home.  Claire was grateful that the arguing between them seemed to have ceased.

“S-so… I guess that leaves us…” Cliff was nervously rubbing the crook of his neck, avoiding eye contact.

The young woman nodded. “It was really fun playing in a group,” Claire replied as she accepted his silent offer to walk her home, looping her arm around Cliff’s as they walked.

He gave her a happy nod. “Nostalgic… but in a good way.”

She had a feeling that this was the overall mood of the evening. “I’m glad.  You deserve to enjoy yourself,” she murmured, hugging his arm.  Cliff had been relaxed in a crowd of people that he longed to call his neighbors.  She knew how much it meant to him to feel like he was a part of the group.  Claire found herself smiling as a warm glow filled her heart.  “I’m glad you had a good time, too…  I love seeing you get so happy over music.  It’s really… nice,” she stammered awkwardly, frustrated she couldn’t find a better way to express her feelings aloud.

She was sweet; far sweeter than someone like him deserved. Despite the conflict in his heart over this, he gave her a shy smile as they walked through the square.

Her mind ran over the events of the day and she found herself frowning as she recalled the stress on Ann’s face earlier.

“So, what was wrong with Ann?” Claire found herself asking. She bit her tongue, immediately scolding herself for being so nosy.  Still, she couldn’t manage to shake the uneasy feeling the whole interaction between Ann and Cliff gave her before the music started.  Perhaps she was becoming far too intrusive…

“Ah, she was just… having a rough evening,” he replied vaguely, giving her a sad smile. “I think she just needed to vent is all.  I think the music helped, too,” he added.

Claire took this as a cue to not press any further, and she felt a little ashamed at the mild sting she had felt up at the altar; it reminded her far too much of her old interactions with Mary when Gray was around. “I can tell the music was really relaxing to a lot of people.  I feel a lot better than I did this morning,” she confessed as they entered Mystic Acres.  They stopped in front of her house.  “Do you want to come in for a while?”

He couldn’t help but wonder if he was imagining the subtle unique warmth in her smile lately. Regardless of this, he was determined to work hard so that they could remain in each other’s lives.  “I’m sorry.  I’d really love to, but I found some really promising markings in the woods this morning.  I’m going to get my things together and pull an all-nighter.”

Claire frowned; it was likely he had started working very early this morning, and she had her hunches that he had stayed up the night before. “But…”  This was their new reality, Claire reminded herself.  It was hunting season, and she needed let him do what he needed to get done.  Part of her wondered when the next time she would actually see him would be, but she refrained from saying so aloud.  She had been far too spoiled with the late days of summer, seeing her friend every single day.  “Take care of yourself.”  Still, she had a hard time letting him go.  “What time do you think you’ll be done?”

He wasn’t sure what she was getting at. “Probably nine or ten tomorrow morning?”  It was more of a question than a statement.

She squeezed his hand between hers. “Come over for breakfast.  I’ll cook us something tasty!”

He hoped she would never let go, but his eyes reflected regret as he looked at the sunset. “Thank you… I-I’ve got to get going, but have a good night.”

“Thanks, you, too.” She went to remove her hand, but he was still holding it fast.  Her cheeks blazed and her breath hitched as he slowly moved her hand to his lips for a kiss.  Claire could hardly think straight with all the noise in her head – music from the festival, echoes of his soft voice, the chorus of crickets in the background…

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gave her hand a soft pat.  “And if I’m lucky, I’ll have something to contribute.”

Her heart was dancing while her head spun. “Ah, that’s not necessary.”  She wished he would kiss her again; her very being was humming with excitement and ecstasy that he had repeated this simple gesture from the Fireworks Festival.  “Have a great night.”

“I know I will. I have the best motivation in the world,” he confessed with a shy chuckle, his entire face blushing.

Before she could ask what that was, the young man was hurrying off, waving over his shoulder and stammering his goodbyes.

She looked out at her fields, clenching her fist with determination as a grin spread across her lips.

“So do I…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you have any suggestions or comments, don’t be shy; I’d love to hear from you!
> 
> I took a few creative liberties with the Music Festival and added a few more participants. I felt like Cliff would participate because he and Carter are close and this Cliff has a bit of a musical past. Also, I wanted to add Trent because I feel like Carter mentions in-game about the two of them hanging out some evenings at the church, shooting the breeze and sharing a bottle of wine. I gave Trent a tambourine because I imagined him losing a bet during one of those evening get-togethers and he’s not very musically inclined, but still has a playful side hardly anyone ever sees.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed! :D


	80. Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire has a couple of unexpected heart-to-hearts with unlikely people.

Koro sat still and looked at Gotz with wide eyes as he carried his heavy tool box into the house and set it on the floor with a loud clank. At the sudden sound, Koro let out a few yips, wagging his tail in an agitated manner, quickly placing himself between the stranger and his master.  Claire was about to scold her dog when Gotz crouched down and looked at him kindly.  Koro’s tail slowed immediately as he looked at the carpenter with a tilted head.

A large, calloused hand was offered to the pup and he padded over to him, investigating the guest with suspicious sniffs. Koro gave the hand a lick and happy bark, wagging his tail.

“See? No one to be afraid of,” Gotz laughed, reaching in from the side to scratch under the dog’s chin.

It wasn’t long until the corgi/beagle mix flopped over on his side for pets. Claire shook her head with a giggle, returning to her seat and looking over her spreadsheets once more.  It was drizzling this morning and she was taking the opportunity to plan her finances for the months ahead.  “He’s really quite shameless.”

“He seems awfully protective of you, though. That’s a good quality in a dog…”  His dark eyes had a faraway look to them as he let out a soft sigh.

“You seem familiar with handling them,” Claire ventured. She watched his hand freeze as she said this and Koro looked up at him with wide eyes, silently asking why he had stopped scratching his belly.

“Had a white German Shepherd eleven and a half years ago.”

Claire began trying to imagine the large wolf-like dog, but the oddly specific time frame Gotz had given left her curious and distracted. She pushed the papers away from her; it was unlikely she was going to focus on them at the moment.

The man’s words caught her by surprise. “His name was Waffle.”  He let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.  “My little Mila named him…”  His face grew somber at once, the smile fading from his mouth.

She smiled at both of the cute names he had provided. “Mila…” Claire echoed the name under her breath.  Did he have a daughter around her age?  Where did Mila live?

“She was the sweetest little thing…” Gotz trailed off, moving to his toolbox and retrieving a tape measure along with a pad and pencil.  He suddenly became absorbed in his work as he took the measurements of the area he was going to work on first.  “Always saw the good in things, just like her mother…  Everyone said we balanced each other out.”

Claire noted his use of the past tense and felt an intense wave of sadness.

“She and that dog were always playin’ together…” He let out a soft chuckle that had a hint of fondness to it.  “Tug o’ war…  That dog could pull her across the room, but he was so gentle with her...  We were real happy, y’know…”  Gotz could still hear the record player on rainy nights, twirling with his beautiful wife in the living room.  Little Mila would bob her head to the music and do some spinning of her own, plopping on the floor loudly when she got dizzy, collapsing in giggles.  He could still see Hilda tucking their precious daughter into bed and luring him into their own with a warm smile and loving eyes.  Her lips were always so soft and tasted like vanilla lip balm…  The man’s voice died down a bit as he scratched some numbers onto his pad of paper, his throat tightening.  “This is probably hard for you to believe, but Harris used to tease me and my wife, Hilda, for being too lovey-dovey…”  He shook his head with a snort, but Claire could see his eyes fill up with tears.  Gotz blinked them away, tucking his pencil behind his ear.  “But it wasn’t like I hadn’t caught him and Duke’s girl kissin’ in the vineyard before.  A real romantic, that boy used to be…  Always asking me for advice with women…”

She was a little surprised he had brought up Harris of all people, but his roundabout way of speaking seemed to help him collect his thoughts.

“Hasn’t been the same since Aja left. Duke and Manna took it pretty hard, too...  Still do, really.  You lose a part of yourself when someone you love is no longer a part of your life,” he said with a regretful sigh.

Claire once more thought of the letter she had sent her parents and she felt a pang in her stomach. Had she unknowingly cut them out of her life as she made the choice to move here?  That seemed so extreme to her…  It wasn’t like her older sisters, Simone and Colette, had never moved out themselves…

 _Of course, they moved out to marry wealthy doctors…_ Claire bit back a smirk.  Doctor Trent, while kind and polite, would not have met her parents’ criteria for a suitable husband, as he likely didn’t have much extra money due to a low number of patients.  They’d likely say he wouldn’t be able to support a family.

Her cheeks were suddenly set ablaze. _What about Cliff being a suitable hus-?_

“There was a bad storm that week,” Gotz began. “It’ll be twelve years this winter.”

Claire blinked, settling back down into reality as the blood rushed around her ears. Her eyes darted to the spreadsheet.

This _is the kind of planning I’m focusing on right now! Don’t be ridiculous, Claire!_

She repeated Gotz’s last line in her head and she felt her heart sink and her blood run cold, too stunned to inwardly scold herself for her lack of focus. “A… st-storm…?”  Claire gulped.

Gotz would never forget that day, yelling in the mountains until his voice was hoarse and going numb at the sight of Hilda’s rose-colored scarf peeking out of a snow bank. Adrenaline had coursed through him as he dug desperately, and it overflowed from him in the form of uncontrollable sobbing.  The sight had been etched into his brain – the three of them curled up together under the snow, attempting to warm each other.  Waffle had draped himself across their laps to offer his dear friends some warmth…  They were all three slightly bluish and still; they had been gone for hours.

It never got easier with time, and for a while, Gotz wished they had taken him along with them. He had simply lain in the snow sobbing until Harris, Duke, Doug, and Zack found him, dragging the broken man indoors.

He’d never hear those delighted high-pitched giggles and playful barking again. He’d never again kiss those warm vanilla lips…

Sometimes, in his weaker moments, he still wished he could have gone with them.

“Took all three of ‘em,” Gotz choked. He quickly cleared his throat and looked down at his pad of paper, letting out a soft grunt when a couple of tears splashed onto the paper.

He looked up at a flash of white in the corner of his eye. Claire was standing beside him with a hand on his arm and offering him a handkerchief with her free one.

“That must have been hard. I’m really sorry.”  Her eyes were sincere and he wasn’t sure why it surprised him so much.  He had to remind himself that no one blamed him for what had happened.

He gratefully accepted the cloth, wiping his eyes. “They were trapped in the snow…  Waffle… was sittin’ on their laps, tryin’ to keep ‘em warm…”  His heart broke all over again as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

Claire’s hands flew over her mouth and her face screwed up as she held back some tears of her own at the very mental image. She quickly returned one hand to Gotz’s hairy arm, stroking him soothingly.

The pup at his feet caught him by surprise. Koro had flattened himself against the floor and rested his chin on the top of Gotz’s boots, looking up at him with wide eyes as his tail wagged slowly.  The man gave Claire a heavy pat on the shoulder, apologizing under his breath for getting upset.

His eyes moved back down to Koro and he let out a soft chuckle, unable to hide the pain in his voice. “He’s gonna grow up to be a good dog…  He’s got a strong heart like Waffle did…”

Claire’s voice quavered. “I can only pray to have a dog that amazing…”

0o0o0o0

Gotz had thrown himself back into his work, muttering to Koro as he jotted down his measurements. Claire looked out the window.  The skies had cleared and the ground was soft.  It was the perfect time to start clearing out more of her dead and dying tomato plants.

Leaving a couple of pieces of fruit on the table as a snack for the carpenter, Claire headed outside to tackle her next project. A gust of cool autumn air blew through her hair and while it was refreshing, it also reminded her that she was going to need to buckle down if she was going to live comfortably during the cold months.  A mental image of Gotz’s family in the snow flashed through her mind and she pushed it away with a shiver, swallowing the lump that started to form in her throat.

Her sadness faded with time as she became absorbed in tearing out the old plants and tossing them over her shoulder onto an old tarp she found in the barn. When the tarp got full, she dragged it out to the compost heap, adding the plants to the pile.  It was monotonous, simple work, but she found she didn’t mind too much as she smiled at the results of her labor.  The ground was still so soft from her previous tilling that it didn’t need to be done again to plant new crops.

She hummed a couple of the tunes they had played at the music festival, but she stopped when she noticed a blob of pink out of the corner of her vision.

“Claire…” Popuri was looking over the fence at her with wide garnet eyes.

She wondered if the young woman wanted to talk about the situation with May the day before. “Oh, hey, Popuri.  What’s up?”

Popuri looked behind her, and upon seeing her brother occupied with sharpening his axe, she hoisted her skirts in one hand and hopped over the wooden fence. Her hair and garments fluttered down beautifully as she landed and Claire absentmindedly wished once again that she was beautiful and feminine.

“I just wanted to say hello…” She walked over to Claire’s patch of dead plants and ripped up a few, adding them to her heap.  The farmer was grateful for the help and they pulled up a few plants in silence.  She glanced at Popuri’s bare hands and was about to offer her some work gloves when the young woman spoke.  “I kinda wanted to thank you for handling things so well the other day…  I suppose I might’ve been a bit harsher with Barley and Zack than I should have been…”

Claire wasn’t sure why Popuri was thanking her; they had both been dragged into the situation by way of May’s crying, and it wasn’t as if either of them was going to walk away at that point.

“Sometimes I wish I was braver like you and Ann and Karen,” Claire admitted with a wry smile. “It can be frustrating when adults are the immature ones.”

“You’re telling me…” Popuri rolled her eyes.  “Zack acts like he’s the only Mom can rely on.  I think he’s living in a fairy tale; that’s just the way he _wants_ it to be…”

Claire felt a little uncomfortable as she suddenly remembered his flushed cheeks and fond gazes directed at the woman with the soft pink hair. “He _does_ realize Lillia’s married, right?”

Popuri nodded with a laugh. “He’s good friends with Dad.  We all know he’s too much of a gentleman to overstep his boundaries.  I think he’s mostly just overprotective; I doubt he thinks he’s got an actual chance with her.”

Claire frowned. “I’d imagine that would be kind of lonely.”

“Yeah… I don’t recall him ever having a girlfriend since he’s lived here…”  Popuri tossed a tomato plant behind her.  “I think it would make Mom really happy to see him with someone who makes him happy.”

Claire recalled the sad smile Zack had given to May and his shy mannerisms around the young girl. “Yeah…  I don’t think he was trying to make anyone upset yesterday…”

“Oh, I know that,” Popuri replied. “Zack has a kind heart; he’d never try to hurt someone on purpose.  I’d like to think most people don’t…”

Claire nodded, a little unsure of what she meant by that comment. The two worked in silence for a few minutes and the farmer focused her attention back to the cooler weather.  She scanned the sky to the west, watching the birds fly by and idly wondering if Cain was too far away to see from where she was at.  It was definitely a nice day for being outdoors; Claire could hardly remember a time where she wasn’t covered completely in sweat while working.  Spring felt like an eternity ago…

“So, we had a busy summer, huh?”

Popuri’s sudden change of subject startled her. The blonde realized with embarrassment that she had been so preoccupied with the birds in the sky and thought of getting her fields cleared that she didn’t notice Popuri’s eyes had grown in size.  “Yeah.  It was very eventful.  It’s kind of hard to believe that summer’s only a few months long.  Is… everything alright?” Claire asked gently, letting the tomato plant in her hand drop to the earth, stunned at the mood shift.

Popuri’s eyes filled with tears as she tugged on a particularly stubborn vine, her deflated happiness keeping her from being able to finish her task. She looked around her before speaking, much like she did the day before when they met to pick up May.  “Ah, I’m sorry…  It’s just…  It’s hard to talk to Karen about it because, well, she sees my brother all the time and wouldn’t understand.”  The young woman paused and let go of the plant, weaving her fingers together anxiously.  When she spoke again, her voice was very soft.  “Claire… you know what it feels like to be in… _love_ …”  She watched a few tears fall to the earth, leaving two small damp spots where the moisture hit the soil.

Claire wasn’t sure how to respond to this. The mere idea that someone knew about her feelings for Cliff without her mentioning it first was dizzying.  Her heart thudded in her ears and her knees went weak; she hadn’t even gained the courage to tell Karen the full details yet.  Flustered, she reached into the pocket of her overalls to produce a handkerchief for her friend and realized with surprise she had already lent it out to Gotz.

Popuri was already brushing the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Sorry…  I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that.  I would never share that with anyone else, of course…  I can just see the way you… _glow_ around him, y’know…”

Claire felt her cheeks burning brighter by the moment and she played with a strand of her hair, a little unsure of what to say. She found that part of her was dying to gush about him and the other side of her was begging to keep quiet.  Crushes were much simpler as a teenager, Claire thought with an inward sigh.  Lost in her conflicting feelings, she barely realized that she was silently giving Popuri a shy nod.

Popuri’s hand moved to Claire’s shoulder, noticing her hesitancy. “I won’t pry into your business, but I noticed he hasn’t been around much for the past week or so.  If his hunting is picking up like you mentioned, you won’t see him every day like you did before...  I just…” Popuri took a deep breath as she attempted to level her breathing.  She had grown so accustomed to visiting the beach every single day, and since the season changed, that location no longer held the magic and reprieve she craved from her everyday life.  “I can relate, y’know?”  Her voice became weak as Claire put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.  “How… how do you plan t-to… _cope_?  Never seeing him, I mean?” Popuri broke into a sob.

Claire shook her head. While she definitely was starting to notice Cliff wasn’t constantly at her side anymore, it didn’t leave her particularly upset.  “I-it’s not that bad because I know that after the season’s over-” Claire’s voice died in her throat as her stomach dropped.  She never realized how hard it must be every year for Popuri to say goodbye to Kai, especially when she couldn’t talk about him very openly with her own brother.  “I know he needs to make an income for himself if he wants to keep living at the inn…”

Popuri was silent for a few moments as she finished wiping her eyes and reflected on Claire’s words. “You’re right.  I should be glad that he’s taking the effort to do what he loves and wanting to live his own life…”  She sniffed and ran her fingers through her hair, straightening it a bit.

Claire quickly realized with a bit of surprise and relief that Popuri had changed her focus to Kai.

“That’s not easy to do,” Claire admitted. “I know from experience…”  She kicked her feet in the dirt a bit, a little embarrassed at the thought of her own parents not being supportive of her decision to move to Mineral Town.  “B-but… the best we can do is be supportive of the people we c-care about,” she stammered, flushing as her voice squeaked.

Popuri mulled over Claire’s advice as she looked up at the clouds in the sky and the farmer noticed that her companion’s eyes flashed with an expression she had never seen before. “It’s about being stronger then, huh…?  I…  I wanna be stronger, too,” she murmured, the autumn breeze playing at her pink curls.  “Maybe you’re right…”  She swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked deep in thought for several silent moments.  She finally turned toward Claire with a grin on her face, her eyes glowing.  “I’m going to become a better woman.  I’m in… _love_ now, after all.”  Despite the blush in her cheeks, there was an aura of maturity over her that was new.  There was no hiding now that the young woman had developed over the summer, and her emotions had a new depth to them.

A smile crossed Claire’s face; she was glad that Popuri was growing. She only wished she could say the same about herself; now that Popuri had mentioned Cliff’s absence, she found herself dwelling on it and her heart unexpectedly aching.  “I believe that love can be wonderful,” she whispered.  “And I believe it can accomplish great things.”  She thought of Carter’s sentiments when she first met Cliff.  Surely they were both happier now that they had a close friend that they could talk to.  Whether or not her romantic feelings would actually be able to help him remained to be seen, she thought as she bit her lip, but she could have hope for the future.

Popuri gave a small nod and her hair bounced as she did so. “Kai deserves a strong woman who can help him.  He might seem cheery on the surface, but he has his share of troubles, too,” she confessed.  “I want to be the one that he can turn to.  I want him to find comfort in _me_.”  Her voice cracked as she impatiently dabbed away a few more tears.  “When summer rolls around again…”  Popuri paused as she slowed down her breathing and looked up at her friend with a crooked smile.  “He’s going to find a woman, not a girl, who has been waiting patiently for him.”

Claire gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder, pulling her into a warm hug. “I know that you can make that a reality, Popuri.”

Hearing the young woman’s validation made her heart soar. Popuri gave her a kind smile as she blinked away the last of her tears, letting out a congested laugh.  “You are always so formal.  You can call me Poppy, y’know!”  When given a shy nod in return, she reached for Claire’s hand and gave it a pat.  “And…  I think you can make your own dreams come true, too.  There are a lot of people rooting for you.  I know I’m not the only one who thinks you’re a great farmer.”  She gave Claire a playful wink.  “I think once the hunting season’s over, you’ll come out of this stronger just like me and Kai will.  We just have to both remain patient and work hard.”

“You’re right.” Claire grinned as she turned back to her tomato plants, pulling them up with new vigor.

“And we’ve got to let our men work hard, too!” Popuri murmured with a giggle and a light nudge.  “Let them follow their dreams!”

“ _O-our_?!”  Claire stood up abruptly, a few stray blonde locks getting into her face.  She impatiently brushed away her hair and shook her head.

“Hey, we can pretend, right? No harm done!”  She looked back over the fence and noticed her brother was curiously watching them.  She swished her skirts back and forth, a smile playing at her lips.  “Well, I think I’m going to head back on over and help Rick with something, whether he wants me to or not!”

Claire let out a soft laugh. “Alright.  See you later, Poppy.”

The young woman beamed at her as she hopped back over the fence, jogging to catch up with her brother. Popuri had changed so much in just the past couple of months that Claire couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.  Despite this, the young woman had a ways to go in maturing, Claire realized with a soft chuckle.

Still, entertaining the thought that Cliff’s heart belonged to her was rather inviting… To see that warm smile reserved just for her and to wrap her fingers around his and share a fond gaze, not saying anything, but just enjoying one another’s company and being grateful that by some twist of fate their hearts had been brought together…

The thoughts gave her a different glow than her fantasies from back in the springtime.

Perhaps there were some things it was alright to indulge in _a little_ …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I always felt really bad for Popuri at the beginning of fall; I’d imagine she’s missing Kai and doesn’t really feel comfortable talking to anyone about it. I also felt for Gotz when you learn that he lost his family in a storm up in the mountains. Poor guy…
> 
> I’d love to hear what you think, and I promise I don’t bite. Each and every review means so much to me, and I am grateful for your support! I’ll see you in the next chapter – be prepared for a doozy!


	81. A Wanderer's Descent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire's world is turned upside down as a possibly tragic emergency strikes.

A sigh escaped Claire’s lips as she dug with her hoe at the soil, bending over to remove the weeds in the dirt. The morning air was cool and she looked out at her fields with a slight swell of pride.  The old tomato plants had been cleared and the ground was ready for more crops.  She had already planted a few rows of carrots and sweet potatoes, along with a few other things.  The farmer didn’t want to overdo it like she had the season before, but these home renovations made her nervous and cost her a little more than she was comfortable with. 

She listened to the hammering inside of her house. This was a necessity and couldn’t be put off any longer.  It wasn’t only the money she was investing that had such an impact on her – the fact that she was trying to improve her living space gave her a sense of stability.  This was her home now and she needed to take care of it.

She heard footsteps rapidly approaching behind her and she stood up, startled, whirling around.

“Sorry!” Cliff muttered as he tore through her fields.  He didn’t meet her gaze, but she could see that his face was pale and fear was etched into his expression.  A small bundle was in his arms, and it took her a moment to process what she was seeing.  She realized with horror that he was not wearing a shirt with red sleeves; he was covered in blood.  The young man leapt over a row of freshly sprouted sweet potato plants and kicked up a bit of loose dirt behind him.

“Cliff!” She set down her tool and hurried after him, her heart pounding in concern.

He said nothing in response and quickly outran her, carefully cradling the bundle under one arm and effortlessly hoisting himself over her fence to the poultry farm next door.

“Rick!” Cliff’s voice was laced with desperation as he hurried to the chicken coops, tugging on the door.  A flock of hens rushed out at him, but he didn’t seem fazed by this.  Claire was pulling herself over the wooden fence when she heard the poultry farmer’s sigh of exasperation.

“Popuri, how many times have I-? … Cliff?!  What in the Goddess’s name are you-?”  He pulled the door to the coop closed and looked at the young man in horror when he saw all of the blood.

Cliff carefully pulled back a corner of the fabric he was holding, nearly thrusting the contents in Rick’s face. “Pl-please!  He’s hurt badly!  I-I’ve never dealt with injuries like this before!  Have any of your hens been attacked by eagles?”  She had never seen him look so afraid, and her throat began to constrict in panic.  Cain was moving, but he had a cut across his chest and several disheveled feathers.

Claire clapped her hands over her opened mouth, stifling a gasp as her eyes widened in horror. Cain was not the only one who had been hurt.  Her gaze was stuck on the shredded and punctured skin on Cliff’s arms.  The wounds looked fresh and they were bleeding heavily.  The only places on his arms that seemed to be spared of the deep cuts were where he wore his bracers, which were only sporting a few minor tears.

Rick seemed to be concentrating on the same thing. “You need to see the doctor about those injuries!  An eagle did that to you?  You’re lucky you didn’t lose an eye…”

Popuri was stretching her arms over her head as she headed outside from the farmhouse and her eyes locked onto them as she picked up her skirts and jogged over to them, her face immediately going pale with worry.

The hunter shook his head in frustration and thrust the bundle under Rick’s nose. Claire realized that he had fashioned his hide tunic into a rustic kind of cradle to hold the bird in.  “Could Trent help _him_?  I’m not concerned with myself right now.”  Claire put a gentle hand on his back and could feel that he was trembling.  She couldn’t tell if it was due to fear, pain, or blood loss and he didn’t seem to acknowledge her presence.  Judging from the horror in his eyes, he was experiencing tunnel vision.  Part of her longed to speak with him alone and get the whole story, but with the urgency of the situation, she realized this wish was selfish.

Rick was still focused on the bloodied arms and opened his mouth to speak, but Cliff cut him off. “I need help for _Cain_.  Please, _he_ is my focus; he’s likely to bleed out unless I hurry.  Can _you_ help him?”

Rick bit his lip; when their birds had been injured as badly as the bundled up peregrine was, he put them down. He had a feeling this answer was not what Cliff wanted to hear, and it wasn’t as if the falcon was livestock.  “Uh…  I’ve never taken my chickens to Trent before…  Harvey over in the Valley has some experience with birds.  One of Pete’s ducks had been injured pretty badly in a storm and he mended the bird’s wing.”

Cliff clung to this small bit of hope. “O-okay… Harvey in Forget-Me-Not…”  He whirled around and looked toward the southern path through the mountains, his decision made.  “Thank you…”

“Cliff, wait!” Popuri interjected, grabbing him by the shoulder. She wasn’t fazed by the fact that her hand had become damp and sticky with his blood.  “I’ll go next door and get you a horse.  Can you ride?”

A slight wave of relief washed over his features. Claire felt her throat tighten at his suddenly misty eyes before he quickly blinked them away.  “Yes.  Thank you!”

Popuri hopped the next fence and the group followed her. May was pouring water into a trough for the cows when she looked up and saw them.

“May, honey. We need to talk to your Grandpa.  It’s very urgent.” 

0o0o0o0

Cliff hardly remained still as Popuri carefully took Cain from him so that Claire could bandage his arms. The barn was a flurry of activity as Barley interrupted Gray’s horseshoe work to ask him to help select and prepare a couple of horses to head to Forget Me Not Valley.  The young man immediately went pale and hurried over to Cliff, stopping at the sight of the group of people around his roommate; Gray didn’t want to get in the way.  Rick and Popuri were busy getting out the first aid kit and binding Cain tightly to slow the bleeding and prevent further injury.  Claire was murmuring something to Cliff and was unraveling a roll of bandages herself to take care of the young man.  Gray turned his focus on the horses, eager to be able to help in his own way.

Claire tried to maintain a comforting tone to her voice. “Alright, Cliff, if you just hold out your-”

Unsurprisingly, his focus was on the bird; it was taking all of his willpower not to get up and attempt to wrap Cain himself despite the siblings’ tender care. Claire had a feeling that Cliff wouldn’t sit patiently enough for her to clean the wounds, so she opted for simply covering them up instead.  If he was headed to the doctor, they would be able to help his injuries as well. 

A weak chirp sounded from Cliff’s bundled up tunic and Claire watched the young man’s heart break as Popuri murmured some soothing words to the falcon, continuing her work. He bit his lip as his posture stiffened, craning his neck to check on Cain.

Another soft cry from the bird had Cliff feebly reaching for the falcon out of panic.

“He’s alright. We’re almost finished, Cliff.”  Rick’s soothing voice had an air of experience that made Claire relax.

Unfortunately, her friend still seemed agitated. She set down the gauze and cupped his cheeks in her hands.  “Hey… Rick said it’s going to be okay.  We’re going to help you so you can get him to the doctor as soon as possible, alright?”  She could see his eyes begin to flicker a bit and patted his cheeks before going back to work.  “It won’t be long,” she reassured him, swiftly wrapping his arms.

He gave a slight nod, muttering some sort of thanks under his breath that she wasn’t able to understand. There was a haunted look in his eyes that filled her with dread.  He was in fear of losing his oldest friend, his only connection to his hometown…  Telling him that everything was going to be alright felt like a cheap lie – she was kicking herself for not knowing more about bird health.  If he was scared, it must be bad.  His deep blue eyes looked to her pleadingly, begging for comfort.  She had no words as she set down the roll of gauze.

The young woman nuzzled her forehead against his, their sweaty bangs twisting together. “Cliff…”  She gently leaned in and pressed her lips softly against his brow.  He tasted like perspiration, but she didn’t mind.  She ran a thumb along his grubby cheek and he said nothing, but he covered her hand with his and closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down.

His eyebrows slowly unfurrowed as he gulped, opening eyes that were void of emotion. Claire frowned.  She hadn’t seen her friend resort to this tactic in a long time and it concerned her.  She watched Popuri carefully putting Cain and the bundled up clothing in a basket for protection and realized that the young man was likely turning off his emotions so he could travel safely.  She returned her free hand to his other cheek and gave him another kiss on the forehead.

“Claire…” His voice was hardly audible.

She wasn’t sure what he wanted her to say. Seeing him shut off was painful.  A lump formed in her throat and she chased it away with one last kiss under his bangs, hoping her actions would speak enough for her.

“Th-thank you,” he murmured quietly.

The clopping of hooves drew everyone’s attention. Gray was muttering to a mare as his hands deftly moved at the fastened saddle straps a final time, checking for tightness; he had already finished.

“Be good and calm for my friend, okay? He’s scared right now and I need you to help him.”  He draped an affectionate arm around the horse’s neck and he rested his cheek against hers, his baseball cap popping up and threatening to fall off of his head.  He turned toward Cliff.  “Here you go, man.  She’s the fastest one on the ranch.  Climb on up and Poppy will give you Cain.” 

Gray stepped out of the way as Popuri came over with the precious bundle. Claire found herself wishing she could be more capable like her other friends; she wasn’t able to do much other than clumsily wrap some bandages on Cliff’s arms.  She was disappointed in her lack of knowledge; she’d need to borrow a first aid book from the library so that she could be more useful if something like this happened again in the future.  Cliff snapped her back to reality as he gave her hand a weak squeeze.  He hoisted himself up onto the horse with relative ease despite his injured arms and gave his friends a grateful smile. 

Popuri calmly handed him the basket with a soothing smile that reminded Claire very much of Lillia. “It’ll be alright; you’ll see.”

At her words, his upturned lips began to twitch as his wide eyes moved across the four of them, his shield threatening to break.

“Harvey will be able to help. It’s going to be okay.  He’s the one who helped me way back when.” Gray’s voice was gentle as he patted Cliff’s knee.  Claire could see him swallow a lump in his throat and blink his misty eyes with a weak nod.

The blonde longed to add some sentiment of her own, but she could quickly see that their forced cheerfulness was chipping away at his stability. Still, she felt the need to say something.

“Be careful out there.” The words slipped from her mouth.

Their eyes locked for a moment and the fear in his faded a bit as he gave her a slight nod. Claire placed a hand over her heart, grateful that her words seemed to have a positive impact on him.

Cliff turned toward Gray. “A-are you going to be the one following me?” he asked hopefully.

A sad smile spread across Gray’s lips as he shook his head. “I’ll make sure Rick or Popuri is close behind you.  Harvey’s place is past the bridge on the right side of the path.  Now, go.”  He gave the mare’s haunches a pat and Cliff gave everyone one last quick glance and a nod before they took off in a canter, quickly breaking into a gallop as they hit Mystic Acres.

Claire frowned at Gray as Rick turned toward the remaining horse that Barley was holding by the reins. “I thought you loved to ride…”

He tugged the brim of his hat over his eyes. “I _did_.”  He quickly turned toward the horse, where Rick and Popuri were standing anxiously.  “He’s gonna be a wreck when he gets into town.  Can one of you guys follow him just to make sure he gets to Harvey’s alright?”

 _I_ have _to be by his side right now…_

“I can go!” Claire interjected, nervously bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Popuri had already set to work and was putting away the first aid kit calmly; Claire could see that she was already well on her way to becoming the woman she wanted to be for Kai.

_I want to be that for Cliff…_

“Do you know how to ride?” Rick asked, holding the reins in his hand.

Claire’s heart dropped. “W-well, no…  Not really…”

She was surprised to feel a hand on her shoulder, and she became even more startled when she saw that it was Gray. “Thomas takes his carriage to pick up the shipments in the Valley every day.  Let’s go tell him what’s going on and he can probably bring you along and leave sooner.”

“Don’t you want to come along, too? Isn’t Cliff your best friend?”

He gave her a warm smile as they waved Rick off. “It’s not a large carriage, and I think you’d be better help to him now than I can be.  If things don’t go well… well, I suck at consoling people.”  He searched the work table for a pencil and wrote on the back of a scrap of paper.  “This is the number to the inn.  Call us when you get there and find out what’s going on, okay?”

She nodded, clutching the paper in her hands.

_Hang in there, Cliff…_

0o0o0o0

“I can’t imagine Cliff coming back into town before the day is over, but Claire said she’d call the inn and keep us updated,” Gray explained.

The blonde nodded at Gotz, attempting to keep a stoic face. She was grateful that Gray was speaking up for her, as she lost her voice the moment she came back onto her property and the carpenter was wearing a worried expression, mentioning he had seen a horse pass by not too long before with a heavily bandaged Cliff.

“Are you going to stay the night in the Valley, too? I can watch Koro if you want.  Just leave me the house key and I’ll continue my work in the morning.”

“Are you sure you d-don’t mind?” Claire hated the way her voice was quavering. Gotz nodded his head with a quick “I’m sure” and she felt a small bit of relief.  “I’ve also got some chickens in the coop out there and in the stable I have Tucker…”  Her voice died down as she remembered who she was standing beside.  She averted her gaze and turned pale, wondering if she had hurt Gray’s feelings.  She didn’t want to think about that awkward situation right now… 

To her relief, the young man said nothing on the subject. “If that bird survives, Cliff will probably be in the Valley for a couple of days; I can’t imagine him leaving his side.  We should stop by the inn to grab a few things for him before you leave with Thomas.”

Claire nodded, throwing some spare clothing into her own bag along with some snacks from her refrigerator. “Please help yourself to anything in here, Gotz.  I’m not sure if I’ll be back later today or not.”  She felt a wave of panic rise up in her and she combated it with a serious expression.

His heavy hand rested on her shoulder. “You’ll let us know.  Call the inn when you get more information.  Gray will keep me informed.”

The young man nodded, but he seemed a bit fidgety. “We’d better get back to the inn; the sooner we get to Thomas, the sooner you guys can leave.”

They bid Gotz goodbye and Claire had to jog to keep up with Gray’s quick walking pace. She couldn’t find it in her heart to tell him to slow down or even be annoyed that she felt she was being dragged along.  He was a little taller than Cliff, but she had a feeling that her struggle to catch up was a result of his mental state rather than his long legs.  Gray just had a different way of showing he cared, she realized with a slight smile.  She was glad Cliff had a roommate that was also a good friend.

“I’m glad Thomas is willing to leave so early,” Claire forced a strained smile on her face as she followed him back into the inn.

She became aware of the young man’s stiff and slightly unbalanced gait as he hurried up the stairs. Gray threw the door open to his room and immediately went to the far side, rummaging through Cliff’s bags.  He tossed an empty one on the bed.

“If that bird survives, Cliff will probably be in the Valley for a couple of days. Let’s get him some stuff.”  A pair of pants and a few other garments were thrown on the bed and Claire swiftly folded them and stuffed them into the satchel.

She couldn’t help but notice he made an impatient sigh as she neatly folded the clothes he was tossing her. He obviously thought she wasn’t moving fast enough.  “Are you sure you don’t want to follow us in some way?”

Gray turned a bright shade of pink and shook his head, tugging the bill of his cap over his face. “No, it’s fine…  Sorry.”

She wasn’t sure what he was really apologizing for. “We’re all nervous; you don’t have to be sorry for anything…”  Claire’s eyes were drawn to a smooth grayish-blue stone sitting on Cliff’s night stand with a length of leather string beside it.  Gray’s eyes followed hers and he unsubtly set his hand down in front of it, obstructing it from her view.  Her stomach gave a small jolt in surprise and she averted her eyes, focusing instead on the bag in front of her.  “Do you think Cain will make it?” She didn’t realize she was asking it aloud until the words had already left her lips.

“Honestly?” A tunic landed on the bed.  “I have no idea.  I know Cliff’s going to be a wreck either way, though.”  A couple of cotton sleeveless shirts and other garments were handed to Claire and she added them to the bag, along with some long, white strips of cotton Gray added himself, turning a bit pink as he did so.  “I mean, I hope not…”  His voice trailed off.

She nodded as a lump formed in her throat and she focused on the items on the bed. The packing of Cliff’s belongings was a welcome distraction.  All she could picture were his worried eyes and it made her feel a bit ill.  “I can’t think of anything else to bring,” Claire admitted, looking around the room anxiously.

A bag of personal grooming items was added to the bed. She looked up from it to see Gray rifling through a stash of dried food, along with some dried herbs and adding them to the pile of things to bring along.  “I’m sure the doctor’s going to give him some medicine for his own wounds, but some natural remedies he has here shouldn’t hurt.”  Claire was surprised to observe the way that he could tell the items apart by smell; his time with Mary must have taught him quite a bit about herbs.

Lastly, Gray carefully pulled the nightstand from the wall and handed her a small leather pouch with a drawstring from behind it. It fit in her palm and she heard the jingle of coins as he gave it to her.  “His wallet.”

The weight in her hand felt heavy. “Ah, do you think he would trust me with all of his money?”

She was startled by the gentle hand on her shoulder and the sincere smile playing at his lips despite rolling his eyes. “Claire, he trusts you with a lot more than a silly sack of coins.”

_He trusts me… I need to comfort him…_

The emotions hit her in one big punch. Her knees buckled and she sank down on Cliff’s bed, holding the small pouch between her hands.  She had the image of her dear friend bloodied and trembling with that haunted look in his eyes…  The man she loved was suffering.  She would give anything to be able to take that away.  A couple of fat tears tumbled out of her eyes as she blinked.  She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand and Gray respectfully moved his gaze from her.

“I don’t envy you, Claire, but you’re exactly who he needs right now.”

She gave a nod, wiping the dampness from her eyes. This was no time for crying; she needed to remain strong…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Peregrine falcons are noted as being wandering types, and I thought it meshed well with Cliff’s personality. As far as the emergency with Cain, I attempted to foreshadow this a bit, but maybe I was being too cryptic, haha. I hope y’all are excited to read what happens next! I appreciate your support, and I would love to hear what you think or what your theories are! Until next time!


	82. A Boy and His Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire heads to Forget-Me-Not Valley and learns of Cain's fate.

Claire listened to Thomas’s pair of spotted horses clomp along the path and she watched their hair bounce in rhythm with their steps.

“I don’t even really have to guide them anymore after all of these years,” Thomas admitted with a chuckle. “They take the same trip every day…”

Claire gave a slight nod, but his words did little to distract from her worry. Would the doctor even let her in the office if Cliff was being worked on?  Did Cain make it?  At the very least, she would get some answers when she got there…

They rode in strained silence for several minutes, and while the horses were moving faster than she could walk, Claire bit her tongue to keep from asking if Thomas could move any faster; the crates of grocery store goods in the back of the carriage likely shouldn’t be jostled if they were to make it to Forget-Me-Not-Valley undamaged. The word _SWAG_ was stenciled across them, and under any other circumstance, Claire would have laughed aloud at the containers assigned to Pete’s farm.

Thomas wasn’t blind to the worry on the young woman’s face, and he didn’t blame her. The mayor hardly knew Cliff and he couldn’t help but be concerned himself.  He cleared his throat.  “Doctor Harvey is very good at what he does…  He was the only doctor around here for a very long time before Trent opened up his practice…”

Claire shifted in her seat, easing the wringing of her hands in her lap. “… Gray made it sound like he was nice…  Doctor Harvey, I mean,” she finally chimed in, hoping she sounded steadier than she felt.

“Ah, that’s right – Airu and Feena took Gray to him when he was involved in that awful accident…”

“Accident?” Claire frowned.

Thomas didn’t take his eyes off of the road. “Yes, it was pretty terrible.”  His wide eyes and grin in excitement to tell the tale offset his actual words.  “It happened when Gray was very young.  He didn’t grow up here, you know.  His parents would take him to visit his grandfather fairly regularly.”  He looked deep in thought as he rubbed his chin with his free hand.  “Ah, his mother, Feena, was especially a sweet woman.  She seemed to have a magic touch when it came to cooking certain dishes – her roasted corn was always so sweet and crispy…  Ah, and her shepherd’s pies…”  He smacked his lips at the memory.  “Of course, Airu was a respectable man as well – a successful mechanical engineer, if my memory serves correct…  Anyway, Gray suffered a horrible accident when he was riding the horses unsupervised.  Fell off and got his foot stuck in the stirrup - twisted his knee a few times around…  They really thought for a while he would never walk again.”

Claire cringed at the image and her heart dropped at a young Gray struggling to walk.

“Even though they weren’t from around here, they continued to take their son to see Harvey because of his skill. The physical therapy definitely helped Gray.”  Worry clouded his expression despite the happy news.  “Unfortunately, that accident caused a rift in the family…  I don’t know if Airu trusted Gray in his father’s care after that point…”  He scratched his chin.  “Part of me thinks that Gray might have taken up the blacksmithing apprenticeship to defy his father, and I really can’t blame him after everything he’s done… Especially since…”  His voice trailed off.

Her previous conversation with Gray echoed in her mind:

_“I thought you loved to ride…”_

_“I_ did _.”_

Claire kept her gaze on the trees they were passing. While the topic was incredibly interesting, she felt awkward with the amount of details Thomas was giving her and wondered if this was really information Gray would be comfortable sharing, especially with her.

Thomas’s ears turned red as he shook his head; he could see that Claire was fidgeting uncomfortably. His overprotective father switch had been turned on at the thought of Gray’s past.  “Ah, but I suppose it’s really none of my business in all that, huh?  Haven’t seen or heard from Mr. Airu Iwata in years.  I don’t think anyone in town has, Gray included…”

Claire was absentmindedly looking out at the wind turbines spinning to her right.

“Ah, and this is Vesta’s farm. Friendly, hard-working woman…”

The blonde turned her head to the opposite side and let out a surprised squeak at the fields of young plants that were already starting to produce fruit. This farm was head and shoulders above the meager plot she owned.  She could only dream to have a farm that successful and she felt a combination of jealousy and awe.  “S-so many plants,” she breathed.

Thomas let out a chuckle and pointed out toward a few figures working out in the rows. “She runs it with her brother and another worker.  I’ll be sure to introduce you when you come to visit for the Harvest Festival.  Speaking of which…”

Claire looked beyond the fenced-in rows of eggplants and her eyes narrowed when she saw a familiar mare tethered to a tree and a wisp of campfire smoke in the air. She jolted out of her seat and stood up; the rattling of the cart caused her to fall right back down onto her bottom.

“He’s there! Stop the cart!  I need off!”  She wasn’t aware how much she was trembling.

Thomas’s eyes widened in surprise and he halted the cart to an abrupt stop. The horses flicked their tails, confused for the sudden holdup.  He turned toward Claire, who was looping her various sacks around her arms.  “Well, if you would like, I can…”

“Thank you!” Claire hopped out of the cart with a pale face and sprinted in the direction of the campfire, her bags slapping against her as she hurried along.

Thomas adjusted his glasses on his nose and let out a sigh. “… I could’ve driven you over there…”  He gave the young woman’s retreating form a sad smile, silently wishing them well as he continued on his way.

0o0o0o0

The smell of campfire grew stronger as she ran toward the horse. The solid black Arabian stood out against the glittering river like a beacon, leaning over to take a drink from the water.  A wave of relief and nervousness flooded her at the same time as she got closer.  She stepped off of the beaten path and saw her friend staring blankly at some ashed-over embers.  Cliff was normally so proactive about feeding his campfires – to see him grimly staring at the smoldering remains of one gave her a chill and her knees refused to cooperate.  Claire was also concerned about the soiled cloths wrapped around his upper arms.  The rags were saturated with blood and she had a feeling he hadn’t redressed his wounds at all; the clumsy and rushed wrapping job looked like hers from that morning.

“Cliff!” She pushed her way through the tall grass to meet him.  He swiftly wiped his wet cheeks with his hands and looked up at her in surprise and a little bit of shame.  She realized with a jolt of excruciating pain that he had been crying.

“Ah! I-I’m surprised to see you here.”  His choice to act casual considering the circumstances was upsetting, to say the least.

Claire frowned. “I was worried about you!  How could I not be?  If anything, I should have come sooner!”  She felt her throat tighten.  Packing their things, helping Thomas get his cart ready, riding out here – it had all taken her much longer than she could stand and she felt like her heart was going to explode, even if she knew that Rick had followed him out here to make sure he was alright.

He shrank back at her words. “I-I didn’t mean to make you worry…”  Cliff averted his eyes as he ducked his head.  “It doesn’t take much… for a bird t-to bleed to death.”  Claire’s stomach lurched and she held her breath for news on Cain’s condition.  If he was still wearing the same bloody bandages, had he even seen the doctor?  She gulped.  Did Cain die on the trip here?  She thought of the bird with the round, surprisingly friendly eyes and felt her heart drop.  “Doctor Harvey won’t let me see him until tomorrow…”  Cliff nervously wrung his hands and Claire noticed at once how flushed his face was.  “I’ll stay in the Valley tonight…  If I go back to town, people will just ask questions…  I… don’t feel like I can handle that right now…”

It seemed like Gray had predicted the situation well, and Claire was grateful that he had helped pack Cliff’s things. “Where’s Rick?  He volunteered to come and check up on you.”

Cliff stared at the smoldering stick in front of him. “He did.  He ran into me just like you did.  Helped me start a campfire and we talked a little bit.”

Claire got the distinct feeling that the conversation between the two was pretty brief, as Cliff already looked like he was done speaking for now. Still, there were some details to figure out.  “Did you book a room at the inn?” she asked in a concerned manner, noticing a bit of blood dripping down his arm, the bandages completely soaked through.  She wondered if he was still bleeding as badly as he was this morning.

He shook his head; he wasn’t sure what the medical bills were going to be, so he had decided to play it safe. “The weather’s nice today…”  He stared up at the sky and Claire noticed he seemed to fall into a trancelike state.  The color on his face had traveled down beyond his neck.  She waited for him to say something more and became worried when he didn’t.  He shifted and streams of red ran down his arms and threatened to get on his bracers.  She leaned over to unfasten them.  He jumped in surprise and pulled his arms back in defense.  “Claire…  I’m _fine_.”  His voice was soft, but she heard a bit of an edge to it.

“But you’re bleeding all over,” she insisted with a small cry. He had been bleeding since early that morning.  The panic she was feeling only continued to grow; she _needed_ to see how his wounds were doing.  “Let’s change your bandages.  Do you have any fresh ones?”  He shrank back a bit and she couldn’t help but be reminded of an injured animal that was afraid to show trust.  She gently placed a hand on his shoulder and he relaxed slightly.  “Let me help you,” she murmured soothingly, taking his hand between hers and stroking his knuckles.

Between the fatigue and dizziness, Cliff couldn’t think straight with her loving caress. He nodded dumbly, his face burning.  He would gladly let her do anything she wanted…  He turned toward her and Claire got a full view at his compromised state.  Despite the obvious fatigue written on his face, she could feel the heat radiating from his cheeks.  The slight sheen of perspiration further raised her concerns.

She couldn’t help but worry about him as she dug through a paper sack he handed her. “Is this what Doctor Harvey gave you?”

He gave a single nod. “I told him to focus on Cain.  I told him I would be fine.  I haven’t really gotten a chance to clean my cuts yet, but I will later tonight.”  His voice gained a little more confidence as he watched her shuffle through the bag’s contents.

Claire produced a roll of bandages. “Are you feeling warm?” she asked innocently.

He nodded once again, a little hesitantly. The signs of his fever were pretty obvious.  She rustled in the bag once more and found a bottle of penicillin.  At the sound of the bottle of pills rattling he cringed his nose.  Claire decided to focus on changing the bandages for now; the wounds could be cleaned properly when they got to the inn and she had access to running water and they weren’t sitting in the dirt.  She removed her canteen from her rucksack and handed it to him, silently encouraging him to drink while she worked on his dressings.  She shyly reached for his arm and he gave it to her, murmuring his thanks as he sipped at the water.

His bracers were damped with sweat and as she removed them, she could almost swear she saw his skin underneath steaming.  Claire loosened the bandages and he winced but sat obediently.  She gasped at what she saw underneath and her stomach turned.  The puncture wounds were deep and still bleeding badly, and they were much dirtier than she remembered when she initially wrapped them.    Even through all of the blood, she saw that the cuts were pink and inflamed.  “Cliff, these look like they’re starting to get infected.”

He said nothing in reply, but gave her an apologetic look. She covered the swollen wounds once again.  “I’ll clean these when we get to the inn; there’s nothing to clean them with in this bag.”  She could feel him tensing up in pain.  “I know you’re hurting over Cain, but you need to take care of yourself, too.  He wouldn’t want to see you like this.”  He defensively began to pull his arms back, but Claire caught him by the wrists, realizing she was scaring him away.  She exhaled, recomposing herself.  “I’m sorry.  I know you have other things on your mind right now, but all I have on mine right now is you.”  She heard a small gasp escape from his lips and when she looked up at him, she noticed that his face had gone from pink to burgundy.  She realized the depth of what she had said as her heart jumped into her throat, her own face warming.  “I-I… I care about you a _lot_ , Cliff…”

His lips moved wordlessly as he tried to form a reply in his mind. _Surely I’m taking these words too seriously…_ “Y-you’re far too kind to someone like me.”  He hung his head in embarrassment.

“Nonsense. Let’s go somewhere with a sink and a garbage can.  I’m going to get us a room at the inn.  You can lie down and rest, and I can order us a hot meal.  My treat.”

The young man looked at his haphazard campsite and she noticed his eyes grew misty again. “I, uh…”  He gulped, nodding his head as he averted his eyes to the ground.

She gave his hands a squeeze. “I’ll take care of you.”  Their eyes locked for a few moments and she felt his posture relax a bit.  “Now… I just need to figure out where the inn is,” she admitted with a half-hearted chuckle.

Cliff stood up and dusted himself off, packing up his things and dousing the remains of the fire with the canteen before retrieving his horse. “I’ll take you there.”

0o0o0o0

Claire looked around the empty lobby and her eyes perked up when she saw the bell on the counter. Giving Cliff’s hand a squeeze, they walked together to the counter and she rang the bell.

A muffled voice could be heard from another room.

“ _Mooooom!_ ”  A whiny tenor had stretched this out into several syllables.  “ _There’s a guest ringing_!”

The pair could hear a few clankings of pots and pans followed by the soft padding of footsteps. A stout woman came out of the kitchen, bringing the savory smells of stew along with her.  “Good afternoon and welcome to the Inner Inn.  Traveling?”  Her beady eyes traveled over the young man and widened in horror when she saw the bandages.  “Goddess, _Cliff_ , is that you?  What happened to your arms?”

He hesitated before moving his gaze to the ground. “Hunting accident…”

“Well, let’s get you both to your rooms so you can settle in…” Ruby led the way up the stairs, reaching into the closet to grab an armload of linens.  “I’ll just put some older linens on the bed, hon.”

They walked along the hallway and as Ruby fumbled with the keys, Claire could hear a television in one room and the floor creaking from footsteps in another. She swung the door open and Claire unrolled one of the shikibutons on the floor.

“Aw, you didn’t have to do that for me, sweetie,” Ruby gushed, nimbly dropping to her knees despite her age to dress the cotton mattress.

“It’s fine,” Claire replied. “I don’t mind.  Do you have a first aid kit here?  We’d really like to clean his wounds.”

“Ah, yes. I have one right in the cabinet here…” Ruby pulled a case from the bathroom.  “Always nice to have just in case.  Looks like now’s the time to use it.”  She looked over at Claire, who was finishing making the bed and Cliff, who was dragging a few bags behind him.  “Can I get you two anything else?  Will you be staying next door to him, Miss?”

“Uh… a-actually…” Claire stammered, her face turning redder by the moment, “I was just going to book this room for the two of us if that’s alright…”

The innkeeper’s eyes curiously flicked between the two and Claire nervously rubbed her arm while Cliff’s cheeks turned even rosier, giving his friend a shy glance.

“I-I’d like to keep an eye on him, is all,” Claire added, even though the voice in the back of her mind told her she didn’t need to make an excuse. “He’s my best friend…”

Ruby’s eyes softened and she placed a hand on Claire’s shoulder. “That’s quite alright, hon.  Breakfast is served in the downstairs kitchen from seven until nine.  I’ll take the payment at that time.  Four-fifty and that includes breakfast.”  She dropped a set of keys into Claire’s palm.  “Let me know if you need anything else.”

“A basin of water, some rags, and a garbage can, please.” Cliff’s tired but courteous voice caught both women by surprise.

The innkeeper gave them a warm smile. “Coming right up, Cliff.  Just toss the rags when you’re done with them.”  She extended a hand to Claire.  “I’m Ruby, by the way.”

“Claire. Thank you for your help.”

She gave them a friendly nod and hurried downstairs to grant Cliff’s request.

0o0o0o0

Cliff clumsily fumbled with the wrap on his arm. “It happened so suddenly… Neither me nor Cain saw her coming.”  He shook his head, as if urging the memory to leave his mind.  “I ran over to where they landed…” His eyes grew shiny as he struggled with the lump in his throat, tossing the bandages in the wastebasket Claire had pulled next to him.  She sat in front of him on the cotton mattress, frowning at the blood that was getting all over his shirt.

“Here…” She took the clean rag and water Ruby had offered them and gently dabbed his arm to clean it.  “Alright, this needs to come off.”  She gave his shirt a gentle tug.  He quickly complied without hesitation and she set it off to the side to clean in the bathroom later.  She took over changing the dressings and they were quiet for a minute before she looked up at him sadly.  “I can’t imagine how scared you must have been…  I know that Cain means a lot to you.”  She tried to imagine what she would have done if a larger animal attacked Koro and her blood ran cold.

She was met with a weak sound of agreement as Cliff focused his gaze on the wooden slats of the ceiling.

A soft knock on the door startled them both.

After getting a slight nod from Cliff, Claire turned toward the door, continuing her dressing of the wounds. “Come on in.  It’s unlocked.”

Ruby opened the door. “Honey, you have a guest…”

Cliff’s posture stiffened as an old man standing behind Ruby made his way through the doorway. His stooped posture didn’t make him any less intimidating – with a stern expression, white smock and large scar running along his face with an artificial eye, a small gasp of fear escaped Claire’s lips.  He looked like a character out of a science fiction movie.  His terrifying appearance stopped at the waist, however.  With a pair of striped Bermuda shorts and a set of flip-flops she wasn’t sure what to make of the strange man.  He walked across the room, his footwear snapping loudly as he did so.

“Young man, I’ve been looking all over for you,” he scolded. He set his medical bag on the floor with a loud thump.  “You should not run away from a doctor when they are giving you medical instructions!”

Claire’s jaw dropped and she felt Cliff shrink back. “Did you… run away from him?”  She was reminded of his antsy behavior in Mineral Town’s clinic that spring.

Cliff looked like he wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. “I didn’t want to be a distraction…  It’s not like my life was in danger!  I-I wanted to make sure you could focus on Cain,” he insisted stubbornly.

“And that I did. Your falcon is in stable condition for the moment.  I’ll perform another procedure on him tonight, and that’s going to be the big one for him.  I feel fairly confident he’ll pull through, but I need to make sure you are doing alright, too.  It doesn’t seem that the eagle that attacked him was ill, thank goodness, but you may still have a reaction.”  The doctor shuffled through his bag and produced a case of syringes and Claire could feel her friend’s breath quicken.  “Let’s see what we’re dealing with, eh?”

“I-I… er… I’ve gotten into plenty of scrapes before,” Cliff replied quickly, his mouth going dry. “I really don’t think any shots are necessary.  Claire was just helping me clean up and change the bandages…”

Doctor Harvey was already unraveling the dressings from the arm she hadn’t gotten to yet. Claire couldn’t tell if she was relieved or more nervous.  “Claire…”  He knew he had heard the name somewhere.  Perhaps she was in the newspaper a while back?  “Is this your wife, young man?”

He shook his head emphatically, flushing crimson. Harvey noticed the shade of her face wasn’t too far off.  “Sorry, Miss.  I’m going to have to ask you to wait outside.”

“ _Please_ let her stay,” Cliff’s voice was dangerously close to a whine.  He reached over and squeezed Claire’s hand as if Harvey was going to tear her away from him.

“Very well,” Harvey snorted, rustling in his bag for a flashlight and his stethoscope, snapping on a pair of latex gloves. He leaned in to inspect his patient’s eyes.  “Let me check your throat.”  He peered inside with his flashlight and carefully fingered around his ears and lymph nodes.  “I can already tell you have a fever just from the heat you’re giving off.  No allergic reactions?”  He put the stethoscope on Cliff’s bare chest and he jumped a little in discomfort at how cold the metal apparatus was, shaking his head.  The old doctor’s eyebrows rose in suspicion and Claire couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.  Cliff reached for her hand again and she took it as Harvey began to inspect the wounds he had uncovered.

“You didn’t take any of the medicine I gave you.” His words weren’t a question, but rather a statement.  “Where were you when you were attacked?”

“Mother’s Hill…” Cliff’s voice trailed off as he braced himself for a lecture.

“I told you to clean these wounds. Infection.”  A bottle of alcohol was produced from the bag and he swiftly began cleaning.  He let out a sigh, showing Cliff a couple of bloody pine needles and a cotton swab covered in bloody dirt.  “Dirty cuts can cause a lot of trouble, young man.  Infections can lead to blood poisoning and sepsis.  You don’t want those – _trust me_.”

He gave an apologetic nod and hung his head.

The thought of Cliff getting seriously ill caused Claire’s eyes to water. “ _I_ should have cleaned them earlier.  I thought about it, but he needed to get Cain here as soon as possible.”  Her voice cracked.  “I just wrapped them so he could travel.”  Her shoulders sunk.  “It’s _my_ fault.” _It wasn’t as if Cliff was thinking about that when we were at Rick and Popuri’s…_

Her friend turned toward her. “Claire…”

“It’s not your fault,” Harvey quickly replied. “I told him to clean these earlier and he didn’t follow my advice.”  The old man’s voice softened as he looked at the two friends.  “Cliff, your bird responded well to my treatment so far.  His outlook is alright, but you need to take care of yourself as well.  Look at Claire’s face.”  The young man obeyed, turning scarlet in shame.  “Look at how worried she is about you.”  Claire choked on the lump in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears.

The deep blue eyes that met hers reminded Claire of the lonely young man that sat in the front pew of the church, searching for purpose and afraid to inconvenience anyone. “I-I’m sorry.”  His voice was hardly audible.

0o0o0o0

Soap-scented steam escaped the bathroom as Claire stepped out in her pajamas, her day’s clothes bundled in her arms. Throwing her wet hair over her shoulder, she put the things back in her bag and her eyes were drawn to the tray of food Ruby had brought up earlier.  Cliff had hardly touched the cream stew she prepared and it sat uneaten and congealed, much less appetizing than when it was presented to them.  They hadn’t spoken much through the meal and the visit with the doctor seemed to have worn Cliff out.  Claire was grateful that his cuts had been cleaned properly, though.  She had called and updated Gray on the situation shortly after Doctor Harvey left.

“We hatched him from an egg, Papa and me…” Cliff’s voice was quiet as he stared at the shabby comforter on his bed.  He leaned forward and picked at a loose piece of blue thread, his untied, slightly damp hair falling across his bare shoulders.  “He was this awkward, fluffy, white little thing.”  His eyes moved up to the ceiling as he let out a soft chuckle.  “Probably kind of ugly to most people, really, but to me, he was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen…”

Claire sat cross-legged beside him and he didn’t seem to mind the close proximity as he was still lost in thought.

“Especially once he lost those wispy white feathers… He started looking like a real falcon…  He was…” 

_… Breathtaking._

Cliff paused, searching for the right words as he swallowed the lump in his throat. “Papa helped me raise him with the intention… of him being my hunting partner…  I’d been training with an older red-tailed hawk named Aspen, but Cain… he was always meant to be my companion…”

Claire chose her words carefully. “I think he’s really happy to have you, too.”  She scooted a little closer to him but still kept a little distance, avoiding bumping his arms.

He gave a slight nod. _He was the future I thought I would never be able to have… And I fought so hard to make that a reality.  To lose him now…_   His shoulders slouched and more hair fell forward.  His bangs fell in front of his eyes, masking his expression, but Claire knew it wasn’t a happy one.  “I just… _can’t_ lose him…”

Claire carefully leaned her head on his shoulder, their damp hair mingling together. “Doctor Harvey is trying his hardest…  Everyone says he does very good work…  He said Cain responded well,” she reminded him.

She could feel Cliff gulp. “Y-yeah… you’re right…  But he said he doesn’t work on birds often…”

Claire placed her hands in his. “We just need to have faith…  Would you like to pray for a while?”

The young woman felt a small sigh from him. “I never prayed much before I came to Mineral Town…  I didn’t see the point.”  She lifted her head from his shoulder and he gave her a wry smile.  “Does it surprise you that I wasn’t always religious?”

Claire shook her head. While they had spent countless hours in the church reciting prayers together, Cliff would occasionally shyly ask for advice on which ones to say, sometimes concerned they hadn’t repeated a specific one enough times.

Claire was a little surprised when he gently leaned his head against hers. “I didn’t start praying until Carter recommended it, and then I’d spend hours every day reciting and repeating… mostly hoping for a miracle, really – like I’d magically become happy…  It helped take my mind off of the things that were bothering me at the moment, but…  I don’t know if I really sent a message to the gods that way.  I never really pondered the meanings of the words in those prayers…  I admitted that to Carter a couple months ago and he said I could make my own– have a personal conversation with the gods – but I never knew where to begin…”  She felt him swallow.  “I guess… there’s still a part of me that is afraid that they won’t listen even if I did have something to say…”  He hung his head.  “I-I’m sorry, Claire…  I didn’t mean to bother you with my worries…”

“It’s not a bother at all.” She reached over and squeezed his hand.  “And they _will_ listen,” she murmured with a small smile.  “After all, they brought you here to me… and everyone else in Mineral Town!” she added hastily as a rosy blush immediately covered her face.

He brought her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. Claire couldn’t help but notice he became more confident each time he repeated the gesture.  A small smile played at his mouth – the first real one she had seen all day.  “Hey… I’m glad we met.”

She nodded, her heart thudding in her ears. “Me, too.”

He shyly looked at her for a brief moment before averting his eyes to their clasped hands. “Would you… be willing to say a prayer with me for Cain?  I mean… can we make one together?”

_This is why I’m here right now…_

“I’d love to.”

0o0o0o0

Claire opened her eyes the next morning to an unfamiliar ceiling. She remembered at once the previous day’s events and leaned in toward Cliff; she had pushed her futon against his last night and had heard him tossing and turning in his sleep quite a bit.  She leaned over to brush his hair out of his face, eager to be a source of comfort for him.  “Cliff, how are you feeling?” she murmured softly.

His eyes opened tiredly. In any other instance, he would have been ecstatic to wake up beside Claire, but he shifted uncomfortably as his skin burned and he fought a wave of nausea.  “’’Morning…”  He decided not to answer her question in fear of coming off as weak, yet he felt too frail to sit up.

She let out a gasp and her eyes widened as she pulled his blankets back. His bare torso was dotted with spots, and she instinctively looked down at her own bare arms and legs for signs of bedbugs, feeling a little guilty for jumping to that conclusion.  Ruby was a sweet lady and the inn was very clean.  Still, one never knew...  The sickly look on her friend’s face confirmed his ailment.  “Cliff, you must be allergic to the medicine you took last night!”

“Eh?” He sleepily rubbed his eyes and noticed the red welts on his skin.

0o0o0o0

Doctor Harvey swiped Cliff’s arm with alcohol and stuck him with the syringe before he could react.

“Yep, that’s definitely an allergy to penicillin. I’m glad it’s just the hives, though.  They should clear up within a week or so; just be sure not to scratch them.”

Cliff immediately halted his hand that was hovering over a patch of itchy welts on his forearm. “You haven’t said anything about Cain.”

Claire could see that her friend was visibly panting in his anxiety and his trembling hand reached out for hers, gripping it tightly.

Harvey gave him a warm smile. “I’m glad to say he’s going to be fine.  The procedure went very well.  I would like to keep him for a couple more days, though, while he recovers.  He’s not exactly a chick anymore, so it’s going to take him a little bit of time.  He does seem awfully sweet-natured.”

Cliff let out a deep sigh of relief and gave Claire’s hand a squeeze in gratitude. “Can I see him?”

“Of course. He’s out cold, though.”

Cain was in a cage on the far side of the room. Cliff hurried over toward it and his fingers gently hooked around the thin bars of the enclosure as he blinked away his tears of relief.

Bound with gauze, the falcon was much smaller than Claire ever remembered him being. He almost looked like a stuffed toy, lying there silently.  “I’m glad he’s okay,” she whispered.

“M-me, too…”

She longed to wrap an arm around him, but the hives made that difficult at the moment. She opted for giving his hand another squeeze.

“Cliff, I’d like to discuss some instructions for Cain as he recovers and then we can settle things before you go on your way.” Harvey’s voice broke through the silence.

The young man reached for his wallet in his bag. “Sure.”

Claire’s heart filled with relief as she saw the bird snoozing in the cage. “I’ll meet you outside, okay?”  She turned toward the doctor.  “Thank you so much for taking care of my friends.”

He cracked a smile that would have frightened her the day before. “You’re very welcome, young lady.  Have a safe trip back.”

She practically skipped outside, her heart feeling lighter with the knowledge that Cain was safe. Cliff’s oldest friend and connection to his old life… he would still be there for him.  She stroked the neck of the mare Cliff had ridden into town.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” she told the horse with a happy sigh. “Just a little time for healing…”

The fall breeze caught her loose hair and caused it to whirl about her. The young woman let out a soft laugh, tucking it behind her ear.  Perhaps the gods were trying to tell her to cheer up in their own way.  She watched the fluffy clouds sail across the blue sky and the brisk air renewed her energy.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” she repeated aloud, untying the horse’s reins from the fence beside the house.

She heard the door to Harvey’s close as Cliff slowly made his way to her. His eyes remained glued to the ground as he walked beside her.

“Welcome back!” She couldn’t fight the lively tone in her voice.

The young man gave her a silent nod in reply. It wasn’t unfriendly, but it immediately put her on edge.  Claire watched as Cliff slipped his wallet back into his bag, reaching for the offered reins and missing them completely as Claire dropped them.

“I’m sorry; I thought you had them.” Claire looked over at him as he fumbled to gather the reins and they continued along, an uneasy feeling rising within her.

The startling emptiness in his eyes was something she hadn’t seen before, and it felt like her heart had dropped down into her stomach at the very observance of it. He had the look of someone who would never be happy again and he stared at the ground ahead, almost appearing unsure of where they were going.

“I-Is everything alright?” She knew it was a stupid question the moment it left her lips.

He said nothing, but continued along with an exhaustion that seemed even a bit exaggerated for his allergic reaction.

She knew he must be worried about his friend. “I guess Cain’s been with you practically every day since he was a chick…  Harvey did say he was going to make it through, right?”

He gave a single nod as he gulped.

_This has been hard on him… It’s been hard on both of us…_

She wanted to reach for his hand, but his posture was so closed off that she decided against it. “Well, he’ll be able to come home in a couple of days and the two of you can catch up on healing and resting.”

Cliff nodded once again as his walking speed slowed even more.

Claire looked at the horse without a rider. Their bags were draped over the horn of the saddle and the Arabian looked perky as they walked along; Claire wondered if she was familiar with the trail and knew they were headed home.

“Cliff… why don’t you ride her? You don’t look like you’re feeling well.”  She noticed he was shivering a bit and Claire doubted it was from cold, as the temperature was rather pleasant.

“I… think I will. I don’t know how much farther I can walk,” he admitted under his breath.  He stopped moving and ran his hands along the mare’s neck, giving her a pat on the shoulder.  Cliff walked to her face and gave her cheeks a couple of strokes.  “Are you okay with carrying me?”  The horse stomped one of her hoofs down and blinked at him, and for a brief moment, Claire wondered if her friend could actually communicate with animals.  He gave her a nuzzle.  “Thank you.”  He pulled himself up on the horse, biting back a sharp cry of pain as he did so.  The mare’s ears flew back in surprise.

Claire stepped over to them, placing a hand on his knee. “Cliff, are you alright?”

He winced and bit his lip, blinking the tears out of his eyes. Claire watched in horror as the bandages on Cliffs arm began to dot with red.  “Ah, I’m okay…  Some of the wounds just reopened.”

The young woman cringed, and she already missed having him by her side. “I-is there anything I can do?”

He shook his head. “It’s alright.”

The walk back to Mineral Town was a relatively quiet one. Claire wasn’t sure what to talk about, as her mind was still racing from all they had been through.  Judging from the quietness from Cliff, he was likely feeling the same.

They dropped off the horse and walked back to the inn. Claire instinctively found herself reaching for his forearm, but his hands were clutching his satchel tightly.  She tried to search for the right words as he opened the door to the inn.  She followed him with a bag in her own hands.

Ann and Doug looked up from the bar, both giving the pair a friendly welcome. Ann was about to bound over to them and stopped herself, her face going a little pale at the hurt look on Cliff’s face and the hives dotting his body.

“We’ll check on him later,” Doug murmured in a reassuring tone.

Ann’s eyes darted between the two friends, hoping for answers as she reluctantly went back to her work restocking glasses in the bar.

They walked up the stairs in silence, and with every step, Claire felt her heart grow heavier. There was an oppressive feeling in the air that made her uncomfortable.  He unlocked the door and set his things on the table, letting out a deep sigh as he leaned forward on it on his elbows and stared at the pile of belongings.

A soft touch on his back made him flinch a bit.

“Ah, I’m sorry! Do the hives still burn?”

He slowly stood up but didn’t turn toward her. “’S’alright…”  His shoulders began to droop.

Claire wracked her mind with things to say. Would talking help?  Perhaps they should do something fun together?  Maybe a meal downstairs would help?  She nervously wrung her hands.  “Hey… do you want me t-to…?”

“I think I need to be alone for a while,” he mumbled, his voice a bit husky. “Thank you for all of your help.  You’ve been far kinder than I deserve.”

“Cliff…” She didn’t want to take his energy debating on something like this.  Did that make her a bad friend?  She took his hand and gave it a squeeze, hoping to ease some of his pain.

It seemed to have the opposite effect. “You’re a… g-good friend…”  He raised her hand a bit and her heart began to flutter as she waited in anticipation for his lips to touch it the way he had the night before.  He halted halfway and gave it a gentle pat.  “Th-thanks…”

She hated that her heart dropped a bit. “Of course.”  She gave him a light hug and wasn’t surprised when he didn’t return it.  “Rest and feel better, okay?  Maybe taking a soothing bath would help with the hives…  I took oatmeal baths as a kid when I got chickenpox and it helped a lot.”  Part of her felt like she was talking too much, but she couldn’t stop herself.

He made a soft grunt of acknowledgement and she debated giving him another kiss on the forehead, but he had already turned his focus back to his belongings on the table. Perhaps that was too much right now, even if she was trying to help…  She had been expecting a much more cheerful reaction to Cain’s prognosis, but Cliff was likely emotionally exhausted.  Claire gave him one last weak smile before heading home, closing the door after her. 

The young man’s eyes darted around the room as he gathered his bow and shifted his hunting gear in a bag, his heart pounding in his chest and his breath shortening in panic. He gathered some food supplies and stuffed them into the satchel, his knees going weak as he threw the bag over his shoulder and across his body.  A bit of sweat ran down his face and he sat down on the bed with a loud creak, exhaling deeply.

_How am I supposed to…?_

His body filled with fear and dread, yet he found himself unable to get back up as he was overwhelmed. Still restrained by the bag, he allowed himself to fall backwards on his bed, waiting for the tears to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Phew! This was quite a meaty chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> I wanted to give Gray an Irish/Japanese ancestry. I named Feena after one of my favorite characters from Grandia, who happens to have an Irish name. Gray’s father’s name, Airu, means “love flow”. This isn’t the last we will hear of Gray’s past or parents. Those who have played Harvest Moon 64 are familiar with Gray having an injury that leaves him unable to ride. I kind of put my own twist (terrible pun! It wasn’t intentional, I promise!) on his injury and adapted it to this story.
> 
> I decided to make Cliff’s horse black for a reason. I read that a black horse symbolizes death, but it also symbolizes the maturity to handle what life throws at you. I thought that was pretty cool, so I included it.
> 
> Cliff’s reaction to the medicine is based on an ordeal my father went through when he got bit by a dog. The medicine ended up causing him more discomfort than the actual dog bite. It’s never fun to find out you have an allergy that way.
> 
> Well, there you have it! Cain is safe! :) I appreciate all of you reading along this far! Thank you so much for the reviews – they seriously lift my spirit so much, y’all seriously have no idea how much!


	83. He Has My Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected sleepover party brings up some even more surprising conversations...

The slip of paper under her door the next morning was the first of Claire’s surprises for the day. It was written in familiar handwriting and as she read Cliff’s shipped items from the night before, she was hit with a wave of spring and early summer nostalgia along with shock that he had attempted to do work in his condition.

A paltry offering of less-than-stellar blueberries sat in the box; Claire half-wondered if Cliff was attempting to sell an old snack when she saw a very fresh-looking leaf among the fruits. They were past season and she wondered if he realized Zack wouldn’t be able to pay very much for them.

The third surprise was a knock on the door that evening, and as Claire opened the door, it revealed Karen and Ann, each with knapsacks and bags on their shoulders.

“Hello, hello!” Ann chirped.

Karen grinned and leaned on the doorframe. “Do you have plans tonight?  Of course you do!  You’re hanging out with us!”

Koro wagged his tail, sniffing the guests and letting out a happy yip.

Claire looked over her shoulder and frowned. Part of the floor was still ripped up and there was a pile of wood and tools Gotz that had been working with; her place was hardly in the shape for guests.  “But my house isn’t very-”

“We don’t care!” Ann interrupted as her and Karen pushed through the doorway with their bags. “I housekeep up in The Bachelor’s Pad, so you know I don’t mind a little mess.  Besides,” she added with a grin, “we’re going to be camping outside tonight!”

“Outside?” Claire’s eyes widened in surprise.

Ann let out a chuckle. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already!  We talked about sleeping under the stars a while back.”

She struggled to retrace their conversation in her memory, but she shamefully drew a blank. She felt a bit guilty doing so, especially while seeing the excitement glowing in Ann’s eyes.  At the moment, she felt so disconnected from the rest of the world…  Her anxiety over Cliff and Cain’s situation had kept her in a haze, and it welled up more intensely as she shook her head sheepishly.  “I-I can’t remember…”

Claire could hear Cliff’s last words to her echoing in her mind:

_“I think I need to be alone for a while.”_

While the phrase wasn’t necessarily unfriendly, it jabbed at her heart; ever since they had befriended each other, they had grown comfortable sorting out and talking about their problems and worries together. Why did the evening before feel like a step backward?  How long was a while?  Why did he look so worried even after knowing Cain was alright?  Was she reading into everything too much?

It felt like the world was closing in and her breathing increased in pace.

 _This awful sinking feeling… I haven’t felt this in so long…  Why_ now _in front of everyone?_

Karen set her bags on the floor and caught Claire in a big embrace. The blonde’s joints refused to cooperate as she attempted to return the hug, her body turning to stone.  At Karen’s touch, she slowly melted as she rested her head on her friend’s shoulder.  She was surprised when the tears came.  She sniffed as Karen soothingly ran her hands along her back and squeezed her.

“Hey… It’s okay,” the brunette murmured soothingly. “We know you’ve had a lot on your plate.”

“A _lot_ ,” Ann repeated for emphasis.

Claire quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand and gave them an apologetic smile. “I-I’m sorry about that…  Maybe a night with friends would help…”

The three headed outside and Claire watched as her friends unpacked their bags. A pack of smoked sausages, some insect repellant, flashlights and a battery-operated lantern, along with a radio – it looked like they had prepared this outing together.

“Let’s get this fire started before it gets too dark,” Ann suggested, waving the pack of sausages. “I’m getting hungry, too!”

“Ah, b-but to start a campfire…” Claire’s voice trailed off as her mind attempted to run through the process.  Kindling would need to be found, and she’d need to shape it in that nest shape like Cliff showed her.  Her heart sunk as she remembered the fizzled out campfire in the Valley.  She hoped Cliff was in better spirits today…

“Yo, Claire! Is this stuff here scrap wood?” Karen was poking a pile of miscellaneous leftovers from the renovation that had temporarily been stored alongside the house with her foot.

Claire nodded. “You can use that, but we need to go inside and get that flint and steel that-”

She saw Ann waving a box of matches in her hand before crumpling up an old newspaper she had brought in her pack. “We’ve got it all under control.  Why don’t you come over here and sit down?”

0o0o0o0

The girls shared a snack of sausages grilled over the fire, and after an evening of singing, silly stories, and jokes, they tucked into their sleeping bags for the night. Claire rolled herself up in an old blanket from her bed and stared at the night sky above them, grateful that they had made the decision to come and visit her.

“I don’t think Harris likes me all that much,” Ann said suddenly.

“Huh?” her friends replied in unison and squirmed under their blankets to see her.

The young woman’s long, red braid tumbled across her pillow and grazed the grass below as it hung down. Claire could make out the moon reflecting in Ann’s eyes as her eyelashes fluttered, looking up at the starry sky above them.  She didn’t look particularly sad or distraught, but there was no joy in her expression, either.

“What are you talking about? Of course Harris would like a girl like you,” Karen retorted, rolling onto her back and tucking her hands behind her head.  “What’s not to like?”

Ann let out a deep sigh. “Well, he _is_ really nice to me.  He runs a lot of errands for his dad and sometimes brings me little souvenirs from his trips – malted milk balls, apricots, rice crackers… once he brought me a doughnut…”  She let out light chuckle.  “I teased him about getting some for himself, too…”  She sighed once more and Claire noticed how her eyebrows furrowed a bit.  “I guess he’s pretty polite…  He asks how my day is going when he stops by the inn every day…  We went out to Kai’s a couple times and he insisted on paying…”  Her tone of voice changed to a softer one.  “We k-kissed at the end of the pier...  He said he thought I was cute…”

“All perfectly good evidence that he doesn’t like you,” Karen snorted sarcastically.

Ann rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut it!  … Anyways, it’s not about him being nice.”  She took her braid in her hands and wrapped it around her knuckles as she bit her lip.  “I just don’t know if I can see this working out…”

Claire’s eyes followed Karen as she stretched her arms above her head. “Do you feel like he treats you like a kid because you’re ten years younger than him?” Karen asked.

Claire found herself sitting up a bit in her curiosity. Karen was never one to sugarcoat things, but for her to bring that topic up without even being asked…

“Not really,” Ann admitted nonchalantly, brushing the end of her braid against her knuckles rhythmically. “We’ve never really talked about the age difference, and I don’t really think about it all that much.  It’s just… I kinda feel like a third wheel when we’re at the inn and Dad’s there.  At first I was really excited to listen to them gab, because they’d talk about Mom sometimes.  But in a lot of ways, it’s not any different than if we weren’t dating at all.”

“Sounds like you’re a little jealous. Surely he spends some time with you alone, too,” Karen replied.

Claire snuggled under her blanket, silently awaiting a response.

“Yeah, but it kind of feels… off. He’s always smiling, but I get the feeling he’s hiding how he really feels.  I mean, we haven’t fought or anything.”

Karen didn’t sound convinced. “Maybe you’re just insecure because things are going so well.  There’s nothing wrong with being happy together.  Are you looking for a boyfriend or a sparring partner, anyway?”

Ann’s tone became more serious. “Something’s got to be bothering him…  I can just feel it, y’know?  Like… a hollow feeling, almost.  He’s just really good at faking it.”

_After all, I do it all the time…_

Karen played with a stray leaf on the ground, avoiding Ann’s gaze. “You should confront him about it.  Just ask him how he’s feeling or if he has something on his mind.  Rick rants to me all the time.  Then, when he’s done, he’s in a much better mood,” she finished with a playful wink.

Claire looked at Karen with admiration; she truly was a strong woman. She knew Rick had his fair share of problems and she wondered if he extended his girlfriend the same courtesy of listening to her troubles.

“I… _can’t_.”  Ann dropped her hands by her sides.  “What if I come off as too aggressive and ruin things?  Then I really _will_ be all alone…”  Her voice died down into a whisper as she visibly gulped.

“C’mon! This isn’t the Ann I know,” Karen softly chided, rolling back over to face her.  The smile faded from her face as she saw that her teasing didn’t cheer Ann up.

Claire’s mind was replaying a conversation she had with Mary not too long ago.

 _“He was a_ wonderful _actor. He didn’t want me to know he was still hurting…”_

“I think…” Claire’s voice came out as a squeak.  Her friends both turned to her in surprise that she spoke up.  “I think it might help if you talked to Mary about this.  She was with Harris for a while…”

Ann let out a sigh. “Yeah, and he broke up with her.  If he dumped someone as pretty and smart as Mary, what does he really think of me?”  Her voice unknowingly rose in pitch as she nervously tugged on her braid.  “I mean, she has the patience and guts to put up with Gray and tell him like it is.  What kind of chance do _I_ really have with Harris?  What kind of a chance do I really have with _anyone_?”  There was panic in her voice as she scolded herself under her breath, wiping her tears on her sleeping bag.

Guilt rose in Claire’s stomach as she realized the effect her comment had on her friend. “Mary said to me that Harris’s heart just wasn’t in their relationship.”

“Really?” Ann’s voice cracked.

Claire nodded. “Yeah.  She said that she doesn’t think it was anything in particular she did.”

_Part of him must still be in love with Aja…_

“Huh… maybe I should talk to her. I just thought things were going to be different than how they turned out, y’know?  Like I was exactly what he was looking for…”  She tucked her hands behind her head.  “I always thought when I found a guy, we’d… I dunno… go along together more easily and there’d be this spark.  I mean, I thought I felt it at first, but…  His face only lights up when he talks about his childhood and teenage years.  Cheering people up is kinda my thing.  I thought I could make him as excited for the present day, but…”  Her words faded as she looked at the smoldering remains of the fire.  She wondered with a detached feeling if it was the perfect representation of her relationship.  “I’m starting to understand… you can’t control what another person thinks and feels…”

_Giving your heart to someone who already wants someone else’s isn’t going to change their mind…_

“Goddess knows I’ve tried that before and it’s ended miserably,” Ann muttered with a bitter laugh, wiping the last of her tears with a sniff. “I don’t want Harris to feel like he settled for me if he’s looking for something else.”

“What do you mean?” Karen asked softly.

“His dad told me some things… He used to be head over heels for this girl he dated when he was a teenager.  I saw an old framed photo of them on the wall with their family pictures.  He looked… happier than I had ever seen him in person…  I kinda wonder if he still is in love with her.”

“I can’t believe Thomas would say something like that!” Karen sat up and clenched her fists. “What kind of father _does_ that?  It sounds like sabotage!”

“Actually… it kind of explained a lot,” Ann replied calmly with a sad smile. “I think he was trying to help me.  Thomas said that he wanted the two of us to be happy and that he’d love it if I was able to help his son let go of his past.”

“You can choose to help, but it’s not ultimately your responsibility.” Claire’s voice broke the silence.  “I hate to say it, but there’s a chance that he’s just not ready to move on…  And if that’s the case, I guess you have to ask yourself if you’re okay with that.”  She couldn’t help but compare it to her feeble attempts to get Gray’s attention.

“Huh… that’s actually a pretty good idea. Maybe I should talk to Mary first about that other stuff…” 

Karen made a grunt of agreement. “And it sounds harsh, but Claire’s right.  Maybe you should talk to Harris about it.  Whether or not he’s stuck in the past, that has no bearing on you.  You are still wonderful, desirable, and worthy no matter what happens.”

Ann was wiping away a fresh batch of tears. “Goddess… you two are the best…”  She sniffed again and her friends pulled their makeshift beds against hers, sandwiching her in a hug.  “I can’t talk to my dad about this kind of stuff, and I feel stupid talking about it…  I’m not going to worry about it anymore tonight…”  She paused, giving the blonde a grin; she was ready to turn the conversation into something more lighthearted.  “I kind of expected it from Karen, but who knew you were such a romantic guru, Claire?”

Claire shook her head. Her previous relationships were barely worth mentioning and her lack of experience with romance was embarrassing.  “Hardly,” she replied with a laugh.

“She just keeps it real,” Karen added with a grin. “One of Claire’s pieces of wisdom.  Cliff gushes about how nice she is to talk to when I bump into him at the bar.”

Claire felt a warm glow in her chest and her cheeks. “H-he talks about me?”

Ann laughed. “We can’t get him to shut up about you!  It’s a far cry from back in the spring when he hardly spoke to anyone at all.  It’s… an improvement,” she decided with a nod.  “It’s actually pretty cute,” she admitted, shaking her head with a chuckle.  She felt relieved it no longer caused her stress; the pure joy on Cliff’s face when he spoke about Claire gave Ann hope for the future for all of them – for happier days ahead.

“And why wouldn’t he talk about you, Claire? We’re all _friends_ , right?”  The playful nudge and wink from Karen left Claire giggling nervously as she played with a strand of her hair, flustered.  “And Cliff thinks you’re a really good _friend_ …”

A lovely giddy feeling rose in Claire’s stomach, and as ashamed as she was to admit it, she hoped they’d continue to talk about him. After all, it was a familiar ritual to tease a girl about the boy she liked during a slumber party.  Forgetting to question when they had realized her crush, as she never really said it aloud, a grin broke across her mouth.  Some things never changed.

“I know what days he sees you because he comes back to the inn with this big dumb smile on his face,” Ann giggled. “One morning a couple of weeks ago, I said your name just to see how he reacted.  He was starting to walk up the stairs and turned around so violently that he smacked Gray in the face with his bag.  Cliff was at the foot of the stairs before he realized he had hit him.”

Karen roared with laughter. “I wish I had been there to see that!”

“Gray fell down the whole flight of stairs…”

“What?!” her friends cried in unison.

Ann stuck out her tongue and winked at them. “Just kidding!  It was really more of a gripping of the handrail and swearing at him.  Cliff got so flustered he offered to pay for Gray’s breakfast.  Gray refused, but Cliff wouldn’t take no for an answer.  So Gray finally just ordered a piece of toast and water.”  Ann snorted.  “With those two, it’s like living with cats and dogs.”

“So you’re pretty used to drama,” Karen commented.

Ann sighed. “Ain’t that the truth!”  She debated for a brief moment mentioning the current problem between the roommates – Gray and Kai had been trying to coax Cliff into finally asking Claire out.  Now that summer had ended, the job had become solely Gray’s responsibility.  She decided against sharing this out of respect for her friend.

“I’d imagine it’s pretty fun, though,” Claire admitted.

“She’s just imagining living under the same roof as him,” Ann laughed, burying her head into Claire’s shoulder.

The blonde’s face burned, but she found that she rather liked it. She knew she should have some more shame and deflect the comment, as was expected in these kinds of situations, but she didn’t feel the desire to.  She recalled their mornings together while Cliff was working on the farm.  It almost had been like living with him for a while.  She could clearly remember the way his eyes sparkled while they talked about the day ahead, the way his laughter rang through the farm like gentle music…

Claire could see his deep blue eyes void of life as he stepped out of Doctor Harvey’s office, the coldness and helplessness radiating from him...

Her smile faded along with her blush. It somehow felt wrong to be laughing and joking around when she knew her good friend was having such a difficult time.

Her friends noticed her change of behavior.

“Hey, we were just teasing, Claire. You know that, right?”  Karen gave her a squeeze and a kiss on the cheek.

She had been holding it in all evening, but she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Have either of you seen him?  I mean, since yesterday?” she asked nervously, wringing her hands.  She was aware that this get-together was a poorly-disguised attempt to comfort her after she returned from her trip to Forget-Me-Not-Valley.

Karen solemnly shook her head, but Ann spoke up. “He hasn’t been around the inn much.  Gray mentioned that he bumped into him last night with a bunch of bags.”

“Maybe he went back to the Valley to be closer to Cain,” Karen reasoned. “A couple of overnight bags…”

Ann gulped and closed her eyes, balling her hands into fists and pressing them into her lap. She didn’t want to hide the truth from Claire.  “Gray… said Cliff had his bow with him.”

Both friends didn’t get a chance to brace for impact.

“WHAT?! He’s out _hunting_ right now?!”  Claire panicked, holding her temples to stabilize herself, but she found she was shaking her head, her temper flaring.  “His wounds reopened just from climbing back on that horse!  What is he _thinking_?  How is he even going to use a bow?!”  For the first time in a really long time, Claire felt angry at Cliff, and she had half a mind to tear into the woods and search for him in the dark.  “He’s going to make his wounds worse!  He did _not_ listen to the doctor the other day and he got an infection because he didn’t take care of himself!”  Her breathing sped up as she clenched her fists and jaw, tears springing from her eyes.  “He’s going to get hurt!”

A gentle hand at her shoulder broke her spell.

“He’s a grown adult, Claire.” Karen’s words were blunt.

“And he’s lived outside for a long time before he moved here. He knows what he’s doing.”  Ann hoped she sounded more confident than she felt.

Claire buried her face in her hands. _All the blood, the stifled cries of pain as the doctor pulled dirt and debris from the infected wounds…_ “He’s an adult, but he’s not invincible…”

The brunette put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a soothing pat. “It hurts when someone you care about makes reckless decisions, doesn’t it?” Karen’s words held no malice as she recalled seeing Claire at the hospital, weak and helpless in the tub of cold water as Elli and Trent fussed over her heat exhaustion.

The young woman nodded, but she didn’t uncover her face.

“It sucks, but you have to let him make that decision and hope that he learns from it.”

The tears continued to flow. “But it’s not like Cliff to be so reckless!”

A light touch on her knee startled her and Claire looked up, her face damp. Ann shot her an apologetic smile, her own cheeks tear-stained with the earlier conversation.  “He almost lost Cain.  Maybe he’s afraid he can’t get by without him and he’s hunting by himself to prove that he can do it alone.”

Claire recalled Cliff’s words the other evening:

 _I just…_ can’t _lose him…_

Sniffing, she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “But he’s _not_ alone…”

A cheerful grin spread across Ann’s face. “You’re right; he has the three of us worrying about him.”

“And… he has my _love_.”  The words came out easily and they were freeing as Claire said them.  A relieving sensation overcame her and she breathed the night air deeply, gazing at the stars.  He was under this same sky…  Wherever Cliff was, her heart belonged to him.  A thrill came over her at the idea.  She closed her eyes and silently sent him some love, hoping it would touch him.

A playful nudge caught her by surprise. “It’s about time you admitted it out loud.”  Karen smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: This chapter and the next one were originally going to be combined into one, but it was quite a bit to take everything in and I didn’t want the significance of this talk to be overshadowed. Look forward to another chapter real soon! 
> 
> I feel bad for those of you who are really gunning for Ann and Harris. I didn’t make things easy for them, did I? Will they be able to work things out?
> 
> I’d love to hear what you think! Your reviews make my day! :D


	84. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Gray both confront Cliff.

A warm glow remained in Claire’s heart until the next evening when she decided to head into town. She tucked her hands into her pockets as she walked along the cobblestones, the fall breeze playing at her hair.  She didn’t have the spare money to be eating out, but a social call to the local inn sounded like a lot of fun. 

Besides, it wasn’t really the dining room she was interested in visiting…

She could hear the chatter from inside the inn as she approached it and she wondered at what point she had begun to seek company of Mineral Town’s residents out of pleasure.

It was definitely the place to be that evening; Ann was standing silently behind the bar, massaging her temples and muttering to herself while her eyes darted from table to table. It was a definite change from her typical bubbly, cheery demeanor she showed around guests.  Claire looked at the dining room and noticed the reason for Ann’s behavior.

The inn was packed that night – Saibara, Duke, Basil, and Barley were all drinking together, and there was a large party at the other end of the bar. Rick and Karen were drinking at the counter, and Gray and Mary were sitting at a secluded table in the back.  Elli, Stu, May, Carter, Trent, Harris, and Thomas were all crowded around a table, talking animatedly.  A couple of tables had been pushed together to accommodate for the large group, and Ellen had a wheelchair pulled up at the head of the table.  Claire grinned; she knew the elderly lady couldn’t get out of the house much.

“Oh, hey, Claire.” Ann gave her a distracted smile.  “You come over for dinner?”

Claire shook her head. “I’m pretty broke.  I just came to say hello.  It looks like the whole town’s here tonight.”  She was ready to get back into her regular routine, and she came to visit tonight with the hopes of bumping into a few friends.  It looked like she picked a good night.

“Well, feel free to grab a free chair from one of the dirty tables, I guess…” Ann laughed unenthusiastically.

The couple of tables that weren’t packed were covered with dirty dishes. “Where is Doug?”

Her reply was rather evasive. “He took the day off.”

Claire frowned. It was more than obvious that her friend was overwhelmed with the amount of guests.  “Well, he picked the wrong day for a vacation.  It looks like they’re throwing a party over there.”

Ann was preoccupied as her eyes darted around the room. “Oh, yeah.  It’s Stu’s birthday.  They have a big bash here every year.”

The situation only seemed more confusing to Claire. “Then why did Doug take off if he knew the party was today?”

Ann shook her head. Of course Claire didn’t understand; she didn’t grow up in Mineral Town.  “It’s the anniversary of my mom’s death.  I don’t remember her much, but Dad likes to take the day off to reflect.  I believe he deserves that much.”

“I see…” Claire swiftly began stacking dishes and started to carry them to the kitchen.

“Claire, you don’t have to-!”

“Let me help,” Claire smiled, stacking a few cups. “I never really properly thanked you for last night.  I didn’t realize how badly I needed you two by my side.”  She placed a handful of dirty cutlery in an empty water glass smudged with Manna’s signature red lipstick. 

“Are you sure?” Ann hesitated, watching Claire’s quick technique with longing eyes.

Her friend nodded, swiftly stacking a few plates and placing the glasses on an empty tray. “Besides, I spent quite a few of my teenage years bussing tables and cooking at a diner.”

Relief reflected on Ann’s features, and her face gradually lit up. “Why didn’t you say so?”  Ann giggled and tossed an apron on her friend’s shoulder.  “Welcome to the crew!”

“Crew?” Claire balanced another tray on her other arm, her muscle memory handling the load with relative ease.

“Yeah. Go in the kitchen and introduce yourself to your new coworker!”  Ann laughed, giving her a wink and shoving her past the doors behind the bar.  She grabbed a stack of dirty plates as she followed her.  The additional help seemed to perk her up.

The sight before her lifted Claire’s spirits as well.

“Oh, hey, Claire.” A very sleepy Cliff looked up from washing dishes.

Claire observed him as she fastened her own apron. His hives had already cleared quite a bit just from the other day, and his bandages looked freshly changed.  Besides looking completely exhausted, he appeared to be relatively healthy.  Claire was about to express her concern over Cliff’s hunting activities when Ann unceremoniously dumped her heap of plates into the sink, splashing soapy water all over the young man.

“Aw, come on, Ann! I told you to cut that out!” he sighed.  He took off his sopping apron and Claire watched the liquid drip onto the tile floor beneath them.  He groaned as his hide tunic was soaked through as well.  He took it off, shivering a bit with cold; he was grateful the simple cotton shirt he wore underneath was still mostly dry.

Ann shot him an apologetic look, handing him a fresh apron and snatching his wet shirt, hanging it on a hook on the wall. His sleepiness was causing him to work at a sluggish pace, but some help was better than none.  “I really wasn’t expecting it to splash that badly - honest!  Just a _little_ splash!”  She ruffled his hair.  “Just trying to keep you awake!”

He gave her retreating figure a sour look that was dramatized by his fatigue. Claire bit back a chuckle; he looked as if he had bitten into a lemon.

“I came to help out,” Claire told him, hoping that it would cheer him up a bit. “I’m going to bus tables, but then I’ll help you clean when I clear them all.”

Just as she had hoped, his frown disappeared and was replaced with a smile. She found herself beaming.  Perhaps the love she tried to send to him the night before had worked!  A giddiness overtook her when his fingers delayed leaving hers as she passed him a dirty plate.

“Th-thank you…” His eyes returned to the soapy tub of water.

She had a hard time pulling her eyes from him. Claire was eager to ask him about Cain’s progress; there was so much to talk about.  For the moment, she was just grateful that he was safe and under Ann’s care.  Remembering the promise she made to help her friend, she headed toward the kitchen door.  “Be right back.  I’ll go and clear some more tables.”

He gave her a nod, and as she left, the worry lines reappeared on his forehead.

0o0o0o0

Claire carried a plastic bin of dirty plates and began throwing away the scraps, being sure to drag the rubbish bin to a work station right beside Cliff.

“I heard you were up late hunting.” Her words weren’t accusing, but she was unable to hide the worry in her voice.

He gave a simple nod as he took the plate from her and added it to the sink.

Claire scraped some fish bones and a corn cob into the bin, her eyes locked onto the bandages wrapping her friend’s arms. Wielding a bow couldn’t possibly be good for his injuries; he was being far too reckless.  “But _why_?”

He remained silent, and when he didn’t answer, she held the dirty plate out to him and he reached for it with a soapy, wet hand. However, her grip remained firm on the plate as she waited for a response from him, giving him a meaningful look.

“Why?” she repeated, holding onto the plate as if it was a reward for answering his question. She refused to simply hand over the plate, to give this all up without trying her hardest.

His eyebrows furrowed as he avoided locking eyes with her. “It’s _hunting season_ ,” he replied with a bit of an edge to his voice, tugging the plate from her hand.  The dinner plate slipped and fell on the floor between them with a loud crash.

Their eyes locked and Claire’s mind couldn’t block out all the noise inside of it as she struggled to read Cliff’s expression.

Ann poked her head into the kitchen, her eyes wide. “Is everything okay?”

“A plate slipped,” Claire explained, hanging her head. “Sorry about that.”

She heard a muttered apology from Cliff’s direction.

Ann shook her head. “Happens more often than you’d think.”  Seeing their glum expressions, Ann gave them a playful wink.  “It’s just a plate.  Just don’t go breakin’ my heart, okay?” she giggled, popping back out to the dining area.

Claire bent down to pick up the broken plate and brushed her forehead against Cliff’s as she squatted down. They looked at each other in quiet surprise, and in that moment time seemed to freeze.

_Why does it suddenly feel like we’re drifting apart? What is happening?  Why is this awkward?  This is Cliff, the person I feel most comfortable around!  Why does it feel like I’m interacting with a stranger?_

A gruff laugh from Duke in the other room snapped them out of their spell and Claire looked down at the broken plate. It had split neatly down the middle into two even pieces.  The young woman watched as Cliff picked up the other half and her eyes widened in shock at the fact that no shards remained.  As she slowly stood up with the broken piece of ceramic in her hands, she couldn’t help but feel that her heart had indeed been broken in some way.

Cliff tossed his side of the plate in the bin with a loud clank. “I’m sorry, Claire.”  His words lacked any real feeling as he blinked his tired eyes, the dark circles pronounced under the fluorescent lights of the kitchen.  “It’s just… hunting season is a very limited time.  I need to make the most of it.”

Her eyes welled up with tears and she slammed her half of the plate in the trash and her posture became rigid. “I-I don’t know if I can support you if you’re going to choose to ignore your health…  Don’t you care about that?  So many people are _worried_ about you!”  She struggled to keep her voice level and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to push him away or hold him close.  Before she knew what was happening, her arms were around him and she buried her face in his damp apron, not caring that it was old dishwater she was pressing her cheek against.

“Thank you.” Cliff’s voice was quavering.

His words brought a bit of calmness back to her. There was warmth to them.  She wiped her eyes, remembering Karen’s and Ann’s words the night before.  “I’m sorry.  I know you’re a grown adult.  It’s just…”

_Isn’t there something else you can do that is easier?_

She bit her tongue. With none of the shops hiring, and being short on cash herself, she knew that not much was available.  She wouldn’t be able to pay Cliff in anything but promised money for the future, and entertaining that proposition made her uncomfortable.

“I make most of my money this time of year,” he said quietly, but his words had a tone of finality to them.

Claire saw Ann’s red head bobbing past the window on the kitchen door over Cliff’s shoulder and she recalled his words from the night before.

_“He’s lived outside for a long time before he moved here. He knows what he’s doing.”_

Claire wiped away the dampness from her eyes. “Yeah.”  She swallowed the lump in her throat and gave him a cheery smile.  “I really hope it goes well for you.”

He had turned back to washing dishes, and nervousness was written all over his face. “Th-thanks…”

She couldn’t stop herself from asking as she handed him another plate. “How is Cain doing?”  She adopted the soothing tone she used to comfort her younger brothers when they were upset.  Claire realized it was also the same way she spoke to Cliff when they had just met.

The young woman was expecting to see more relief on his face; while he was smiling, there was something about his expression that was very sad. “He’s recovering alright.  I’ll be picking him up tomorrow…”  When he caught Claire looking at him, he quickly ducked his head, giving her an apologetic look.  “Ah, I’m sorry… I’m really tired.”

Claire handed him a stack of bowls. “If anyone can get through all this, I know you can.”

0o0o0o0

One of his favorite things about his girlfriend was that she understood his personality so well. Mary was able to see beyond Gray’s gruff exterior and comprehend what he was saying even when it often came out as what he deemed “the wrong way”.  In her clever yet gentle method, she would guide him through the sea of books she ruled over and manage to pluck one from the pile that spoke to him personally.  Over the course of reading her selections, Gray had learned things about himself – he enjoyed reading about people who got things done, perhaps, he reasoned, because he dragged his feet on any important decision he made.

Finally gathering the courage to ask Mary to be his girlfriend, choosing a new life in Mineral Town, eventually severing the last of his ties with his good-for-nothing father…

Reading books didn’t solve his problem by any means, but they made him feel a little better about the choices he had been brave enough to make, clumsy as the processes had been.

Gray flipped open his latest book and slowly walked up the stairs while attempting to focus on it at the same time, quickly learning it didn’t work very well. It didn’t stop him from reading about the high speed chase that Officer Arnold Ralph was leading against his elusive perpetrator.  Gray unlocked the door and stepped into his bedroom, throwing himself down on his bed to get more comfortable as he stuck his head back between the pages.  He heard the jingling of coins on the opposite side of the room and jumped in surprise.

“Goddess! I didn’t even notice you!” Gray’s heart pounded as he sighed.  He hadn’t seen his roommate in a couple of days, and he had gotten used to having the place to himself.

The thought of sharing was no longer unwelcome, but he was hoping to see a more cheerful Cliff on the other end. Gray looked over at his friend; he was idly clanking the coins together, staring off into space.  It was likely Cliff hadn’t heard him, as his glazed over eyes focused on the wall unblinkingly.  He looked very pale and the fact that he had lost weight since they first met was more apparent than ever; his hunched posture made him look very small.  Gray stood up and walked over to him, carrying his book with him as he snapped it shut in an effort to break his friend’s stupor.

His words were gruff, simple, and to the point. “You look like hell, Cliff.”

The young man didn’t move from his spot. “I haven’t slept since I stayed in the Valley…”  His voice was scratchy from lack of use.

Gray noticed the young man was shaking with fatigue. “Well, why?”

Cliff buried his stubbly chin in his hands, rocking back and forth a bit in his anxiety. “I-I-ve…  I’ve got to catch s-something… _anything_ …”  His tired eyes blinked, the dark circles underneath them causing Gray to frown.

Gray folded his arms across his chest and sat down on the bed beside him, setting his book next to him. The loud creak from the furniture seemed to snap Cliff back into reality and the bed sagged toward the heavier occupant of the bed.  “You’re exhausted!  No wonder you can’t take anything out; I’m sure you’re a terrible shot right now.”

“Thanks…” Cliff’s voice was emotionless as he avoided his friend’s gaze.

His roommate’s body language began to make Gray feel nervous. “So the hunting trip didn’t go well…  Sorry, man…” His eyes moved to the splotchy bandages on Cliff’s arms.  “You probably shouldn’t be trying to use a bow if you ever want to heal.”  He ignored the blank stare from his roommate and looked at the pile of coins and empty wallet sitting in front of Cliff.  “Hey, what’s going on here?  What’s with the money?”

Cliff frowned and shook his head.

Gray saw this as an improvement; at least he was getting some kind of emotion out of him. “So what are you buying?” he pushed.

He hesitated before speaking, rubbing two coins together between his fingers. “I’ve…  got enough f-for a… t-ticket…  Cain’s medical bills… and mine… took up everything else…” 

Gray’s blood ran cold. “Ticket?” He could only think of the ship that headed back out east.  “For the ferry?”

Cliff nodded. “… It leaves on the first and last days of winter…”

There had been a time where Gray would have reveled in this news; today it made him want to vomit. The solemn look on Cliff’s face told him that he needed to take this seriously. 

_My best friend… leaving? He can’t!  I can’t be alone again!  Not like after Dad…!_

He felt a well of anger rise up within him and he quelled it, clenching his fists and biting his lip. When he spoke again, his voice was steady.  “Hey, a lot can change in that time.”  In his panic, Gray mentally tried counting the money in his own wallet.  Would he be able to cover the both of them?

Cliff shook his head. “It’s not going to pick up…  I should’ve noticed the warnings all summer…  If there even was a herd, it’s moved on…  I can’t find anything out there.”  His voice was groggy.

Gray was furious; it was if there was a sudden distance between them. _Why didn’t I let him know he could count on me before? That I actually cared?  Damn my stupid awkwardness!  Why did I waste so much time fighting with him?_   “So what?  Y-you’re just going to leave town?”  His voice was gruff and he cleared his throat.

Cliff looked up at him with sad eyes that contained an emptiness that sent a chill down his spine. The emotion quickly wiped from Cliff’s face as he tucked away his feelings on the matter.  He never had anyone care that he was leaving before, and it would be easiest if he hid his own torment over it.  Saying his plans aloud hadn’t worked well with Carter, but he wasn’t sure what else to do.  “That’s how it usually works…  Only I’m usually camping, and I’ve usually already bulked up for winter…”  He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, his nerves quickly rising to the surface again.  “Ugh, I didn’t plan this out at all…  I-I’m going to have to take the earlier ship...”  Cliff gulped; the coldest season was always rough, even at the best of times.  “Everything was going into rent instead of preparing for the next move…”

_Stupid. You should have known better.  This is the way it always is.  You thought you could lose sight of that?_

Gray wasn’t sure what his friend’s definition of _bulking up_ was, but he was doing it wrong; Cliff had been steadily losing weight since he first moved into town, and he wasn’t big when they first met.  Gray lifted the brim of his cap a bit, staring at him in silence as his eyebrows rose.  “You know, Gramps will never forgive you if you leave,” he finally threatened.

A pair of deep blue eyes was quickly busy observing the wood grain on the floor panels. “I know…”  His voice was barely above a whisper as the young man swallowed the lump in his throat.

Gray knew that he confided with the priest on everything. “What about Carter?  Does he know?”

Cliff nodded glumly. He preferred not think about that right now.  “He… wasn’t very happy…”

Gray clenched his jaw; despite the fact that he knew Cliff stopped by the church most days, he was furious that Cliff had already told someone else he was planning on leaving. He couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of abandonment.

_He doesn’t care about me as much… Perhaps it’s never been an equal relationship…  That’s why he’s leaving; he just doesn’t give a damn…_

“Ann and Doug?” he asked fearfully.

Cliff stared at the covers on his bed. “I’ll… tell them when I give them my rent next week…”

“You really think that they’re going to just let you leave like that? That _I_ will?!” Gray raised his voice, ignoring the fact that it cracked with emotion.

Cliff’s eyes met his, and it angered him that they were so calm. “If they respect me… yes.”

Gray was seething; he’d snap some sense into him. “Well, what about Claire?” He folded his arms across his chest, a small bit of hope shining through; surely he’d see reason…

Cliff looked up at his roommate and it made Gray’s heart hurt; he had never seen such a look of agony on anyone’s face. His face was dull and lifeless, his eyes reflecting a pain Gray couldn’t understand.  “Daydreams and fantasies are only that, Gray…  I… was _stupid_ …”

Gray wasn’t expecting his throat to tighten. He grabbed the hardcover book and slammed it down on the top of the nightstand.  It let out a loud clap that echoed throughout the whole room.  He had half a mind to hit his friend with the book.  Reasoning wasn’t working…  “You are an _idiot_!” he roared.  “Why are you giving up so easily?!  I thought you were the resourceful one!”

“What am I supposed to do? Hunt for animals that aren’t there?”  Cliff’s voice was strained.

Gray could recall that muddy day in winter when Cliff had arrived. He was quiet, meek, and a little bit pathetic, if Gray was going to be honest with himself.  In time, they had learned to tolerate one another despite their differences in interests and personality, and Gray had dealt with jealousy, frustration, and even a brush of affection for the young man, which was something that had shocked himself.  His icy blue eyes moved to Cliff’s unfocused ones.  He’d be lying if he said Cliff was in the same shape as he was back then; he was far worse now.  Back in winter, Cliff appeared to be overcautious, but a hint of hope had always glinted through his expressions.  It was that simple light about him that made Gray feel like he should try a little harder in his own endeavors.

That light was currently snuffed out, perhaps permanently, and quite frankly, it terrified Gray.

“I’m going to get us two orders of curry. Fat slabs of pork katsu on top.  And something hot to drink, too.”

Cliff said nothing.

“And dessert. You’ll feel better with something in your stomach.  Maybe then you’ll start thinking clearly.”

“I need to stop taking from other people…” Cliff didn’t look up from the comforter on his bed.

“And people say that I’m stubborn,” Gray sighed, standing up and retrieving his wallet.

While Gray loved reading about people who took action and he was proud of the fact that he had been motivated to do something for his friend, however small it was, he found that he was unsuccessful in this venture. A cold plate of uneaten curry sat on the table while Gray finished his tea and licked the frosting from his fingers, unsure of what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Things are getting a little more desperate for Cliff! This chapter was very hard for me to write emotionally, as I try my best to get in the same state of mind as my characters. This can be really exhausting sometimes, especially in more dramatic chapters like this one. I hope I was able to come off as genuine, and I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a comment in the box below – your feedback is really motivating and inspiring, and I appreciate it so much! :)


	85. The Harvest Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire attends the Harvest Festivals in Forget-Me-Not Valley and Mineral Town.

“I know it probably doesn’t look like much to a city dweller like you, but Forget-Me-Not Valley is one of the leaders of corn and sweet potato production for the whole region.” Thomas’s voice was bright and cheery that morning as he returned his gaze to the backs of his ponies’ heads.

Claire was about to protest that she had been dwelling in anything but a city for the past nine months or so when she was once again awestruck by the field of vegetables on Vesta’s farm as they rode past on their way to Forget-Me-Not Valley’s Harvest Festival. Tidy rows of crops caught her eye, and the shiny, dark eggplants gleamed in the sunlight like jewels.

“ _Beautiful_ …”

“You’ll get a chance to meet her, of course,” Thomas replied with a cheery grin. “Vesta, I mean.  Well, Vesta and her _crew_.  That’s how the kids would say it, right?”  He gave her a playful wink.  “Or is it _fam_?”

Claire was unable to keep the giggle from escaping her lips. She nodded as it turned into a full-blown laugh, Thomas pretending to act flustered and overly serious to make her laugh even harder. 

As they caught their breath, the mayor gave her a warm gaze. “I hope you’ve learned by now that Mineral Town is one big extended family.  We pick each other up when we’re feeling down and we celebrate each other’s strengths.  At least, that’s what I strive for as leader of Mineral Town.”  Thomas returned his eyes to the road.  “We might not be especially close, but I’m happy to see you smile again, Claire.”

She wasn’t sure why his comment made her suddenly feel like crying. Her mind wandered through her memories since moving there.  Being dragged around Mineral Town by a perky Karen and stammering hellos to the residents who lived there.  Accidentally creating a delicious experiment and entering it in the Cooking Festival with her best friend.  Waking up after coming home from the hospital and seeing a pile of offerings on her table left by visitors.  Singing a song for Ann’s birthday.  Wiping the sweat from her face as she hauled baskets of tomatoes with her temporary coworker.  Her heart pounding and her voice drowned out by the crowd as she danced the bon in the square in her yukata, observing the pure delight and freedom on Cliff’s face.  She swallowed the lump in her throat.

_This really is home now, and there’s no place I’d rather be._

“Thank you.”

After all, there was much to be grateful for.

0o0o0o0

Claire quickly learned that the Harvest Festival wasn’t much more than a large potluck. Thomas made a short speech about the hard work of the local farmers and Pete, along with a husky redheaded woman, a man with bright green eyes sporting a black pompadour, and a young woman around Claire’s age were brought to the center of the action and applauded.

A large pot was already bubbling and Ruby quickly took over, asking the festival goers to bring their own ingredients to add to the pot. Claire removed the container of tomatoes she had carefully packed and joined the line.

“I always start this up first thing in the morning, otherwise it takes forever to boil,” Ruby explained with a chuckle. She eyed up Claire’s diced tomatoes with an approving nod, gesturing for her to dump them into the stew.  “Pete and the others already brought their things, so we’re guaranteed something delicious whether or not we have a lot of contributions.  It’s good to see you today.  How is Cliff feeling?”

It was nice to have someone she knew in this sea of unfamiliar faces. “Thank you.  He’s…”  She wasn’t really sure how to answer Ruby’s question and she knitted her brow as she struggled to find the right words.

“Wounds take time to heal,” Ruby supplied gently, placing her hand over hers and giving it a squeeze. In the times the wanderer lived in the outskirts of Forget-Me-Not Valley, she hadn’t seen him interact so closely with anyone.  If Cliff trusted Claire enough to help change his bandages, he had changed a lot since she last saw him.  “Kindness and love help all kinds of wounds, too.”

The young woman placed her hand over her heart and nodded solemnly. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.  A very shaggy and disheveled man was hovering around the pot and adding something from a small pouch he brought along with him.  He saw that she was looking at him and his dark eyes pierced hers as he flashed her a bright smile, a set of gleaming white teeth shining through his grisly beard.

“Secret ingredient, moi.” He gave her a wink and scurried off, finding a comfortable place on the beach and sitting down cross legged, his hands in his lap as he waited patiently for the soup to finish.  She tried to keep herself from staring.

“Murrey’s actually the best cook here.” Ruby’s voice startled Claire, moving to a happier topic.  “He really has such a natural talent for flavors.  I have a feeling this batch is going to be really tasty!”

Claire moved out of the line and a touch on her shoulder caused her to jump a little.

“Ah, sorry! I hope I’m a pleasant surprise, at least!”  Pete let out a good-natured laugh as she turned around.

The young woman felt her heart lift at the very sight of him. Did he ever not smile?  “Always!” she chuckled, giving him a grin.

“So it looks like you get the chance to pig out at two festivals back-to-back! Aren’t you lucky?” Pete teased, gazing at the soup pot with wide eyes.  “I’d have to say this is one of my favorite festivals.”

“Do you ever get nervous for it?” Claire asked, following him across the beach. “I mean, standing up there when Thomas talks about you and all?”

He shook his head. He might have been a little antsy his first year, but he didn’t think that would be the most encouraging thing to tell Claire.  He could tell she had a tendency to get flustered easily even from the limited time they had spent in each other’s company.  It wasn’t as if he even had any reason to be nervous his first year.  “There’s nothing to worry about.  It’s really a celebration of the harvest and everyone gets the chance to sit down and have a meal together.  Plus, there are leftovers, of course!” he added with a smirk.

She couldn’t help herself. “Do you think that big pot will be able to feed all of us, or just you?”

His face lit up as he laughed and he had to stop himself from ruffling her hair in a teasing manner; while they were friendly with each other, they weren’t that close, and he didn’t want to come off too strong. His face didn’t flood with color when she smiled at him anymore, but he had to admit that her more confident demeanor was quite attractive.

_Whoever he is, he must make her very happy… Good for them._

“I’ll choose not to answer that question. How would you like to meet the other farmers in the Valley?”

Claire found herself bouncing on the balls of her feet; Pete’s excitement was contagious, as always. “Sounds great!”

Pete was already waving to the trio Thomas had congratulated along with him. “They’re nice folks.”

The larger woman called out to them the moment they were within range of hearing. “Howdy!  Come on over!  Celia’s been dying to meet you!”

The brunette woman blushed and shook her head. “That’s a little extreme, don’t you think, Vesta?”

Claire felt her heart speed up a bit as they made their way to them. She was glad the excitement was mutual.  Her eyes locked onto Celia’s and Claire was taken aback.  They were a different color, but the intensity and shape of them reminded her of that familiar gaze smiling back at her over her tomato plants, and more recently when her best friend spoke of hunting season.  Her mouth fell agape as she blinked in surprise; the brown hair was a familiar shade as well…

“Claire Dumont, right? My cousin, Karen, told me all about you,” Celia explained with a smile.

“Karen’s one of my best friends,” Claire replied. “She never told me she had a cousin here.”

“Our relatives are all scattered around. There’s apparently another set of us out there somewhere, but I’m too young to remember meeting them.  My grandmother Eve had a large extended family.  Anyway, Karen told me about how you moved all the way out to the city to farm.  Marlin did that, too.”  She gestured toward the man standing beside her, staring at Claire with an unreadable expression.  As he heard his name, he jumped a bit.

The man shook his head at Celia, but his expression wasn’t unfriendly. “I didn’t exactly come by choice, though.”  Marlin had a deep, smooth voice that was pleasant to listen to.

“That’s right. My brother moved here from the city for his health,” Vesta explained, watching Doctor Harvey add a few handfuls of greens to the large pot.

“I was pretty against it at first,” he confessed. His eyes flicked to the brunette woman standing beside him and his cheeks turned rosy as he rubbed the crook of his neck.  “It hasn’t all been bad, though.  Sometimes change can be good.”  As he corrected his posture, Claire realized that Marlin was actually quite tall, and as he smiled, she saw that he wasn’t as intimidating as she had initially expected.

She gave him a hearty nod as her same feelings of gratitude during the ride to the Valley returned to her. “I feel the same way about farming.  I felt really lost at first, but I’m starting to settle in now.”

“I’m glad things worked out,” Celia said. “Karen seemed a little worried about you at first.”  The young woman decided to leave out the details of a crying and frustrated Karen calling from the grocery store phone early in the summer when her best friend passed out from heat exhaustion.  “Looks like she really didn’t need to get herself worked up at all from what I’ve heard.  Thomas says you had the largest tomato harvest out of this whole region.”

Claire abashedly averted her eyes. “R-really?”  Her voice came out as a bit of a squeak, even though if anyone would have been able to tell her she grew a lot of tomatoes, it would be herself.

Pete’s firm hand gave her back a hearty thump. “You sound so surprised!  It was all that Thomas would talk about for the past couple of weeks!”

The blonde felt a fresh wave of shame for threatening her mayor with violence the first time they met. She watched Thomas adjust his top hat as he engaged in lively conversation with Ruby and a couple more residents from Forget-Me-Not Valley.  They were all laughing and Claire couldn’t help but smile.  He was an interesting person for sure, and his support of her and her farm was unexpected.

“And I saw that you added some of the famed tomatoes to the pot as well!” Pete gave her a playful wink. “Who’s ready to see if that pot’s ready?  I’m starving!”  He eagerly took a few steps toward Ruby and Thomas, turning to see if the others had followed him.

Marlin rolled his eyes. “You’re always hungry.”  His own stomach growled, earning a round of laughter from the group.

Celia gave him a shy smile, her hand brushing against his sleeve. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it turned out myself.”

The three of them went ahead and Claire paused as Vesta turned toward her, her hands on her hips.

“You coming or what?” Pete playfully called to them.

“Be right there! Keep your shirt on!”  She hollered back.  “And don’t eat the whole thing before we get there, either!” she added for good measure.  Pete just laughed in response and focused back on the stew.  Vesta gave Claire a wink.  “That boy’s a handful, but he means well.”

The young woman nodded. “He’s always so happy.”

“He’s always happy when there’s a festival going on. I wanted to let you know that the Moon Viewing Festival is coming up, too.  You do know what that means, right?”  Vesta gave Claire a big grin and nudged her in the ribs.

The knock was a little rougher than the young woman was expecting and she stabilized herself with a good-natured giggle; she felt that Vesta was the kind of person it was impossible to get upset with. Vesta’s eyes were twinkling and her cheeks were ruddy with excitement.  It was hard not to feel the same way.  “No, actually,” Claire admitted, shaking her head.  “I’ve never heard of the Moon Viewing Festival.”

The farmer’s jaw dropped in mock-surprise as she clucked and shook her head. “It’s only one of the most important festivals for farmin’ folk like us!  Most people use it as an excuse to gaze at the full moon and eat dumplings… which, of course, is a great tradition itself…  But it’s also a traditional night to make an offering of crops to the gods in gratitude and pray for a good harvest next year.”

Vesta’s words held such conviction that Claire was a little surprised.

“Ah, I probably don’t strike you as the religious type. Well, I can’t say I’m much of a churchgoer, but I do believe in being grateful for what you’ve been given.  Hard work never hurts, of course!”

Claire gave the woman a hearty nod as Vesta smoothed out her apron, hurrying over to Pete and the rest of her “crew.” She was about to follow her when a well-manicured hand snatched her arm.  Claire whirled around to see a beautiful blonde woman with curly hair that she recognized at the Fireworks Festival.  There was a gleam in her green eyes.

“She’s only telling you half of it,” the lady said with a coy grin. “The Moon Viewing Festival is actually pretty romantic.  Find a special person and a beautiful place and combine that with a full moon in the sky…”  She let out a happy sigh, and Claire couldn’t help but smile – the woman looked so gorgeous in her joy.

“Ah…” Claire could already feel the tickle of Cliff’s hair brushing against her neck as they looked at the sky together.  Maybe they could eat dumplings together and as they both reached for the food, their hands would inevitably touch…  With nothing but the crickets to serenade them and the beautiful moon providing the perfect mood lighting, how lovely it would be to just lean forward and…

“So if there is someone you want to spend that evening with, you should make it clear to them. I’ve learned that life is too short to wait on romance, and you should never lose hope.”  She gave Claire a friendly wave.  “I’m Muffy, by the way.”

“Claire.”

“Nice to meet you.” She headed back out toward the shore of the beach, stepping beside a middle-aged man with a long brown ponytail.  His hands were jammed into his pockets and Muffy looped her arm around his, leaning into his shoulder as they looked out at the waves together.

Claire couldn’t help but smile at the lovers, her own dreams of romance blossoming in her imagination.

_Does Cliff know about the Moon Viewing Festival?_

She bit back a goofy grin, looping her thumbs around her overall straps before rocking on her heels and returning to the group.

There were now two festivals she couldn’t wait for.

0o0o0o0

“Wow, Claire! This is going to be a tomato soup more than anything else!” Ann laughed as her father stirred the giant cauldron the next morning.  The broth was already loaded with a bunch of very ripe tomatoes, and in a way, she was glad to be using up the last of them in this event – it finally felt like summer had ended and this was the perfect way to celebrate with everyone her victory over her fields of red.

Claire set down her knife and wiped the sweat from her brow with the sleeve of her shirt. “Ah, i-is that bad?”  She looked down at the basket of offering she had brought along with her: tomatoes, corn, and a fresh batch of peppers.  She felt her confidence falter; perhaps she should have brought fewer tomatoes…

“It’s going to be wonderful,” Doug interjected, dicing another tomato and adding it to the pot. “Maybe it will turn out more like a chili this year.”

“As long as it’s spicy for the right reasons,” Ann added. “Just keep an eye on Karen, okay?  I found the lid to a jam jar last year in my bowl!”  She attempted to give her friend a scowl.

“Which you used as a shovel to eat faster,” Doug deadpanned, walking past her to begin chopping some peppers. “That being said, I hope she doesn’t add anything too strange this year.”

Claire couldn’t help but chuckle. Karen’s suggestion at using paprika instead of cinnamon for French toast still popped up in her thoughts from time to time.  “It sounds like you’ll eat it either way,” she teased playfully.

Doug roared with laughter as Ann’s eyes widened in surprise as she whirled to face her. “Claire…!”  She paused, smirking.  “Actually, you’re probably right.  It did add a strangely addictive sweetness to the whole thing…”

0o0o0o0

“As we all know, the Harvest Festival is a time to celebrate the harvest season with good food and company. The giant pot represents all of us coming together to make Mineral Town what it is.  We give what we have and together we all have more.  Even if you don’t have a contribution, you won’t be turned away.  Please eat as much as you like!”  Thomas gave Claire a quick grin as he looked beside him.  “And today’s event is a special celebration.  For the first time in over twenty years, Mineral Town’s very own farm, Mystic Acres, has provided many of the vegetables you will be eating today.”

Claire’s posture stiffened as she saw all of the eyes on her. Karen’s family, the Lockards, the Browns… Harris, May, Barley, and Zack…

Thomas continued. “I think the person who should be the most proud of Claire’s accomplishments…”

Duke and Manna, Carter, Gray and Saibara, Ann and Doug, Elli, her family, Trent, even Gotz and Won…

She searched the crowd for a familiar set of deep blue eyes…

“Is herself. Claire, you’ve done so much for this community, and in a way, you’ve really breathed life back into this town.  As mayor of Mineral Town, and as a resident, I thank you.”

_Breathed… life?_

His words began to blend together as the crowd clapped and cheered for her. She wished the joints in her fingers would cooperate as Thomas shook her hand, vaguely remembering how her parents would scold her for weak handshakes.  He gave her a thump on the shoulder and she snapped to attention, the sounds around her becoming crisper and suddenly a little too loud, the images of all the eyes staring at her becoming crystal clear.  Claire found herself blinking the mistiness out of her eyes as she was assaulted with a barrage of emotions and suddenly she felt the need to hide.  Karen put her fingers in her mouth and gave a sharp whistle as Popuri cheered beside her and the sharp sound and enthusiasm from others caused her feet to remain glued to the ground.

“Everyone, please enjoy!”

The group of people instantly began chattering and making their way to get the food and Claire was left a bit disoriented, her equilibrium off. A steady arm around her waist helped her regain her balance.

Her heart leapt into her throat.

“Don’t drown in this sea of people!” Karen teased, pulling her into a side hug. Claire went a bit weak in her friend’s arms and Karen’s hands quickly moved to her shoulders, assessing her facial expressions.  “What’s wrong?”  Her voice was laced with panic.

“I… dunno why being singled out like that… felt… so _scary_.”  She weakly looked over her shoulder for the one set of eyes she had wanted on her…

Karen pulled her close as they got in line. “Hey, it’s okay.  You did great.  You worked so hard and now all of us get to benefit from it.  Thank you, Claire.”  Her emerald eyes were filled with genuine gratitude and Claire felt herself relax a bit.

“You helped, too, you know. I gave them so many tomatoes that you helped water…”

She gave her a playful grin and threw her arm around her shoulders. “Ah, then we should both be at the front of the line!  Should I tell everyone to get out of the way?”

Claire shook her head, her cheeks flooding with color. “D-don’t do that!  We’ll get our food soon enough.”

Karen gave her a concerned look. Her friend’s flighty behavior was reminding her a lot of when they first met.  “I was just teasing…  Are you sure you’re alright?”

The young woman nodded before her friend’s question had finished leaving her lips. “I’m just a little wound up…  Being the focus of attention like that…”  Her eyes scanned the crowd once more and decided to focus on something else.  “H-have you heard of the Moon Viewing Festival?  People were talking about it yesterday in the Valley.”  While still a little nervous about this subject, it gave her insides a warm glow that she wasn’t about to complain about.

A smirk found its way on Karen’s lips and she let out a soft chuckle. “Of course!”  She looked around the sea of faces.  “Huh, I bet Cliff’s still hunting…”

“I’m going to ask him to go with me.”

There was such determination in Claire’s voice that it left Karen breathless. She gave her a nod.  “Good.  It’s about time, don’t you think?”

Karen gave her friend a smug smile as she watched the color creep across Claire’s cheeks. The blonde fell silent as it became their turn to get soup from the pot.  Two bowls were carefully ladled, and after Karen swore up and down that there was no jam in the concoction, they got out of line and looked down at the bowls while struggling to control their drool.

“I actually put in a bar of chocolate,” Karen admitted with a mischievous laugh.

“And I actually was supposed to watch and make sure you didn’t do something like that.” Claire giggled harder.

The nudge she received almost made her stew slosh onto the ground. “What’s the point of cooking if it’s not interesting?”

“And what’s the point of teaching you if you don’t want to listen?” Claire quipped playfully, giving her shoulder a playful bop as her worries dissolved.

Karen gave her a happy wink. “I knew you’d be bringing tomatoes.  The sugar in the chocolate will cut out some of the acidity in the tomatoes.”

Claire blinked in surprise, her mouth forming a perfect letter _o_.

“Yeah, that just happened!” Karen grinned.  “I’ve been watching cooking shows to get ready for our pizza party!”

Impressed wouldn’t begin to describe Claire’s feelings. “Still, adding regular sugar would’ve been safer for the flavor,” Claire teased, the pride on her face unmistakable.

Her friend dismissed this with the wave of a hand, pointing her nose haughtily into the air. “Yeah, yeah…  Let’s go sit with Rick!”  She waved at her boyfriend with her spoon.

Claire’s eyes flicked to Carter, who was looking down at his bowl of stew with a big grin on his face. “Okay.  I’ll be right there.”

Karen gave her a quick nod and headed off. Claire approached the priest, her stomach a bundle of nerves.

“Carter, have you seen Cliff?” Her mouth suddenly felt dry and she could feel her pulse in her throat.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I haven’t.” She couldn’t help but notice that his smile looked different somehow and his eyebrows were ever so slightly furrowed.  “It looks like we’re going to have a lot of leftovers this year.  I’m sure Ann will bring some back to the inn to make sure Cliff gets some.”

Claire gave him a sad smile. “He’s been really busy with hunting season.  I can’t help but be a little concerned with him hunting while injured.”

He looked down at his bowl. “Well, I prayed that the gods would let this stew bring us all strength.”

He was given a perky nod in response. “I hope it makes him feel better when he gets back.”  She had a question to ask Cliff when he did.

_Moon Viewing Festival…_

“You’d better make sure you eat your share, too…” Carter’s face looked a bit paler.  “For your own strength.”

Claire was so busy watching Ann serve herself two heaping bowls that she didn’t notice the way the joy had left the priest’s voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cultural Note: I am planning to model the Moon Viewing Festival after Tsukimi, the Japanese festival that takes place in fall. Offerings of sweet potatoes are made and snacks in the shapes of moons, such as sweet dumplings are shared. Chestnuts and sake are also popular. Older Tsukimi festivals involved poetry recitations by moonlight. The Moon Viewing Festival in Harvest Moon is loosely based on this, so I decided to add some of these details as well.
> 
> Thank you all for reading, and I hope you’re enjoying this stressful story arc, haha! I really appreciate the feedback y’all give, and it’s really touched me how many people have been emotionally affected by the recent events in the story. To say I’m flattered is an understatement. Thank you again!


	86. Don't Shut Me Out!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire learns of Cliff's intentions and struggles to cope.

“I saw him come back in about an hour ago,” Ann called out to Claire.

“Thanks.” She was unable to bite back the grin on her face.

Claire slowly walked up the stairs of the inn, holding the warm dish of curry rice in her hands. It was one of the first meals she had created in her brand new kitchen and she was eager to share it with her dear friend.  The steps creaked as her heart hammered in her eardrums.

_So, Cliff… There’s going to be a Moon Viewing Festival…_

Her feet felt heavy.

_The sky will be full of stars the stars… the full moon illuminating the town from over the top of Mother’s Hill…_

Claire gulped and nearly missed a step.

_The only thing that would make the evening more amazing would be to spend it with you._

Her mouth was dry.

_Say you’ll go with me, Cliff._

Claire raised a shaking hand and rapped on the bedroom door, the blood rushing in her ears making it difficult to gauge the volume of her knock. The flight of stairs wasn’t that steep; why was she so out of breath?

_I’m essentially asking him out on a date…_

She _had_ to ask him now!  There was a chance she wouldn’t get to see him again before the festival due to both of their busy schedules.

The door opened with a soft creak and a bolt of electricity ran down her spine. “Cl-Claire?”  A pair of exhausted eyes looked out at her.

She opened her mouth wordlessly a couple of times in her overexcitement and her nerves went into overdrive as she saw the fatigue on his face. “Ann told me you were in.  I’m s-sorry, did I wake you?” Claire had never seen him look so run down and her happiness was overtaken by concern.  She had an instinct to ask if she should come back later, but the thoughts of the upcoming festival kept her rooted in her spot.

“Oh… I was just resting my eyes,” he replied with a few heavy blinks. His voice was gravelly from lack of use; it was a far cry from the lovely tenor she had listened to at the Fireworks Festival.  She couldn’t help but notice something about his entire demeanor had changed.  It was almost as if he were a shell of his former self since they had made the trip home together from Forget-Me-Not Valley.

The young woman noticed he wasn’t opening the door very far; her stomach churned with anxiety. Her heart continued to pound.  “May I c-come in?  I’ll just be a minute,” she asked softly.  Perhaps the invitation to a fun event would lift his spirits, after all.

He hesitated before letting her in. “O-okay…”

Cliff’s pajama pants loosely sat low on his hip bones and as she watched him toss a baggy cotton shirt over his head – his weight loss was more obvious than ever. He didn’t smile as he sleepily offered her a seat at the table, and Claire felt a little guilty for insisting on seeing him.  Her eyes moved to the floor bashfully; she couldn’t help but feel that she was intruding.

He didn’t say anything as he sat silently, staring at the surface of the table with glazed-over eyes, and Claire realized a conversation wasn’t going to happen unless she started one.

“I-I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while,” Claire started with a weak chuckle. “I-I know it hasn’t been all that long since… the restaurant…”  The image of the broken plate was still clear in her mind as her voice died down.

Her friend didn’t look up at her. “Been busy.”

She set the dish of curry on the table and clasped her hands in her lap anxiously. “I, uh, made you some lunch,” she stammered, standing up a bit to push the container across the table to him with trembling fingers.  The plastic sliding across the wood felt unbelievably loud.

He had been hungry for days, but he frowned at the offer. He had to stop taking from everyone; he had grown too soft…  “Oh…  I-I…  I c-can’t…”  He pushed it back to her as politely as he could.  “You’re far too kind to me…”

His words stung. Claire visibly flinched at them as she struggled to mask her hurt feelings.  “I thought that was your favorite.”  She hated the artificial cheery tone in her voice.  “You can always eat it later.” She pushed it back to him, trying to catch a glimpse of his expression.

He said nothing; the young man’s eyes returned to the floor and his long hair hid his features.

Perhaps the invitation would cheer him up and he’d be able to get some sleep, Claire reasoned. He seemed pretty tired, and she didn’t want to keep him waiting.  She nervously cleared her throat, returning her hands to her lap.  “S-so… there will be a full moon next week…”  She played with her fingers anxiously.

He made a grunt of affirmation.

“It will be the Moon Viewing Festival. D-do… do you want to go with me?  We can watch the moon from the peak of Mother’s Hill together…”  The words tumbled out of her mouth like a rushing stream, all of her smooth phrasing and romantic words forgotten as she struggled to convey her thoughts.  This awful heaviness in the room was suffocating her and she was dying to lighten the mood.

Claire’s heart leapt when she caught the hint of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. Cliff’s eyes immediately lit up. 

_An evening alone with Claire under the stars… A… d-date…?!_

His face flushed and he could feel the blood pumping into his fatigued body, giving him a rush of energy. He wanted to go more than anything in the entire world.  He looked up at the beautiful young woman and she was rather pink as she twirled a strand of blonde hair around her finger, her eyes shyly meeting his.  He could only wish and pray that her blush was for him; surely he didn’t deserve a gaze that was so precious…  His breath hitched and he became nearly overwhelmed with the urge to throw his arms around her and cover her lips in kisses.  He knew she would make him deliriously happy, if only she would give him the chance to try to do the same for her…  Was this her invitation?  Was the idea of the Moon Viewing Festival as intimate and romantic as he was imagining?  Cliff snapped back to reality and stared back down at the ground, his heart breaking.  What was he thinking?  He needed to focus.  They were both just going to get hurt…

It was a long time before he spoke, and as the light faded from Cliff’s eyes, Claire felt her blood run cold. When he finally opened his mouth, his voice was so low that she strained her ears to hear.

“I-I’m sorry, Claire… but I don’t think we should…” It felt excruciating, but he forced himself to swallow down his emotions and didn’t look up at her, his hair hiding his face.

“Oh.” Claire’s jaw dropped and she quickly closed it, fighting the lump forming in her throat.  He looked as if he really wanted to go just a moment ago…  She licked her lips, attempting to swallow; her throat felt so dry.  “W-well… surely y-you can take one night off from hunting,” Claire teased, trying to play off her disappointment.  Her tone was more nervous than playful, however, and she didn’t earn a smile from him.

 _I hurt her… Maybe I should accept.  No, no…  If…  If we really could spend a romantic evening together, it will just hurt more when I have to leave.  Stop being an idiot, Cliff.  This is why you never talk to people in the first place.  What were you thinking?  Did you really think you had a chance with her?  Stupid, stupid, stupid!  You weren’t meant to be here – you aren’t meant to be anywhere, remember?  Even Carter can make mistakes; after all, he’s only human.  It’s easy to want something enough to convince yourself it’s what the gods want you to do…_   “It’s… n-not that…  I…  I don’t think…”  His words trailed off.

They sat in silence for several moments before Claire finally took a deep breath. She couldn’t stand it anymore.

“We used to be so open with each other.” Her voice quavered.  “W-why is it like this now?  … I-it hurts, y’know?”  She blinked the mistiness out of her eyes as she stared at the floor, silently cursing herself for not meeting him in the eye.  “Wh-what changed?”

Her words were heavy and Cliff went numb, unable to say a reply.

“Wh-what’s going on?” she asked, her voice soft yet fearful. “I-is Cain alright?”

Her friend silently stood up and walked over to the window.

“He’ll make a full recovery. I picked him up from Doctor Harvey’s the other day.”  He gripped the windowsill, resting his forehead against the glass of the window, staring at the falling autumn leaves outside.

Her heart eased up a bit, but he still never addressed her concerns. “Cliff…” The young woman got up and stood behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his back.  “Come with me to the Moon Viewing Festival.  I… _want_ to s-spend some time with _you_ …”  Her voice was muffled.

Her body was flush with his; this was more than a simple friendly hug. Cliff’s knees went weak.  It used to be so simple for him to shut off his emotions.  He reluctantly pulled away, choking on the lump in his throat.  “I-I said I’m s-sorry, Claire…”  His voice cracked.

She was still warm from being so close to his body, but she felt so chilly inside. “But-” This distance was terrifying and trying to figure out why it was there in the first place was like working at a puzzle.  She bit her lip as she realized how close she had held him; perhaps she was scaring him off…  But something about the way his body felt against hers was so comforting and made her heart feel warm – they fit together perfectly.  Claire’s face caught on fire. _It felt natural because I love you…_ But his rejection felt anything but natural, and the conflicting feelings he had were apparent…  She was more confused than ever.

“We… we probably sh-shouldn’t be spending so much time together.” He looked back outside, as it was far easier than looking at the pain in her eyes.  A fresh wave of guilt overcame him, and he hung his head in shame.

Claire felt like she was no longer speaking to someone she knew. “What are you talking about?  I haven’t spent any real time with you in weeks other quick hellos and the whole accident with Cain.”  Her heart panged with a deep pain.  Her best friend wanted to see less of her?

His shoulders slouched and he pressed his forehead against the window again, causing his bangs to become disheveled. “W-well, I figured if I avoided you… it w-would make the whole thing… _easier_ in the long run.”  His voice was strained.

“What whole thing?” Claire’s heart pounded even harder, and she felt faint. That lingering fear she had about Cliff since the moment they met bubbled back to the surface and she bit back a whimper, her entire body trembling.

He let out a sigh. He had already said too much…  For a brief moment before the conversation began, he considered not telling her at all, but he knew they were well beyond that point.  Besides, he loved her, and she deserved to know the truth…  “The ferry’s coming into port at the beginning of winter to head back out east.  I… w-will.. most likely be riding it and not coming back.”  His voice faded into a whisper.

Claire’s heart broke into jagged shards; the words did not compute. She held the windowsill for support, as she felt like her legs couldn’t hold her any longer. 

 _Cliff? Leaving?  No…_  

There was a reason he was drawn to this town – he had come so far emotionally from that day she met him in the springtime. He was meant to be here so that he could heal, so that he could make friends…  She opened her mouth to express her rejection of his statement, but her mouth just opened and closed, her vocal chords refusing to cooperate with her as the room spun violently.

She managed to choke out a single word. “Wh-why?”  Her throat burned as her voice cracked.

Her tone implied she thought that he no longer cared about Mineral Town; that couldn’t be further from the truth. “I’m running out of money…  The medical bills were expensive, and there’s nothing out there to hunt…  I… I-I need to focus on the n-next move…” 

If he couldn’t make it here, then he needed to stay far away, otherwise it would hurt too much. He would always be wondering what could have been otherwise.  Mineral Town was too much like Akiyama.  If he couldn’t become a part of this village, then he didn’t belong in any.

“But you’ve got a little bit of time left before then. Things can change…” She looked at him hopefully, but her teary eyes and worry lines on her forehead stood out more than the fake smile twitching at the corners of her mouth.

It had been fun to pretend he could be part of a community again, but it only made the fact that he had failed hurt worse. Cliff laughed bitterly.  “Things won’t change; they never will.  I’ve been to areas where there’s a bad hunting season…  It’s not going to pick up around here, at least not this year, and I don’t have the luxury of time.  It will be time to move before both of us know it.  I knew this time would come – it always does… “

She remembered the man with the glittering eyes that spoke of his dreams on the beach. “Y-You said you would do _anything_ to be here.”  She choked on her words.

That sentence struck his heart like a dagger; this was exactly why he had to leave. “I tried… really, _really_ hard… to stay.”  His voice cracked with sincerity.  “I usually leave towns with a little bit of money left in my pockets to tide me over…  Or at the very least, I try to bulk up a little before I leave so I can manage better when I’m out on my own again.  I’ve sold everything I can find… a-and everything’s dying off for the season…” 

Cliff honestly didn’t know how he was going to survive the early spring months before vegetation grew back, but he didn’t express this aloud. He had eaten most of his supplies already, and he only really had money for the ferry.  He had never been this unprepared before, and he had no furs or meat to offer anyone for trade like he normally did.  While these facts initially scared him a few weeks ago, he found they didn’t bother him after his unsuccessful hunting trip without Cain; it had been the nail in the coffin, so to speak…

“I could lend you money!” Claire’s voice broke. She knew she didn’t have much after all of her investments and home repairs.  Anything would help, surely.

He shook his head. Cliff would not leave town indebted to anyone.  “If I can’t support myself, then I am not meant to be here.”

Those words made her heart ache. Why was he so willing to give in?  “Surely Doug would give you a grace period…?  You could live with Gotz, or here with Carter!”

Cliff considered this for a moment and shook his head. “I could never ask that from any of them…. I have to learn how to make it on my own.  It’s the whole reason I left home in the first place.”  He became more adamant.

“You can stay with me!” She was desperate.  She impatiently wiped away tears.  “Or if you need space, I-I can even move Tucker to the cow barn and fix up the stable for you until you get back on your feet!”

_There are so many options! Why can’t he see that?_

She was making it harder and harder for him to refuse. Cliff shut off his emotions and tried to speak reasonably with her.  “I have nothing to offer you in exchange.”  He paused, his eyebrows furrowing with worry.  “Besides… people would talk either way – you know that.  I would rather leave than shame you like that.”

“Friends don’t expect payment for things they do out of love!” Tears sprang from her eyes.  She looked over at Cliff and saw a break in his mask; for a brief moment he was struggling to fight back tears.  She felt a surge of confidence as she moved a little closer to him.  “And as for the reputation thing, I don’t _care_!  I-I… I want my best friend to remain in my life!  They can say whatever they want!” she yelled, her entire body trembling.  She hated that he sounded more and more positive about leaving.  “What is this about anyway?  Silly _pride_?”  Her voice hardened as she gripped the windowsill.  “You’re willing to give up what you have here because your _pride_ is wounded?”

“I can’t take care of myself like a grown adult, Claire!” Cliff’s voice rose in volume and he quickly stopped himself, biting his lip and clenching his hand into a fist. “I-I failed _again_!  I-I don’t _deserve_ …”  She watched his face turn red as he stared at the ground, refusing to meet her gaze.  “I don’t deserve a home…”  His voice broke and he buried his face in his hands, his shoulders heaving in silent sobs. 

She reached a hand out to him, her entire body going numb when he pulled away.

_He really, truly believes deep down, and he always has._

“Yes, you do!” she cried out, clutching her hands over her heart.

“I’m so tired of hearing everyone’s silly lies!” Cliff’s voice cracked and he turned his back toward her, frantically wiping his tears away. “It’s not like this is the first time I’ve had to move!  I-I really didn’t want you to see me like this – my true, miserable self…”

Cliff didn’t know what was to become of him, and he realized at that moment that he didn’t care anymore. His failure at Mineral Town was the last straw.  He would leave on the ferry, release Cain, and find a spot in the mountains to be alone, just like he was always meant to be.  If he didn’t survive to see the next season, so be it.  The young man was so _tired_ ; he had come so close to finding true happiness here.  Now he wanted nothing.  He _preferred_ nothing.  He knew if he mentioned any of this to Carter, he would argue against it.  Cliff had stopped visiting the church – he stopped visiting anywhere.  It was better this way.  He knew his end was coming, and he would rather face it like a man than prolong the inevitable.

She gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Cliff…”

He bristled at her touch and she felt him stiffen. “Please, just _go_!”

She choked back a sob, gasping in shock. “D-don’t shut me out!”

He shook his head. He was already gone.  He shrugged her hand off of him.  “Leave.”  His voice was soft but very firm.

Claire blinked as the tears rolled down her face. Her jaw hung open as she took her hand back, letting it limply fall by her side.  “I-is this what you really want?”

He audibly gulped. “I-it… was _never_ about what I truly wanted, Claire…”  He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered, his calloused hands brushing against the bandages.  “Pl-please… please leave me alone.”

Stumbling backward, Claire was unable to tear her eyes from him as she fumbled with the doorknob, flying down the stairs. Her journey home was blurry with tears as she jogged, avoiding the gaze of passersby.  Nothing made sense anymore as she dragged her feet into her house, closing the door behind her with a slam and collapsing against the oak, leaving a smeared trail of tears in her wake.

0o0o0o0

Claire woke up because the sunlight was in her face. It took a lot of effort to open her eyes.  They ached, and her eyelashes were glued together from crusted tears.  She had passed out at her table again, and her back was sore.  It wasn’t a nightmare, it was real.  Cliff was planning on leaving Mineral Town.  She couldn’t remember anything significant about the past three days; she had spent them wallowing.  Vague memories of throwing chicken feed in the coop and kibble into Koro’s dish gave her a minor feeling of relief, along with her additional automated habit to let Tucker outside to graze.  She attempted to water her plants, but it quickly turned into her throwing water at her crops in an uneven pattern out of frustration – she gave that up after the first day. 

She didn’t eat, she hardly slept, she didn’t bathe. It was hard enough for her to manage to choke down water every so often when her parched throat ached.  She tried to distract herself into writing to her parents to let them know how fall was going so far, but she couldn’t think of anything to report other than the fact that her friend was leaving.  Putting the words down on paper would make them true, after all.  Crumpled letters littered the floor.  Joints popping and creaking, she managed to stand up and drag herself onto her bed.  Her body felt several times worse for trying to move.  She quietly sobbed for a few minutes, almost forgetting why she was crying in the first place, when she heard a rough knocking at the door.

“Go away!” Claire pulled her pillow over her head and rolled over onto her stomach with a groan.

“You are not allowed to talk that way to me!” Karen’s voice was livid. “Open this door!  Carter sent me here!”  She continued to pound.

Guilt did very little to motivate Claire. It took all of her effort to tumble out of bed and unlatch the door.  She was about to lash out at Karen when her voice died in her throat.  Neither spoke as their eyes locked and they shared their pain in silence.  She noticed that her green eyes were rimmed in red. 

“Hey.” Her voice was suddenly gentle.  Karen reached out her hand to put on her friend’s arm when Claire turned away, tearing her eyes from hers.

“Come on in.” The young woman’s posture was hunched forward as she gestured toward the table weakly, brushing aside a couple of crumpled papers on the floor with her dirty boots.

As Claire sat down with a wince, her sore back aching in protest, Karen grabbed her by the shoulders and inspected her. Lifeless eyes.  Pale skin.  Raw eyes.  The pungent scent of sweat and unwashed skin.  Karen looked at the questionable stains on Claire’s shirt and smoothed down the young woman’s greasy blonde hair.  “You look rough.”  Her words were sharper than she meant for them to be as she quickly realized that it was Claire that smelled like old socks and dried vomit.  It was likely she had cried herself sick at one point.

Claire’s temper flared at her words. She said nothing but rolled her eyes, staring at the table.  “I-if you just came to m-mock me, you can leave.”

Karen grabbed her by the shoulder, turning Claire to face her. Her green eyes were hard.  “I _never_ mock my friends when they’re in pain.”  The brunette sat across from her friend and set down her bag, startled at her friend’s behavior.  “I came to check on you… to make sure you’re okay.”

Claire’s shoulders slouched and she hung her head as if she had been deeply chastised. “So I take it you know, then.” She stared at the tabletop, blinking her tired eyes.  “I’m _not_ okay…”

“I know that Cliff’s making plans to leave town, but...”

Hearing Karen’s voice say those dreadful words made Claire silently weep afresh; she was surprised she had tears left to cry. A small wail drowned out whatever her friend was about to say.

“He _c-can’t_!”

“I just found out this morning. I asked Dad if we could hire him.”  She shook her head, wiping a tear from the corner of her eyes.  “I guess it was more like I begged him and threatened him a bit.”  Karen let out a small chuckle that had no humor or joy to it.  “He says the shop’s not bringing in enough money, with so many people buying on credit…  I… I tried with him for _hours_ , I promise!”  Tears flowed from Karen’s eyes, and Claire looked up at her.  “But he just ended up getting mad at me.  I told him he could go to hell.”  She knitted her brow and gave a bitter frown.  “I needed some time to get away from the shop, and I bumped into Carter.  He said he was very worried about you and sent me to check on you.”

If Karen wasn’t able to come up with a solution for the situation, no one could. Claire rested her chin on the tabletop and a puddle of tears quickly dampened her face.  “What are we going to do?” she asked weakly.  “Cliff refuses to take any money or food from me.”

“I-I dunno.” Karen’s heart broke at the expression on her friend’s face.

_I guess all we really can do is send him off with happy memories... right?_

“He’s been avoiding me.” Claire buried her face in her hands.  “H-he said he didn’t want to be close anymore.”  Saying those words aloud caused another sob to rise out of her throat and she buried her face in her folded arms against the table, her body wracking as her cries were muffled by the wood.

Karen’s throat began to close up; she couldn’t stand any more of this. “We are going to the hot spring,” she stated with authority.

All of the bones left Claire’s body as she melted into the table. “I don’t _w-want_ to.”  Her voice came out as a pathetic whine and her dry tongue felt like cloth.  Her head spun as she pouted and cried, her eyes refusing to produce any more tears.

Karen was already rifling through Claire’s boxes of clothes, adding garments and fresh towels to her bag. She gave her friend’s dirty hair another look before adding a bottle of soap to her things.  “I don’t care, we’re going.”  She grabbed her sack in one hand and took Claire’s wrist by the other and began pulling her out of the house as she saw it was likely Claire had kept her shoes on for days.  “You need a bath anyway.  You look and smell terrible.  I had a feeling you would be holed up in here neglecting yourself.”

Claire was annoyed that she was that predictable… and that weak. “I don’t care.”

Karen’s voice became stern. “Well, _I_ do.  We are going.”

Why did Karen have to be so rough with her? Couldn’t she see how much pain she was in already?  Claire was too tired to put up much of a struggle.  Her friend dragged her to the hot spring in strained silence.

The sun was far too bright and the chirping birds were noisy and annoying. Claire shielded one of her ears a bit with her free hand, a combination of anger and helplessness overtaking her as she followed along, Karen’s sweaty hand holding hers.

They entered the gate to the hot springs and Karen immediately started rifling through the bag for supplies.

“Come on.” Karen’s voice turned gentle again as she tossed her clothes into a pile on the ground and got a bucket of water, dumping it over her own head.  As much as she loved Claire, being that close to her had made her a little nauseous and she scrubbed herself down with the soap, eager for a new scent to hit her nostrils.  She turned and frowned at the blonde who was staring blankly at the grain of the wood on the fence, still fully clothed.  Karen finished lathering herself up and tossed the plastic bottle at the ground by Claire, the sound snapping her out of her trance.  “Please don’t make me undress you myself.”  She was not joking as she dumped the bucket of water over her head.

Claire sighed as took off her clothing, realizing for the first time how dirty it was and how strongly she stank of body odor. She took the bucket beside the spring and filled it with water.  She realized her hands were shaking.

“Good girl. I promise this will make you feel better.”  Karen put her towel on her head and relaxed in the spring.

Claire grumbled to herself as she washed the grime and sweat off of her body. The fragrance of lavender in the soap hit her and she felt her muscles relax as she let out a tired sigh.  It smelled nice, and it was the first time she had liked anything in days.  The very acknowledgement of that caused her to sniff and tear up a bit as she rinsed off and washed a second time.  She slid into the water, sulking, her emotions rawer than they had ever been before.

“There, doesn’t that feel better?” Karen smiled, but her eyes were full of concern.

Claire didn’t reply, and a couple of teardrops left ripples in the water. The only thing that would make her feel better would be if she didn’t have to say goodbye to her best friend, the man she loved.  Those hurt, expressive eyes haunted her…

“I know he means the world to you, Claire.” Karen looked at her friend tenderly.  “You’re allowed to be sad about it.”

Claire didn’t say anything in reply as her eyes remained glued to the water. She stifled a sob as her hands gravitated over her aching heart.

Regardless of how Claire felt about Cliff, she couldn’t continue this behavior. “He means a lot to me, too.  But that doesn’t mean that we have to stop living.”

Claire remained silent and her head felt foggy. Continuing life right now felt like a monumental task; she wasn’t really sure where to go from here.

“It’s not like he’s dying or anything. He… might come back to visit when he makes enough money.”  Karen grasped at straws, trying to hide the tremulous quality of her words.

“He said it wouldn’t be likely he would come back.” Claire’s voice was barely audible over the bubbling water.

They sat in the water in sad silence, neither sure what to say.

0o0o0o0

Claire stumbled as she pulled on her clean clothes. Her entire body felt wobbly and she wasn’t aware how sore she had been until her aches were soothed in the warm water.

“We’re going to Doug’s for lunch.” Karen’s tone was final as she slung her back over her shoulder.  “A hot meal will do you some good.  A fresh glass of milk, too.”

The very thought of food made Claire nauseous – it was the very reason why she hadn’t been eating. At the mention of the inn, her blood ran cold and she felt herself shake.  “N-no, I… I just want to go home!”  She didn’t care that she sounded like a child throwing a tantrum at this point; she knew she was in no condition to socialize with others right now, along with the obvious chance that she might run into Cliff while they visited.

Karen saw the look of misery on her friend’s face. “We’ll order takeout and go back to your place.”

“I’ll wait at home. Please don’t make me go into town!”  She felt herself starting to go into hysterics.

Claire gasped as her wrist was snatched. “You’re coming with me.  People are asking about you, Claire.  Ann’s worried sick.  You need to think about how your behavior is affecting other people…  We _love_ you.”

Claire’s face scrunched up, but she had no tears left at the moment. She leaned into her friend.

“We won’t be there long.”

But their visit wasn’t short enough…

0o0o0o0

“Hi, guys!” Ann’s smile faded when she saw Claire’s sorry state.

They both took a seat at the bar, and Ann reached over the counter, giving Claire’s hands a hearty squeeze.

“Hey… we’re all going to get through this, okay?” Ann’s large, blue eyes were shiny.

_Cliff is Ann’s friend, too…_

Claire blinked rapidly and gave her a slow nod. Ann gave her hands a pat and slid them a menu.  “I made a fresh batch of my famous chocolate cookies if anyone’s interested in sweets…”

Karen’s eyes moved to the blonde. “I’ll just have a boxed lunch.  What do you want, Claire?”

The young woman sat silently. Ann looked at Karen with a worried expression.

“Just get her something that is easy on the stomach.” She wasn’t even sure if Claire would be able to keep anything down.  “We’re going to take it home to eat.”

“S-sure.” Ann nodded.  “I understand…”  Her eyes flicked to them.  “C-can I come back with you guys?”

Both girls looked back at Claire for permission. The pain reflected in Ann’s eyes was so unexpected from her that Claire found herself nodding.

“Thanks.” She gave them a sad smile as she headed to the kitchen.

The oaken stairs creaked loudly and a spooked Cliff was watching them with wide eyes and a pale face. Gulping, he looked over his shoulder and remained frozen like that for a moment, deciding if he should return to the safety of his room.  Karen’s eyes locked onto his, daring him to flee.  Cliff swallowed and walked down the remainder of the steps, his posture hunched over and defensive.

“Huh… thought you were going to run away,” Karen’s voice was bitter. “You’re pretty good at that, huh?”

He visibly flinched at the words, and Claire’s eyes moved uncomfortably toward her friend.

Her laugh had a sharp tone to it. “What, no one’s had the guts to tell you what an awful friend you’re being right now?  Why don’t you think about how much we are hurting?  Do you really think we would be happier without you in our lives?”

Cliff’s eyes moved to the floor and he nervously fussed with the bracers on his forearms. “I-it’s not... it’s j-just…  It’s _not_ _simple_ , okay?”  His voice gained strength.

“Of course it is. Home is where the people you love are.  Or is that not how you feel about us?”

Claire’s jaw dropped in shock. She couldn’t tell if she wholeheartedly agreed with Karen, or if she was horrified by the things she was saying.

If the young man was pale before, he was ghostly now. “I… uh, it’s n-not like that at all!  I-If an opportunity presented itself, I would have taken it!”  Despite the ferocity of his voice, it was soft in volume.

Claire broke her silence. “I offered you to move in with me, Cliff…”  Their eyes locked and the tears threatened to come again.  “That offer still stands.”

Ann came out of the kitchen with a paper sack of food, a chocolate cookie hanging out of her mouth. She watched in silence as the tension in the room rose.

Cliff’s lips moved as he struggled to find the words. He was pulled from his thoughts by Karen’s firm words.

“That sounds like an _opportunity_ to me.”  The shock at Claire offering a man to live with her was less startling than the thought of one of her best friends leaving her life.  The older adults in town might raise their eyebrows, but who really cared?

“I… I already told you why I _can’t_ …”  Cliff’s eyes didn’t move from the floor until Karen was standing right in front of him.  A small gasp escaped his lips as he lifted his head, and her open palm immediately slapped loudly across his cheek.  The sound echoed through the bar as he held his cheek in shock and he hung his head, his eyes shrouded by his bangs.

“Let’s get out of here.”

A shocked Ann removed the cookie from her mouth before it fell and followed Karen as she took the hand of a silently weeping Claire. The blonde’s bleary eyes looked back through the bar door as they left and she saw that Cliff had not moved from his spot, stone-faced in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Ah, please don’t hate me! T-T 
> 
> I let the characters do what they wanted for maximum flow of conversation and action, and they ended up breaking my heart. This was excruciating to write, and very emotionally draining. I hope I was able to make y’all feel something, though.
> 
> Cliff’s whole, “This place feels too much like home, so I can’t be happy here” thing is a reference to the event where he moves away in (M)FoMT on the ferry. It always made me sad that Doug questioned him why he was leaving and Cliff said something like, “I’m happy here and it reminds me of home, and that’s precisely why I can’t stay.” Ugh.
> 
> I also wanted Karen to be the one who gave tough love and spoke honestly, even though it could sound harsh at times. I’d love to hear your thoughts while reading. Thanks so much for all your support! :)


	87. Hang onto Her Tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire plans on spending the Moon Viewing Festival alone, but she winds up with an unexpected date...

Claire plopped down at the bar, letting out a silent sigh as she did so. She felt a wave of shame for choosing the option of drinking away her sadness, but she shoved the feeling out of her head.  She didn’t want to stay home alone all night, and going to the mountains by herself this evening sounded even more depressing.  It wasn’t as if there was much else to do for entertainment in this small town, and it was a vast improvement from sitting in filthy clothes bawling her heart out.  She was sick of crying – it had left her with red splotches of broken capillaries dotting around her eyes and she covered them with makeup for the evening, eager to put on a normal face.  If she was out in public, she’d force herself to behave, after all, and that meant no crying.  She wanted an evening without tears.

“You alright, Claire?” Doug frowned as he noticed the patron take a seat.  He knew it was a dangerous question the moment the words left his lips, but Claire wasn’t the type to drink by herself.  He couldn’t help but become concerned.  Of course she wasn’t alright – one of her best friends was planning to move away and her other best friend slapped him across the face.  “Ann went with Popuri to watch the moon tonight over by the spring.  I’m sure they’d be happy for more company.  I’ll make a thermos of hot cocoa and you can take it up to them.”

This was someone’s daughter, after all, and he was a firm believer in the notion that everyone in Mineral Town looked out for each other.

The blonde let out a soft scoff and Doug’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m surprised you’re turning away a willing customer.  I’ll have a… uh…”  She looked at the menu, realizing with embarrassment how rude she sounded and how clueless she was about ordering alcohol.

He knew she had a point, but he couldn’t stop himself from worrying about her uncharacteristic behavior. “How about a hot spiced apple cider?  We got some fresh in from-” The frustrated look he got in reply caused his voice to drift off.

“Don’t treat her like a child. Let her order something hard.  She’s a customer.”  A deep voice startled the both of them as a man with a dark pompadour took a seat on the stool beside her, giving her a casual nod.

“Marlin.”

Claire wasn’t sure if Doug had said his name by way of greeting or in surprise at his boldness. She assumed the former as the man beside her gave the bartender a slight nod.

Claire studied her companion. The last time she had seen him, his face wasn’t covered in stubble, and he wasn’t sporting dark rings under his eyes.  It was a similar look that Cliff had donned the other day, and the quiet agony on his face was all too familiar.  A lump formed in her throat as she unsuccessfully attempted to avert her eyes. 

_Don’t think about him… Not right now…_

She began to wonder if she looked just as haggard as Marlin did; he had the look of someone who had something weighing heavily on his heart. She was distracted studying the worry lines on his forehead as he ordered his drink and was surprised when he turned toward her.  “Is it alright if I order two?  Griffin always says people shouldn’t drink alone, especially if they’re depressed.”

She gave him a dumbfounded nod, unsure of how to respond otherwise. Marlin didn’t strike her as the type to be observant, especially of her.

“Make that two Rieslings, then.”

Relief was visible on Doug’s face as he realized Claire wouldn’t be left to her own devices. He carefully poured the drinks.  While she had never been irresponsible around him, Ann and Karen had informed him of her recent lack of motivation to take care of herself.  The bags under her eyes and pale face were both evidence of that.

“Thank you, Marlin.”

He shrugged in response. “I’ll let you pick up the next round.  Not good to drink on an empty stomach, though.”

“Hm.” She wasn’t really in the mood for eating.  Claire moved her eyes to her feet, her blonde hair falling into her face.  She wasn’t really sure what she had been expecting when she came to Doug’s tonight, but a drinking companion wasn’t what she had in mind.

Marlin watched her closely, not noticing as Doug placed their drinks in front of them. Her shoulders were sloped and it almost looked as if she had a raincloud over her head.  He wondered if he looked as pathetic as she did.  Running his fingers along his bristly jaw line, he figured he probably looked worse.  The bartender softly cleared his throat as Marlin snapped back to reality and pulled out his wallet.  “Got any specials tonight?”

“We’ve got some moon dumplings that Ann made earlier.”

“Hey, how do those sound?”

She was too busy wallowing over the fact that she had pored over a recipe for the sweets not long ago to make for her time with Cliff. She had imagined them sitting on a picnic blanket together on the peak of the mountain, laughing and sharing the snacks together.  She’d get to see that wide, deep blue gaze that made her feel a little dizzy.  Her heart broke once again at the realization that they never would have that outing now.  He’d probably never look at her like that again; he had better things to do with his limited time.

She looked up and saw Marlin’s jade eyes on her, cocking his head toward a patiently waiting Doug. She made a small sound indicating the negative that caught in her throat.  She suddenly wished that she had declined Marlin’s offer to buy her a drink – she wanted to go home and cry.

“Well, our other special is an assorted cheese plate with some homemade crackers.”

Claire gave a small nod. It was a bit heartier would probably help her feel a little less shaky.  She hadn’t eaten much that day other than a croissant Ann had brought the evening before, gently reminding her to take care of herself.  It was eaten with some honey and a glass of milk for breakfast, helping start off a new day of recovering from all of the shock and self-neglect.

“There’s a bar in Forget-Me-Not Valley run by a friend of mine.” Marlin was sipped at the crisp white wine in his glass.  “It’s been run by his family for generations…  I wonder if he feels trapped where he is in life now…  I mean, it’s all he’s ever known…”  He set down his drink as Doug returned with the tray of food and he quickly loaded a cracker with a piece of cheddar.  He stared ahead, pensive for a moment as he crunched on the snack.  He swallowed, shaking his head with a slight smile.  “He’s got Muffy, though…  I can imagine he’s happy as can be over that.”

Claire’s ears perked up at the familiar name. “I met her the other day.  She’s really nice.”  She remembered the couple standing at the edge of the waves together.

He gave a slight nod. “After everything she’s been through, it’s amazing she is still so friendly and cheerful.  When life deals you a sucky hand, it’s easy to lose heart…”

Claire gave him a sad smile. She had her own problems she was going to have to face at the beginning of winter.  Cliff leaving was definitely going to hurt more than the lack of work and income she’d have…  She shook the thoughts from her head.

“If there’s a bar in Forget-Me-Not Valley, why are you all the way here in Mineral Town?”

A wry smile played at Marlin’s lips. “Huh…  I guess that was going to be asked before the night was over.”  He let out a sigh.  “I was planning to go to this stupid Moon Viewing thing.  I was getting ready to ask someone and I waited too long…  She was so excited about going out with a group of her girlfriends…  So it’s my own fault things didn’t work out.”  He nervously rubbed the back of his neck.  “It’s not like she would’ve gone with me anyway.”

Claire frowned. “Celia seemed to enjoy your company the other day.  I don’t know why that would’ve changed so much…”

Marlin choked on his wine and turned a bright shade of red. “I-I never said anything about Celia!”

She let out a tiny gasp in surprise. “Ah, I’m sorry!  I-I just assumed…”  This was an evening for unwinding and not causing any more problems.  Claire silently cursed herself.

His voice was low. “I’m that obvious, huh?”  The glow on Marlin’s face was hard to miss.  “Yeah… it was Celia I wanted to take to the festival…  But it seems like she doesn’t see me as much more than a coworker…”  He took a drink of wine, but a light had returned to his face.  He stole a tiny glance at Claire, not-so-subtly hoping she would say something else about the object of his admiration.

She had seen the same look many times on Karen’s face when she claimed that she didn’t want to talk about Rick, but her eyes were begging for the subject to come up. She gave him a slight smile, recalling the gentle way Celia’s arm had brushed past him; their affection for each other had even been obvious to a stranger like herself.  “I don’t think that’s true, and I don’t think you really feel that way either.  You wouldn’t have asked her if you didn’t think you had a chance at all.”

Marlin went from red to burgundy. Seeing someone with such a typical stoic expression blushing so fiercely was a rare treat.  Claire gave him a grin; Marlin was actually quite attractive when he had a big, goofy smile on his face.

He wiped it from his mouth, taking a deep drink of wine. “And what are you grinning about?”

Claire couldn’t help but giggle; tensions had been so high in her own life that a smiling face was a sight for sore eyes. She wasn’t sure why she felt like crying a little.

He gave her a soft nudge with his shoulder. She was so beautiful in her mirth.  “What about you?  A cute girl like you probably isn’t single.  What happened to your date for the festival?”  If they shared sob stories, they could both make light of it, after all…

Marlin immediately regretted his question as he saw her face fall.

She gulped. “H-he’s moving away.”  Her voice was barely audible.  “He told me the news when I tried to ask him to the festival.”

Marlin finished off his glass. “Damn…  I’m sorry.”

“We always used to be so open with each other… Now he’s just shutting me out.”  Claire took a sip of her Riesling, the pear and sweet apple notes dancing on her tongue.  It had a fruity punch and she closed her eyes, savoring it for a moment.  Her ideas for the night changed.  This wasn’t about numbing her emotions with alcohol anymore; she was going to enjoy this moment and savor the drink and snacks before her.  This was going to be a reprieve, a treat.  This didn’t have to be about Cliff at all…

“That’s lousy. I can’t talk to my sister about everything because she’s never understood what it feels like to be weak.  She’s worked hard her whole life, yeah, but she hasn’t had the same health problems that I did.  It can be hard to relate, y’know?  She’s got this push-through-it mentality.”

Claire nodded. “I got really sick at the beginning of summer.  I overworked myself.  It was stupid, really.  But I felt so helpless when my friends took care of me.”

Marlin ordered a bottle of mead from Doug and nodded emphatically. “That is my life every damn day.”

Claire reached for her wallet, but Marlin shook his head. “I got this; don’t worry.  I’ll share it with you.  Ever have mead?  It’s got a smoother finish.”

“Thank you.” She was stunned by his generosity.  “I’ve never tried it before.  I’ll have a taste when I’m finished with this.”  She bit into a sesame seed cracker, enjoying the hearty crunch and nutty flavor.

A break. A time for healing and talking.  Sweet wine and unexpectedly kind company.

She smiled at the slice of Swiss cheese in her hand. She carefully nibbled at it, creating the shape of a rabbit; the ears naturally formed by a hole in the cheese.

_No worries. Just focus on cute, happy things…_

“Did you just make a little sculpture out of cheese?” Marlin’s heavy eyebrows rose with amusement.

Claire felt her face flood with color as she realized he was looking over her shoulder; her behavior had been childish and she wasn’t expecting him to be paying attention. “I made a rabbit,” she laughed lamely, holding it out in her hand to show him.

To her surprise, his face lit up and he let out a hearty laugh that reminded him much of Vesta. “That’s really dumb but cute!”

She felt the tension leave her body as she smiled down at the cheese. There were a couple of uneven holes where she imagined the eyes would be and the whole thing looked comical.

Marlin swirled the mead in his glass, taking a leisurely sip and speaking in rhythm.

“ _The rabbit went up to the moon/ With his mortar to pound/ But came back very soon/ For cheese was all that he found._ ”

He gave her a sly look. “There’s a little Moon Viewing poetry recitation for ya!”  A smirk played at the corner of his mouth.

Claire let out a soft chuckle at the silly rhyme and popped the cheese into her mouth, giving him a light round of applause. “That’s pretty good, but what’s the cheese keeping the rabbit from doing?  Cheese stuffed rice cakes are good!”

He laughed. “Celia used to repeat that rhyme when we were working under a harvest moon…” Marlin’s smile faded as he sighed.

“You all must put in a lot of hours at that farm.”

Marlin rolled his eyes. “You know what it’s like.  It’s not as if there are set hours each day.  Celia’s a hard worker, all things considered… and, I uh… I do try my best.”

“Cliff works so hard… I worry about him,” Claire admitted, grabbing some more cheese.  “He wants to support himself – I understand that, but sometimes you need a little help.”  She finished off her wine and grinned when Marlin poured a bit of mead into her glass.  “I mean, he’s the one who told me that in the first place.  Helping each other is always best.”  She smiled as he finished pouring.  “See?  Just like that!”  She took a piece of cheese, topped a cracker and presented it to Marlin who took it with a grin.

He washed his food down with a heavy gulp of mead and loaded another cracker. “Open up.”

“Teamwork!” Claire laughed, complying as she took the food from him. The pungent cheese, nutty crackers, and sweet mead made a lovely combination.  Everything tasted delicious, and she didn’t want the evening to end.  Marlin’s soft laughter was pleasant to listen to and lifted her spirits.

“Hey, things are gonna get better,” Marlin insisted, taking another heavy swig. “Harvest season will be up before we know it and after that, we can rest for the winter.  Imagine sleeping in…”

Claire let out a soft sigh, taking a sip of her sweet drink. “Flannel pajamas and fleece blankets…”

“Hot matcha by the fireplace…”

“Fuzzy socks…”

“Crispy toasted rice balls…” Marlin drooled, pouring himself a bit more mead.

They let out a heavy, delighted sigh in unison, and when their eyes met, they burst into laughter.

“Look at us! What’re a couple of great catches like us doing without dates on a festival like this, anyway?” he asked with a laugh.

Claire giggled harder, a grin spreading across her face. It felt so good to allow herself to feel happy again.

_Allow myself to be happy…_

A cold dagger struck her heart.

_Cliff always told me that…_

A light poke on her arm snapped her out of her trance, and she was oblivious to the door creaking behind them. “You got an answer?”  His face was mischievous.

She shook her head, a smile coming back onto her face. “I’d say we’re both pretty awesome.”

Marlin laughed. “We can be each other’s date tonight, then.  Have some more mead.”

“Ah, thank you.” She slid her glass over to him and watched the remnants of the bottle pour into her glass, the pretty golden liquid shining under the bar’s lights.  If she looked behind her, she would see Cliff nearly dropping the hunting bow on his back as his eyes flicked between the two, his eyes wide and his jaw slightly ajar.

Claire had about a glass and a half and was surprised to see there was no mead left. “You drank it all, silly!” she giggled, giving Marlin a gentle push on the arm in mock punishment. 

He laughed in reply, holding up his glass for a toast with a smirk. “This is why I love small town bars.  They’re not dirty and full of strangers.  So here’s a toast: to us!  Screw the freakin’ Moon Viewing Festival!”

They clanked their glasses together amid laughter and smiles.

Cliff struggled to unglue his feet from the floor, and he tore his eyes away from them, gulping.

_This… really is for the best… I… I have to stop being selfish._

He silently crept upstairs, unsure whether he was grateful or horribly depressed.

0o0o0o0

She was pleasantly surprised that Marlin wouldn’t let her walk home alone that evening. He had decided to book a room at the inn for the evening as the mead hit him, and a coughing fit left Claire worried and nervous despite Marlin’s protests that everything was fine; he always had coughing fits after he ate.  They had reached Mystic Acres and she let out a tired yawn.  While her heartbreak hadn’t been healed, her mood had at least lifted a little bit for the moment.  Perhaps she would have a better time sleeping tonight…  Maybe some mindless television…

Marlin seemed to have other plans, however. He rested his fists and forearms on the barn wall behind Claire and leaned forward, hunching over a bit to accommodate for their difference in height.  He smelled like sweet tobacco and fresh earth; it wasn’t an unpleasant combination of scents.  His cheeks flushed pink as he raised a gentle hand to stroke her cheek.  She blinked at him, unsure of what to make of the whole thing.  While she enjoyed Marlin’s company, this particular interaction felt strange – hollow, somehow, and the suddenness of it all caught her by surprise. 

He slowly leaned in. Maybe she should let him kiss her, Claire reasoned.  She hadn’t kissed anyone in quite a while, and the experience had usually been pretty pleasant.  As he got closer, she waited for her heart to pound, but it never did.  His bright jade eyes were tracing her lips as he slowly became more confident, his hand cupping her cheek and tilting her face upward.  She should be feeling excited, enthralled…  Why were they doing this?  She didn’t feel anything; this was all wrong.  His fingers followed her jaw line and she slowly turned her face away.

_He’s probably pretending I’m Celia…_

“Marlin, I don’t think we should do this.” Her voice was soft but firm.

While he could be an intimidating man at times, his hand immediately dropped from her and he took a small step backward, giving her some space. His body language almost indicated him coming out of a stupor, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“Why not?” He cleared his throat and stared at the grass uncomfortably as he rubbed the back of his neck.  “I just thought… maybe we could cheer each other up, y’know?  I’m lonely…  You’re lonely…  We could keep each other company.”

“I’m _not_ lonely,” Claire insisted much more firmly than she had meant to.  She had Karen and Ann to keep her company when she was feeling sad.  Why would he even say that she was lonely?  Did she give off that impression?  “Besides, you are in love with someone else.”

He gave her a sad smile. “And so are you, but I still thought that maybe two loners could make each other happy…”

Claire’s heart jumped into her throat and for someone who wondered earlier that day if she still had the capacity for feelings, her heart overflowed. The reminder that she was in love with Cliff raised a lot of uncomfortable emotions; as much as she tried to push him from her thoughts, the image of Cliff remained.  She wanted to yell at Marlin, but she held her tongue.  After all, people sometimes acted irrationally when they were in love, she reminded herself.  “Do… you feel anything with me?” Claire was surprised at her own bold question, but she had a feeling she already knew the answer.

Marlin jammed his hands into his jean pockets and shrugged his shoulders. “I like you alright…  You’re not a bad girl and I like spending time with you.  I had a lot of fun tonight.”

“But you _love_ spending time with Celia,” she reminded him.  After all, he had talked about her throughout the entire course of the evening.

“Well, Celia couldn’t be bothered to notice I exist!” His voice broke as he kicked the dirt in agitation.  “She’s not interested.  If she was, I’d be with her tonight.”

Claire couldn’t tell if she should feel frustrated at his words. It never felt good being told one was a second choice, but it wasn’t as if she had been trying to attract Marlin in the first place.  It wasn’t as if their evening together had been romantic.  Still, she wished she could be someone’s first choice.  She could almost feel Cliff’s gentle touch…

“It’s just like how you’d rather be in your man’s arms tonight. We’re not that different, really, you and me.”

“So you’re suggesting that we should make out?” Claire cocked an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest; how could Marlin really think that was a reasonable solution?

He hacked violently for a few seconds before he regained his composure and shrugged once more. “Sure, why not?  Hell, I’m kinda afraid I might not get another chance.”

“Don’t talk like that.” Claire put her hands on her hips, oblivious to the hurt look on Marlin’s face.

“Well, if you’re not interested…” He flipped his lighter out of his pocket and produced a cigarette, promptly lighting it.  The scent of vanilla tobacco immediately filled the air as he exhaled into the sky, looking back down at her.  “You’re not mad, are you?”

She looked at him curiously. She initially thought he was referring to his smoking on her property, but then she reflected on his words.  She shook her head.  “Why would I be?  I just don’t think you have to worry about not getting a chance, especially when it really seems like you both care about each other a lot.”

“It’s easy to say when you haven’t had a doctor tell you there’s a chance you might die before your hair even starts to gray.”

She suddenly felt like she had swallowed a ball of lead. “Oh…  Marlin, I-I’m so sorry.”

He dismissed this with the wave of a hand. “I didn’t ask for pity.  That’s the last thing I want.”  He took a long drag on his cigarette and exhaled.  He looked down at it and back up at her.  “Ah, I’m sorry.  You want one?”

Claire shook her head; while the vanilla smelled nice, she didn’t care much for the taste after trying some of her friend’s flavored tobacco a couple years ago. “No thanks.”

Marlin leaned against the wall of the barn. “I guess I exaggerated a bit.  I mean, they told me I could die if I didn’t take better care of myself.  Then I moved out here.  Harvey says I’ll probably never be completely one hundred-percent again…  People treat me differently when they hear I’m ill.  I hate it.”

“Your health problems don’t make you who you are,” she pointed out.

“Exactly.” He let out a deep sigh.

“And I think it’s good to have someone who can relate to you on that. You said Celia gets ill, too?”

He nodded. “She was sickly as a child and still has relapses sometimes.”  He frowned.  “It kills me to see her like that when she gets an attack…  I always feel so helpless.”  His shoulders slouched at the very thought of seeing her ill.

“I’m sure she’s just happy that you’re by her side,” Claire replied.

Marlin’s blushing cheeks didn’t make his scoff sound very convincing. “I wish…”

“Well, I know that’s how I felt when I was sick. Knowing that someone cared about me made me more motivated to get better.”  She thought of the concerned Karen sitting at her side as she awoke.

“Guilt, eh?” Marlin cocked an eyebrow, but a smile played at his lips.

Claire couldn’t help but giggle a bit. “Aren’t you cynical?”

“And I’ll bet that Cliff just laps that cheery attitude of yours right up,” Marlin returned with a smirk.

She placed a careful hand over her broken heart, but she wasn’t able to fight the slight smile playing at her lips and the color flooding her cheeks.

_When he smiles… I do.  I just hope I get the chance to see it again…_

“There’s still time,” Marlin told her. “We both can’t give up hope.”

She gave him an enthusiastic nod, blinking back tears.

He stamped out his cigarette butt with his heel and picked it back up to throw away at the inn. “Hey…  I’m glad we got to hang out tonight.”

A smile returned to her face and she swallowed the lump in her throat. “Me, too.  And I’m sure things will work out with Celia.”

He shook his head, but he was grinning. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed.  And your man must be an idiot if he can’t see what he has.  Chin up; tomorrow’s a new day, after all.”  He pulled her into a soft hug.

“Yeah… Thanks, Marlin.”

“I think we owe each other a thank you,” he returned, giving her a small wave. He looked at the cigarette butt in his hand and showed it to her.  “Oh, and I’d rather you not tell my sister about this.  I only smoke on occasion, but she freaks out when I do.”

“Ah, she’s just trying to protect you,” Claire replied with a smile.

He let out a snort. “That’s _one_ word for it, I suppose.  ‘Night, Claire; it’s been fun.”

“I had fun, too. Good night, and have a safe trip home.”

Claire headed inside, her feelings a jumbled mess as she struggled to change into her pajamas. A strange hollowness that Cliff was leaving, worry over his health, a lightness in her heart after allowing herself to laugh and smile, a slight sting that Marlin was battling with losing his hope with Celia and she was losing her own with Cliff…

The tears threatened to come, but she blinked them away, wriggling out of her clothes and curling up under the covers.

_Tomorrow’s a new day…_

0o0o0o0

“Hey…”

Cliff froze in the hallway as he heard a deep voice. He turned around to see Marlin jamming his hands in his pockets.

“Cliff, right?”

The young man gave a hesitant nod, his shoulders slouching as his eyes submissively moved to the floor. Marlin stepped over toward him and Cliff gulped, steeling his heart.

_He’s going to say they’re together now…_

“Look, I dunno what your deal is – your inner demons, tragic past, whatever.” Marlin dismissed this all with the apathetic shrug of his shoulders.  “I really don’t care because it’s none of my business…”  He cleared his throat.  “When I moved to the Valley from the city, I was angry, irritable, and grouchy.  I was twenty-three and in failing health and essentially felt like was sent out here to die.  I didn’t make life easy for people.  Hell, I still don’t.  My sister scolds me all the time and I screw up at work left and right.  I still have trouble getting around sometimes and I’ll never be completely healthy…”  He paused, his tone softening.  “But… there’s someone here in this stupid place in the middle of nowhere that makes me feel like something.  She smiles when I’m happy… we laugh together…”

Cliff could still see Claire’s sweet rosy cheeks as she giggled at the bar with Marlin, their faces lit up, her pink lips curled up into a smile. Cliff struggled with the lump in his throat as he saw how Marlin’s face glowed.  The sound of love in his voice was unmistakable, and Cliff almost hated for a moment how sincere Marlin looked.

_This truly is for the best…_

“We help each other out when we are both sick…” Marlin’s gaze moved from the ceiling and he gave a soft chuckle, blinking the mistiness from his eyes, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. 

Cliff blinked with a combination of surprise, relief, and shame.

Marlin stared at the surprisingly familiar wide eyes and soft jaw line and realized with amazement how much Cliff resembled Celia. “Ah, I guess I told you my own boring sob story in the process, huh?  Either way, no one’s been so blindly supportive of me before.  When I’m with her, I am home, and I don’t care about the stupid city anymore.”  He gave Cliff a hard look, straightening his posture.  “Look, when someone makes you feel that way, you hang on tight.  When they hold out their hand to you, you grasp it and you never let go, because Goddess knows if there’s ever going to be another soul out there during your lifetime that’ll treat you the way she does…  Life’s too short to wait around and hope for another chance.”

Marlin wiped a tear from his eye, clearing his throat as he stepped over toward the guest room, unlocking the door. He gave Cliff one last look before disappearing into the room.

“Don’t let her go. If she’s worth anything to you, hang onto her tight…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I enjoy writing about the different flavors and varieties of wine, as my husband and I used to run a bed and breakfast in an old Victorian house in northern Michigan. We’d host a wine and cheese service very evening to the guests and it was pretty fun.
> 
> From personal experience, never agree to be with someone just because both of you are lonely! I dated my first boyfriend who essentially had the same mentality as Marlin in that moment. He was pining over someone else, as was I, so we settled for each other. It didn’t end well, and the relationship dragged on much longer than it should have.
> 
> Cultural Note: The little poem I wrote for Marlin is based on the Japanese "Rabbit in the Moon". It's very similar to westerners seeing "The Man in the Moon", only it is a rabbit that is using a mortar to pound mochi, a chewy, celebratory treat of rice cakes.
> 
> Thank you all for the immense support!
> 
> I hope you’re enjoying this dramatic bit of the story, and I hope you don’t mind the frequent updates! I’m trying to meet my goal, so I’m really churning these chapters out! As always, I’d love to hear what you think! Thanks so much for reading along!


	88. Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Claire spend a whole day with Cliff without addressing the elephant in the room?

There was a soft knock at the door as Claire stared anxiously at her ceiling. She pulled herself up from the lumpy mattress, blinking tiredly from the lack of sleep.  She knew who was at the door before she even opened it, as she had seen a familiar list of shipped items slipped under her door right after she woke up.  It felt like such a long time ago that he had stopped by and her heart had been pounding in her chest all morning in anticipation of his visit.

“’Morning…” Cliff’s eyes were downcast as he nervously rubbed his arm.

She motioned for him to come inside as she headed to the table to give him the money for the meager selection of mushrooms he had shipped the day before. As she looked up, she noticed that he had made no motion to step beyond the doorframe.  Was this the way things were going to be around them now?  Her throat tightened as she double counted the coins with trembling fingers.  She turned back toward him with wide eyes and gestured once more for him to approach her.  If he wanted the money, he was going to have to interact with her.  She frowned at the small amount of pay he was receiving.

“This is pocket change,” she whispered. Her eyes widened in embarrassment; she hadn’t meant for the words to actually pass her lips.

Cliff averted his eyes. “Ah…  I’m actually drying a lot of the ones I find… the mushrooms, I mean…”

A cry threatened to rise in her throat. “So you can eat them when you’re gone,” she finished miserably.  She was too upset to be grateful for the fact that he was actually saving some of the food for himself.

He said nothing in reply to this, and he almost retreated the few steps he had managed to make towards her. His long bangs hung in his eyes, masking his expression.  He hadn’t meant to bring up all of these uncomfortable emotions for his friend… if she still considered him one, anyway…  And to think that there was a short period of time when he thought that maybe they could be more than that…  He swallowed the lump in his throat.  Could things really be better this way?

He gulped once more as he walked towards her. “Claire, I… I never meant to hurt you…”  He held his hands out to her, trembling.  “I-I just feel so… lost.”  He stared down at the floor.  “A-and… so _alone_ …” he whispered.

She set the coins on the table noisily and grasped his hands while he was still offering them, terrified he’d pull away. She squeezed them so hard that he flinched with pain.  She forced her eyes shut, blinded by silent tears.  “I’m here.  You’re _not_ alone.”  Her bleary gaze flicked to the money on the table.  The moment he received payment, was he going to leave her again?  She couldn’t give up without a fight.

Her breath hitched as his hands slid out of hers and he wrapped her in a tight embrace. She could feel him gulping and struggling to regulate his breathing.  “I-I’m so sorry…”

She felt his warmth again and her emotions threatened to overflow. “Cliff…”  There was no coldness in his body language; his heart was exposed and raw.  She put her arms around him, hoping that her love would reach him.  His grip loosened a bit, his clinging less desperate as he mellowed out.  She said nothing more, but closed her eyes, soaking in the feeling of being close to her friend once more.

He relaxed into her, focusing on the healing comfort. Maybe he really wasn’t alone.  Her hand soothingly rubbed his back and he let out a small sigh.  He recalled the laughter in her eyes while she was at the bar with Marlin the night before.  That rosiness in her cheeks, the light in her smile…  He wanted to see that again.  He could only pray that he could be the cause of that one more time.  He had put her through so much…  Did he really deserve to demand anything more of her?

“Claire…?” Cliff found himself asking her, regardless.

“Y-yeah?” Her voice was muffled in his chest.

He shifted his stance, not letting go of the hug. Her closeness gave him strength.  “I’ve… been trying so hard not to in-inconvenience anyone… but… c-can I just be selfish today?”  She backed up a bit to get a better look at him and he felt very self-conscious, his hands quickly dropping to his sides before he began to wring them with anxiety.  His eyes moved back to the floor and his cheeks flushed.  “Can I just stay here for a while with you?  I-I’m sorry if I’m coming off as clingy…  I-I just n-need…”

_You._

Cliff’s heartbeat dominated his eardrums in the moment of silence that followed.

“Let me be selfish then, too,” Claire replied, struggling to swallow the lump in her throat. “I want you to make yourself at home.  I was just about to have breakfast.”  She knew she should remain cautiously optimistic, but she was inwardly dancing and leaping with joy as she saw life and color come back to his face at her suggestion.  She gave him a friendly squeeze and danced to the refrigerator and opened it.  “I was just going to have a yogurt cup.  Want one?”  She peeked around the edge of the open door with playful eyes.

The corners of Cliff’s lips twitched ever so slightly. “A-actually… I _am_ really hungry…”

0o0o0o0

“Ah, they look sooo much better,” Claire cooed, lightly wiping down the wounds on Cliff’s arms as they redressed them together. “And your hives are gone…”

She wished she could say he looked healthier, but he seemed so frail to her that she was concerned. Claire was too distracted by the decreased swelling to remember that his wounds would have closed much sooner if he took a break from his bow.  Still she was delighted to see that he didn’t shrink back at all from her touch, and that he had actually asked for her help.  Claire kept her contact gentle and she couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes were lingering on her, almost as if he was making sure she was indeed real.

“It’s because everyone was so nice to me…” A small but very grateful smile played at his lips.  Her heart jumped into her throat at the sight.

She refrained from hugging him to her chest and sobbing, but she purposely brushed her hand past his as she reached for the roll of bandages. She couldn’t help but wonder if he his hand had met hers halfway.

“We all care about you,” she said softly. Maybe he had forgotten that at one point, she mused.

Through the long, sleepless night before, Cliff realized he couldn’t maintain the wall he had built around himself. Perhaps he had grown weaker with time, but he didn’t care in that moment.  His smile began to quiver and he looked away, blinking rapidly.  “Th-thank you…  I… _r-really_ needed to hear that today.”

She was going to ask if there was a particular reason for that, but his self-inflicted lack of emotions was likely the culprit.

_You can hear that every day, you know…_

She held her tongue. Claire had learned the hard way that the harder she pushed on the subject, the more likely he was going to pull away.

“Then I’ll say it again. I _care_ about you.”

Cliff’s eyes met hers and Marlin’s words from the night before rang in his mind.

_“Don’t let her go. If she’s worth anything to you, hang onto her tight…”_

She was delighted to watch the color creep across his face.

“I-I… I think I’m going to take a break from hunting today.”

0o0o0o0

“Dinner was delicious.”

Claire smiled; the speed and volume at which Cliff ate had told her that several times over. She was glad she had cooked extra, because he had eaten like he hadn’t touched food in days.  She fought back a frown; how close to the truth had that comparison actually been?  Either way, knowing that he had eaten a hearty meal set her mind at ease, and cooking together reminded her how lovely it was to work with him by her side.

“It is a nice kitchen,” Cliff admitted, looking at the shiny new countertops in admiration as he finished wiping them down.

“Thank you. I’m looking forward to whipping up all kinds of meals for me and Koro here.  I feel like he might like something a little different once in a while.  I’m gonna look up some dog-friendly recipes.”  She was about to include that Cliff could come over any time as well, but she didn’t want to scare off his increasingly friendly dialogue.

“We gave raw meat to the dogs back at home. Most people here would probably open a can of dog food.”

Claire shook her head and stuck out her tongue with a laugh. “That gross canned garbage is no good for a growing dog!”

Cliff raised his thick eyebrows, a grin playing at his lips. It felt like ages since she had seen him lighten his expression, and he looked so much younger in that moment.  “I just want to know how you’re so sure he doesn’t think it’s gross.”  He gave her a mischievous look.  “Did you… try it yourself or something?”

The young woman fell silent as she averted her eyes, biting back a silly smile. Finally, her mask broke and she leaned against the kitchen counter melodramatically, collapsing in giggles.  “It tasted _so_ foul…” she cried.

His eyes were smiling as his jaw dropped open in quiet shock.

“I _had_ to taste it to make sure it was good enough for Koro!  All I did was touch my tongue to it!”  She gagged.  “And now I can’t forget the awful taste!”

Cliff’s soft chuckle turned into a full-blown belly laugh.

Her heart swelled at seeing him so happy. “What?” Claire put her hands on her hips in mock frustration, hoping to elicit more laughter.  “I had to make sure it was tasty!”

He couldn’t stand it anymore; the young man laughed so hard tears sprang from his eyes and he threw his arms around Claire, trembling and laughing. She found herself quickly turning into a laughing, choking, sobbing mess as she leaned into him.

“I-I… missed you so much,” she sobbed, burying her face into his shoulder. She was pleased to feel that he did not shy away at her affection and he held her tightly, quietly sniffing.

“Me, too.”

Claire closed her eyes. She wanted the night to last forever.  As if on cue, the clock struck nine o’clock and she blinked her tired eyes.

He held her more desperately at the sound of the clock, his mood sinking as reality struck. “Ah, it’s getting late…”  His voice cracked as his heart broke.

There seemed to be an unspoken fear between the two that as soon as the day was over, the awkwardness between them would return. Cliff would be in the mindset of leaving again, and Claire would be unable to convince him otherwise.  “Stay,” she murmured.  “Stay the night.”  Her words grew in strength.

His heart jumped into his throat. “B-But… people w-will think…”

“People will think you’re out hunting,” her voice breathed into his ear. She wasn’t ready for their beautiful dream together today to end.  Would the next time she see him be like this, or would he shut her out again?  She didn’t even want to think about it.  “Stay here…  I _need_ you tonight,” she pleaded, burying her face into his shoulder.

The young man’s eyes popped open in surprise as his heart pounded in his throat. What exactly did she mean by that?  Was she simply referring to his company, or…? _Oh, Goddess, I have no idea what I’m doing…_ Still, he found himself unable to refuse her.  “Ah… o-okay…”  He shoved down his worries.  He didn’t want to think about tomorrow or the next day, and there was something incredibly freeing about that.

“Thank you,” she whispered, lifting her head to wipe her misty eyes. _I just… I can’t imagine you not… being here anymore._ She swallowed the lump in her throat.  “I-I just don’t want tonight to end…”

Cliff said nothing in reply, but felt a wave of guilt. He focused on what she had said and his face fell.  He had been so cold toward her lately, but did he really have a choice?  Getting closer would only hurt more in the end, right?  That was the way he had always lived his life…

“If you want to run back to the inn to get some things and freshen up, I’ll just put on something more comfortable so we can get settled in,” she nodded, glad that he was agreeing to spend more time with her.

His heart was pounding in his throat so violently that he was having a difficult time breathing. _When women said that, didn’t they usually imply they were dressing into something alluring…?_ “Uh, yeah.  I-I’ll get a change of clothes and stuff.  B-be right back.”  He let out a nervous chuckle.

Claire threw her arms around him and buried her face into his shoulder. “Thank you so much.  I didn’t realize how badly I needed this.  Come back soon!”

His heart leapt once more and he wondered how he was still conscious; he felt more than just a little faint. She looked up with gleeful eyes and he felt a strong wave of joy surge through him.  Whether or not staying close to her was more painful, he couldn’t stand not giving in.  “Alright.  See you real soon.”

“Okay!” She waved goodbye to him as he hurried out the door.

Cliff stumbled back to the inn, his heart and mind in turmoil. He knew what he wanted, but he was terrified.  Maybe he really could be happy here…  The cave by the spring would be a little chilly throughout winter, but he had done it before - hunting and foraging in the Valley…  Maybe he wouldn’t be a paying tenant of the inn, but he could still be a resident around Mineral Town…

His heart was aching for Claire painfully at the memory of how pleasant the entire day had been, and he missed her more than ever, despite the fact that he had just left her house.

_Would it be wise to go back?_

It was likely she would try to convince him to stay in town. While this was what he obviously truly wanted, there were many things keeping him from doing so.  Money was the biggest one.  He couldn’t just ask for money from his friends or ask for a discount from Doug.  He wanted to be a responsible adult that could handle his own affairs.  He had tried to demonstrate that to his mother so long ago and even though she was gone, he couldn’t help but stop himself from feeling like he needed to prove himself to her.  He had shamed Akiyama Village enough; he had to make up for it, and the only solution he could see was to be able to support himself so he would no longer burden anyone again.

_But maybe it is feasible… It’s not like I haven’t lived outdoors before…_

His heart began to race as he flew up the stairs again. It was amazing what a tiny glimmer of hope could do; he felt like bursting into song.

“Oh, hey, man. I was wondering where you were.”  Gray looked up from his book as Cliff nearly stumbled into the room, shocked at his roommate’s sudden deep voice.

Cliff bit back his grin and attempted to calm his jittery nerves. He gathered a clean set of clothes and pajamas and stuffed them into his bag, quickly moving to roll up his sleeping fur and collect a few personal items.  He ran his hand along his jaw and hurried to the bathroom, deciding to shave with a blush.  “J-just a busy day,” Cliff replied evasively, filling the sink with hot water and splashing it on his face.  He grabbed his shaving brush and lathered up the soap.

Gray curiously leaned on the doorframe as he watched his friend remove his shirt and proceed to lather his face. Cliff’s tone was suspiciously happy and he felt his heart lift.  “What are you in such a hurry for?  It’s pretty late; you’re not headed back out, are you?”  His voice came out as a half-whine – he wanted to be with his friend while he was in such a good mood.

The mental image of Claire lying leisurely across her bed in her pajamas with a coy smile caused Cliff to gulp. He wondered if it was the hot water or his face that was steaming up the mirror.  “Uh… I’m going back out tonight…  I won’t be back until tomorrow.”  He carefully ran the razorblade along his face, satisfied with his vague answer.  “I’m just freshening up a-and grabbing some clean clothes.”  He wiped his face clean and turned on the faucet to the shower in the hopes that his roommate would get flustered and leave him alone.  “B-but we can hang out tomorrow, okay?” he chirped.

Gray snorted and averted his eyes; he had grown used to Cliff’s lack of modesty when there were only men in the room. “Sounds good.”  He wondered if it would be counterproductive to mention Cliff’s happiness to him.  Gray caught a whiff of fragrant soap as Cliff grabbed the bottle; it was very unlikely he had shaved and was freshening up for the sake of the deer and raccoons out in the woods.  He never wore scented things while hunting.  “Are you going on a date or what?”

“Ummm…” Cliff frowned, unsure of how to answer the question. He tied his hair up in a topknot and hopped into the shower, pulling the curtain closed behind him.  “No.  It’s not a date,” he decided as he covered his body in suds and paused, deep in thought as he watched the bubbles roll down his body and down the drain.  What would tonight be considered?  He supposed it depended on how things ended up…  In his mind, Claire was mouthing his name and winking; Cliff’s eyes widened as he rinsed off, grateful he was concealed by the shower curtain.

“Huh…” Gray was not satisfied with the answers being given to him.  His eyes traced to the bundle of clothing and bedding on Cliff’s comforter and he felt a slight shock.  “Goddess… you’re staying the night with her, aren’t you?”

Cliff was grateful that Gray had wandered into the other room and got dressed as quickly as he could. He turned pink as he fumbled with his clothes, and Gray was a little bit shocked when Cliff didn’t deny his claim.  “We spent the day together and… w-well… she asked if I could stay the night…  I-I mean… we’re just going to talk.  I-it’s not a big deal at all,” he insisted with a nod, more to himself than to Gray.  “Just a couple of friends hanging out…”

Gray tugged on the bill of his cap and sat on the edge of Cliff’s bed, his eyebrows rising in concern. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

A pair of surprised eyes looked back at him. He turned away as he let down his hair and began to brush it out.  “Of course I’m going.  She’s waiting for me and she’s expecting me.  I’d be a pretty lousy friend if I didn’t show up.”

“In that case…” Gray picked up the stone pendant that was attached to a leather cord and dangled it in front of Cliff’s nose.  “What about this?”  His voice softened, as did his eyes.

His friend remained silent as a small frown began to form on his face.

“It’s actually pretty nice,” Gray commented, running his thumb along the stone. “I’m not too bad of a teacher, huh?  Why don’t you finally give it to her already?  You finished it over a month ago.”

Cliff’s gaze followed the swinging carved stone and he felt a lump form in his throat as he shook his head. “I-I… I _can’t_.  I don’t want to make a promise to her that I’m not sure if I can keep…”

Gray frowned, closing his fingers over the pendant and setting it back on the table. “If that’s how you really feel, do you think it’s the smartest thing to go back to her place tonight?”

Cliff sighed. “I already told you that I promised…  A-and I _want_ to.”

Gray raised his eyebrows. “You do realize she’s lonely and emotional, right?”  When Cliff said nothing, he shook his head.  “And you are, too.  There’s a chance she’s going to try to lure you into bed.  What are you going to do if that happens?”  He had a feeling he knew the answer after Cliff’s swift freshening up.

Cliff’s face burned as he turned around to face him. “I-it’s not like that!”  He struggled to push the images of Claire’s wide eyes and cute pink lips out of his mind.  “I… just want to go to her house and make her happy!”  His voice faded into a whisper as he went from red to burgundy.  All he wanted was to be able to satisfy her, to bring a smile to her face.  If he could see her happy one last time, he was sure he would be able to carry on.

“Then what’s your plan?”

He said nothing as he crossed his arms. He wandered back into the bathroom and began to brush his teeth so he wouldn’t have to answer him right away.

_There’s not really much of a plan…_

“Well?”

Cliff rinsed his mouth and spat, watching the water drain down the sink with a frown. The way Gray would constantly push reminded him of Ivy at times.  Cliff sighed; his fantasies had evolved to Claire calling out his name affectionately, sprawled out on her bed in a beautiful, flowing blush-colored dress.   He realized his was breathing faster as he decided he would do whatever she asked – he was hers tonight.  He knew that he would never feel this way about another woman in his life and he wanted her to know how loved she was even if their time together was limited.  “I just want her to be happy,” he repeated, putting his toothbrush away and returning to the bedroom.

He jumped when a loud fist was slammed down on the side table. The pendant jumped a bit as the furniture rattled.  “Don’t be an idiot,” Gray grumbled.  “Do you really think it’s fair for you to get physically involved with each other and then you just leave?  You might as well rip out her heart and stomp on it.  She’s lonely, man.  Don’t take advantage of that.  You cross that line tonight and you’ll never stop regretting it.”

His words felt like a slap to the face as Cliff snapped back to reality. “I-I don’t know what you want from me!  I was the one that said nothing was going to happen!  Wh-why are you turning it into this?”  He shook his head in frustration, closing his mouth.

Gray eased up; he saw Cliff retreating back into his shell because he had pushed him too hard again. “I just want to make sure you don’t do something you’re going to regret.”

“I’m not!” Cliff clenched his jaw. “Why do I need your approval anyway?  I’m just going to Claire’s to hang out and when we get tired, we’ll just fall asleep.  I don’t see what the problem is.  You’re worrying over something that’s _not going to happen_.”

_Why did you shave, then? Why did you use the herbal soap Claire complimented you on before?_

_Maybe she has the power to convince him to stay… Goddess know I’ve tried…_

Gray bit his tongue. “Fine.  Just take care and don’t be stupid, okay?”

Their eyes both moved to the stone pendant on the side table for a moment before Cliff slung his bag over his shoulder, tearing his eyes from the necklace. “Okay.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

His roommate gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder as he left, looking back at the piece of jewelry. He held it in a calloused hand, turning the pendant over in his fingers.  It was an amateur’s work for sure, but memories flooded his mind of the day after they had skipped rocks on the beach.  A shy Cliff returned from the library with a book on engraving, timidly asking for pointers and techniques.  As the summer nights passed, he saw Cliff come back to the inn, exhausted and sweaty after a day in the fields, retrieving the stone with a tired smile and jumping into work on his project.  A few days into fall, he had proudly shown it to his friend, his hands trembling with excitement.

Gray knew that as a budding blacksmith, he had the skills and tools to make something much more elaborate and intricate, but something about that rustic stone pendant Cliff had made caused a mild flare of jealousy every time he looked at it. Perhaps it was because Gray didn’t have the courage to make something for his own girlfriend just yet.  Maybe it was because Cliff had been so sure of his feelings for Claire so soon after befriending her.

_He can’t leave…_

Gray set down the necklace and slapped his back pocket, double-checking for his wallet as he hurried downstairs.

“Doug, I need to talk to you…”

0o0o0o0

Claire answered the door in a pair of baggy plaid pajama pants and a snug white undershirt. She gave him a friendly hug as he entered the house and he let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Claire, you look amazing,” he gushed, strangely grateful she hadn’t shown up to greet him draped in a gown.

She curiously looked down at her pink and yellow flannel pants with a giggle. “Uh, thanks.  I guess I like the colors on these…  Well, come on in.”

He set his bag on the floor by the doorway, grinning as Claire spun on the ball of her foot, bouncing excitedly.

“Welcome back!”

Claire quickly learned that waking up at six every morning, along with the emotional toll the recent days had on both of them, left them both pretty tired. After a hearty round of snacks, Claire’s eyelids felt heavy as she turned off the television and Cliff unrolled his fur to sleep on.  Drawn to the softness, Claire took a seat beside him on it, stroking the fur as they talked into the wee hours of the morning, both being sure to stick with safe, lighthearted subjects.  Cliff tried to fight his heartbreak as she stretched out her legs and yawned, deciding she had better climb into bed in case she dozed off.

She turned off the lights and walked back to the bed in the dark. Cliff’s eyes quickly adjusted to the change in light and he watched her lie down on her side.

“Cliff…?” He never thought he would hear her voice calling his name in the night like this.  Granted, he was lying on her floor and she was in her own bed…

“What is it, Claire?” He wished that they could be closer, but he knew that he was already getting so much more than he had anticipated tonight.

He heard the bed creak as she turned to face him. “Is there… a place you’re planning on going that you’re taking the ferry?” she asked weakly.  “I-is there somewhere… you’d rather be?”  Her voice quavered as she controlled her breath.

“It’s not like that…”

“Or are you going back home to Akiyama?” she supplied, her voice gentle.

There was a long silence as Cliff swallowed the lump in his throat. “I can’t go back home… if I can even call it that anymore…”

Claire’s face hovered over the edge of the bed. “Why?”

He hesitated before answering; he had been asked the same question by his own uncle. “I…  I burnt a lot of bridges when I left.  No one really wants me to come back…”

He could hear her soft sigh in the dark and he watched her silhouette sit up and stretch her arms. It was a simple, everyday motion, but it still looked beautiful to him.  “You don’t think anyone misses you?”

He sat up to see her better – she was alternating arms over her head in her stretches, and he loved the way she moved. He quickly remembered her question and shook his head, frustrated that the thought still made his heart ache.  “I don’t think – I know.”

“Cliff… come sit by me.” She patted the mattress beside her.

He exhaled silently, slouching his shoulders. He had a feeling she was going to try to talk him out of how he was feeling, but the invitation was too enticing.  He sat beside her, cross-legged, a thrill coming over him for being this close to her in the dark.

He wasn’t the only one feeling that way. Claire scooted beside him, moving so closely to him that their legs touched, and he stretched his legs in front of him so he could be closer to her still.  She wrapped her fingers around his and sighed into his shoulder.  She knew his heart was hurting and that he was feeling defensive.  Demanding him to feel differently wasn’t going to help things.  She cradled his hand in hers and used her free one to trace her fingers across his open palm and fingertips.  His hands were warm and felt nice against hers.  He shivered with pleasure and closed his eyes, soaking in the relaxing feeling.  He realized she wasn’t going to start talking right away and his thoughts swiftly turned into mush.  Her contact was friendly and loving, and he didn’t realize how much he was craving it.  He had missed her so much in so many ways just in this short amount of time.  When she finished, he gave her fingers a gentle squeeze in gratitude and began returning the favor.  He began implementing a soft massage on the pressure points between her index finger and thumb that left her mind muddled.

They lost track of time as they spent the silence together, enjoying each other’s therapeutic touch. They were both here now – solid presences to one another and they had no intention of taking that for granted.  He crossed his legs once more and sat across from her so that he could run his fingers up and down her bare arms.  A tingle ran down her spine and he relished in the goose bumps he had caused.  She closed her eyes, her head rolling forward as the tension left her body.  Upon seeing her relax, he smiled.  The moonlight streaming in through the window played at her pale locks and she was easily the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.  He took her limp hands in his and placed a lingering kiss across her knuckles.

Claire’s heart throbbed so loudly she nearly deafened herself. “Cl-Cliff, I…”

Was it selfish for her to want to nurture this love she felt for him, even if she knew his time here was limited? _Don’t you dare say it out loud! Do_ not _put him in that position, Claire!_

She couldn’t help herself; she had to at least say _something_...  The young woman swallowed the lump in her throat.  “I… I wanna live in the here and now tonight…”

“O-okay…” Cliff’s breathing immediately quickened as he ran her words over and over in his mind for the meaning.

There was a beat of silence as they both silently looked at their clasped hands and acknowledged that their touches had been far too intimate for simple friends. In the dim light, their eyes moved to each other and they silently agreed on that being alright with a small nod.

“Let’s just enjoy this time together.” She carefully took one of his hands back and began massaging the pressure point as he had done on her, earning a soft moan as a reward when he relaxed.  Her cheeks bloomed with color in the dark as she pressed harder in the point, hoping to elicit another one.

Claire silently wondered if she should slow down, but her hands had already traveled up his arms, carefully avoiding his bandages. She could feel the rhythm of his breathing change as he leaned forward, touching her arms as well, traveling upward until they rested on her shoulders for a brief moment.  Her breath hitched as his fingers grazed her neck and he let out a soft exhale as his hands cupped her cheeks.

“You’re so beautiful, Claire,” he murmured, his thumb stroking her cheek.

She let out a nervous laugh, her face blazing, but her voice was still mellow due to the haze they were both in. “Y-you can hardly see me in the dark, you know…”

“I don’t have to see you to know something so obvious,” he replied. “Besides, it’s not just the way you look.”

Her tongue felt heavy and useless as a smile made its way onto her mouth. She adjusted her sitting position and shyly leaned forward, snaking her arms around his neck and carefully working at the loosely knotted strip of leather holding his hair back.  She heard a breathy sigh from him as his hair fell loose and he took her hands in his, clumsily lacing his fingers with hers.  She assisted him a bit, her own hands shaking, and their palms comfortably rested against one another’s.  He leaned forward, resting his chin on her shoulder, his soft breath tickling her ear.

Neither spoke for fear of breaking the beautiful web they had created. They sat in silence for a long while, forcing themselves to keep focused on the moment and not panic about the future.  When Cliff finally pulled away due to a stiff back, Claire stifled an upset cry at his warmth leaving her.  She had been soothed with his rhythmic breathing and his sweet company.

“I think we should get some sleep,” he finally said, his voice groggy. He wrapped his arms around her and laid a gentle kiss on her brow.  She went limp in his arms and let out a small moan of discontentment that he was implying he was going to leave her.

He still had electricity running through his body at their tender contact, and her clinging to him sent his hormones in overdrive. He knew if he stayed with her much longer, he wouldn’t be content with their simple touching.  He would begin to crave the taste of her mouth, her skin, her body.  He’d want to tangle his limbs with hers and allow them to explore each other, just as they had so many times in his dreams.  He quickly realized it was too late; his body already wanted hers.  Cliff never felt this way about anyone before meeting Claire.  His heart throbbed in more places than just his chest, and for the first time, he didn’t feel ashamed about it.  Gray’s warning buzzed at his ears like an annoying fly and he brushed it away.

_Say you want me and I’m yours. You can have whatever you want.  Anything._

Claire couldn’t see the look on his face, but she was definitely picking up the signals he was releasing. They were a bit overwhelming, and while she found her own breath quickening in excitement, she knew they’d both be happier in the long run if they calmed down now.

_He is intent on leaving, after all… But… maybe if I showed him how much I love him…_

_No. If he rejects you, it will hurt so much worse…_

“Maybe sleep would be best,” she whispered somewhat sadly. “B-But…”

“Yeah?” He hung onto her every word.

“Pl-please don’t leave tonight…” Her voice broke and she swallowed the lump in her throat.  “Don’t go back to the inn. _Please_ …”

Cliff gave Claire a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be right by your side,” he reassured her quietly, gesturing to his little nest on the floor beside the bed.

“Uh-huh…” She leaned over and brushed her cheek against his, thrilled at this new level of intimacy they shared, but at the same time heartbroken that it was likely things were just going to end at this.

He hugged her again, lingering, and she realized there was a chance he didn’t want to sleep on the floor like he was claiming. She waited for him to ask to stay at her side.

“Good night, Claire.” He stood up and gave her hand one last squeeze before curling up on the sleeping mat he had brought.

She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Still, with the desire she felt bubbling up inside, it was probably for the best that they slept separately.  Disguising her motions as a stretch, she softly ran her hands across her collarbone and down her arms, pretending the touch was his.  “Good night.”

0o0o0o0

A soft tugging at his blanket awoke Cliff. He opened his tired eyes, blinking at the dim sky outside.  The sun had yet to rise and the room as painted in various shades of gray.  He rolled over to see Claire bundled up beneath his covers, wrapping herself up like a cocoon.  He could tell right away she was not used to sharing, as she began to roll a bit more, stealing more blanket.

It was a brisk morning, but he didn’t want to wake her. He groggily sat up, spying the cover on her bed and making plans to borrow it.  Claire stirred in her sleep and blinked her tired eyes, her lips drawn into a drunken smile.

“Hey.” Her voice was a low whisper.

“Hi.” He was overwhelmed by the warmth that spread through his heart at seeing her bed head and hearing her groggy voice.  There was something so precious in getting to see her in this intimate setting.  He didn’t remember much about their morning at the Inner Inn together as his allergic reaction to the medicine left him ill.  This was nice, he decided.

She looked down at her body and realized she had wrapped herself in all of his covers. “I’m sorry.  Blanket hog.”  She let out a muffled groan as she untangled herself and gave him some to share.  “It’s chilly.”

Claire didn’t object when he snuggled to her. “I’ll keep you warm,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

She nuzzled against him, letting out a content sigh, forgetting that she was supposed to think the floor was uncomfortable. She was grateful she had decided to sleep by his side a couple hours after they had said goodnight.  Was this how lovers rested together?  Perhaps she could pretend that they were, if only for a moment.  “Let’s sleep in,” she whispered.

He didn’t reply. His breathing was already deep and slow once more.

0o0o0o0

Breakfast the next morning was fairly quiet, each friend quietly basking in the experiences they had shared the night before, but both too timid to look the other in the eye. Claire skimmed the top layer off of her cream of wheat with her spoon, curiously watching the young man sitting across from her.  His hair was still down and was a bit rumpled from sleep.  It was endearing, she decided as the color rose in her cheeks.

Without warning, he set his spoon on the table. Claire watched him curiously, wondering if he hadn’t cared for the meal she had cooked.  He had been happy enough to help her prepare it, chopping some apples to add to the mix.

Cliff looked up from his bowl, and noticing that Claire had her attention focused on him, he shyly ducked his head and bit his lip. “I uh…  Thank you for letting me spend the day with you…”

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m really happy we got to be together,” Claire replied, her throat tightening at the bittersweet quality of the situation.

“I-I’ve been thinking a lot since last night…” Cliff nervously rubbed the crook of his neck and when their eyes met, he was stunned speechless for a few moments.  _Yes… This is the right choice – the_ only _choice, really…_ “I…  I can move my base back to the mine by the hot springs.  I might have to go on longer hunting trips and travel further to find anything out there.  I don’t want to wear out my welcome, but… I _need_ to stay here…  i-in Mineral Town, I mean…  I’m not sure how it’s all going to work, but…  I-I’m going to give it my best try.”  He gulped, wringing his hands.  “The money I have for the ferry…  I’m gonna to save it for whatever I can.  I don’t know what’s going to happen, and I don’t even know if I will be able to stay forever…”  Cliff swallowed the lump in his throat.  “And, to be honest, I’m _really_ scared.  I’ve never really done this before – getting so emotionally attached to a place…”

Claire hardly realized she was already at his side and that tears of relief were streaming down her face. “We’ll make it work; I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, I never had a dog, but my grandfather did when I was growing up. One time when we went to visit, I saw a can of opened dog food in the refrigerator with a spoon inside. I was hungry, and it smelled like Chef Boyardee…
> 
> It did not taste like Chef Boyardee.
> 
> Author’s Note: The section of this chapter where Cliff is preparing to return to Claire’s house in the evening was particularly difficult to write. I wanted the mood to be uncomfortable and not have there be a real right or wrong answer on what he should decide to do. Cliff is very conflicted and is unable to give Gray a straight answer.
> 
> I struggled with finding the fine line of pushiness from Gray in this chapter. I wanted to have a situation a bit reminiscent of their talk in the cave way back in summer, but this time have them both a lot more open with their emotions. I wanted to show how far Gray has come in trying to understand his roommate and best friend that is so different yet similar to him and how he really does care, deep down.
> 
> I was very nervous posting this chapter, as there is some obvious sexual tension here and admittedly, that’s probably why I had such a difficult time with it. I’ve reread it several times and pray that it is tasteful. I wanted to show that sexuality is part of life and isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it needs to be taken seriously and treated with respect, hence Gray’s real talk with Cliff. The roommates’ scene was originally drafted to be much more lighthearted, but I think I made the right choice in keeping it a bit more serious.
> 
> The second reason for my nerves is the sensuality between Claire and Cliff in this chapter as they spend the evening together. I hope I was able to portray more the feelings of unconditional love and nourishment for the soul through pleasant experiences through the senses (a kind touch and soft sounds) and the bonding that happens through those magical moments. Yes, there is sexual attraction there as well, but again, I don’t feel that that needs to really be a shameful thing. I wanted to do something romantic that felt a little different and had a deep level of bonding. Sometimes the most romantic moments with my husband require no words, but wordless communication with a kind (not necessarily sexual) touch, as if to say, “You and I are here in this moment together – let’s enjoy each other”. I wanted to challenge myself to do this kind of a scene and not rely on dialogue for it. So in a lot of ways, I feel like I’m putting my heart on display here for all of you to see, so I guess it’s natural that I’m a little scared. :o
> 
> I am completely overwhelmed by the support I’ve received as I’ve written this story. The time and thought you all put in your words to me and your feelings for this story make me teary-eyed, no joke! This story is something that I’ve put so much of myself into, and I’m humbled by everyone’s support and respectful and honest thoughts. Thank you so much for reading, as always!


	89. A Case of Sweet Grapes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duke makes Claire an offer she can't refuse.

At Cliff’s wish to stay in Mineral Town as long as he could, Claire felt a cautious, quiet joy deep in her heart. Meditating on their conversations and activities the night before, the farmer went about her chores in a slow but thoughtful way, pausing only once to watch over the fence as a nervous Zack pet a steer’s nose while May giggled.  After a cautious look at Barley behind him, Zack allowed himself a soft chuckle as well. 

Claire watched a couple of brilliant red leaves drop to the ground. Things were changing, transitioning…

While a small part of her wished to share her experiences the day before, everything felt so fresh and she wanted to spend the day processing her feelings and everything that had been said. She sent small prayers to the gods throughout the day as she worked, thanking them for her crops and the beautiful weather and asking for clarity of the mind to work at possible solutions to help her dear friend. 

The small spark of hope inside her grew into a flame by evening, and that night, she didn’t feel a twinge of pain as she sniffed the fresh sprig of rosemary before placing it under her pillow. Although she didn’t come up with a plan, she felt a strange sense of serenity that she didn’t attempt to fight as she settled in for sleep.  Her hand brushed past her right brow as she adjusted herself on her mattress and a small smile played at her mouth as she closed her eyes, remembering the way Cliff’s lips felt on her forehead.

0o0o0o0

It was a knock at her door the next morning that raised Claire from her slumber. In her half-awake daze, Claire blinked at the clock as she rolled out of bed.  Her alarm had yet to go off.

“H-hello?” Her voice was squeaky and groggy, and she immediately cleared her throat to remedy it.

“Ah, I didn’t wake you, did I? I assumed you farmers were up really early…”

Claire blinked in confusion as she heard Duke’s voice, of all people, from the other side of the door.

“Just a m-moment!” Her pajamas were promptly stripped off and stuffed under her pillow as she pulled up the blankets in one fluid motion.  Locating a warm, olive-colored sweater and some denim pants, she dressed as she walked to the door.  Her blonde head popped through the turtleneck and as she pulled her hair through the collar, she attempted to make it look presentable as she unlatched her door.

“Good morning, Miss Claire. I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”

She stifled a yawn. “N-no!  Not at all!  It’s fine!”  She struggled to look more alert than she really was.

She was further jolted awake by the sudden ringing of her alarm clock on her nightstand. She jumped with a gasp, and Koro barked in surprise, standing his ground against the fierce appliance.  Blushing with embarrassment, she bolted to the other side of the room to turn it off.

Duke let out a hearty laugh, looking rather tired himself. “Well, I guess I did wake you up then.”  He stretched his arms over his head with a loud yawn.

“Please, come in.” Claire gestured toward the table and started the kettle, rooting through her refrigerator for something to offer her guest.  She let out a sigh, realizing that she had planned on going shopping today.  Rummaging through the cupboards, she found a partial sleeve of sugared vanilla tea biscuits left over from Cliff’s visit.  He had devoured more than half of them himself, apologizing with a blush as he looked down at the crumbly aftermath that was the tray of snacks.  She had just given him a smile; she was pleased that he was now accepting food from her.

Claire emptied the crumbling cookies on a plate and hoped her offering didn’t look as pathetic as she felt it did. Her cheeks blazed when Duke gave her a playful grin.

“Good thinking! It’s never too early for cookies, right?  Thank you very kindly!”  He sat down at the table, groaning as his joints popped.  “Ah, feels like I need to do some more stretches in the morning.”  He let out a sigh as he got more comfortable.  “I wanted to make sure that I caught you before you were lost out in those fields.”

Claire took a seat across from him, feeling a little stiff herself. She frowned at her lumpy mattress before moving her attention back toward Duke, who was muttering something about a particular nagging wife making him come to visit so early.  “How can I help you?”

He bit back a chuckle; the young woman was always so formal. “Well, our long-awaited cabernet sauvignons are ready for the picking.  There are a _lot_ ,” Duke explained, popping a partial cookie in his mouth.  “I used to do the whole thing by my lonesome, but Manna’s worried that I’m gonna hurt myself.”  He rolled his eyes.  “Anyway, we _both_ decided that it would be nice to enlist some help this year.  You’re a hardworking lady and I thought you’d be the perfect candidate.  What do you say?  Can you come over tomorrow at ten?  We’ll pay you for your trouble.”

The kettle began to whistle and Claire jumped up, turning it off. She got the small jug of milk that was left in her refrigerator for her chai latte and set it on the table.  She felt a small well of pride that people were looking to her for help and saw her as an expert at something, even if it was simple as harvesting.  “Sure, I can do that.  Would you like some tea?”

“Ah, I won’t stay long enough for a hot drink, but I will have a glass of milk to wash these down.” He bit into another cookie.

Claire poured the remnants of the jug in the glass, embarrassed that it only filled the glass halfway.

“Oh, that’s fine, dear.” Duke dismissed Claire’s mortification with the wave of a hand.  He wasn’t going to scoff at free milk and cookies for breakfast, and he was practically beaming now that he had a promise of help for the busy day tomorrow.

Claire realized with an inward pout that she wasn’t going to get the latte she wanted. She poured water in the mug over her tea bag and sat back down.  “Is there anything you’ll need me to bring tomorrow?”  She reached for a tea biscuit and crunched on it, daintily holding her fingers in front of her mouth to hide the crumbly mess.

“Well, we’ll have clippers and baskets. Probably just some work gloves and lunch.  We’ll be working through the day…”  Duke took a heavy swig of milk, wiping his lips.  “Oh, yeah.  We need someone else, too.  Can you bring a friend with you?  We need someone who’s going to work hard, okay?  Just between you and me, since Aja left, we’ve really needed another set of hands around the winery…”

Claire’s eyes grew to the size of saucers and the piece of cookie nearly fell out of her mouth. She struggled to swallow, giving him a very emphatic nod.  “S-sounds great!  I can bring someone who will be excited for the opportunity!  Thank you so much, Duke!” she practically screamed.

He took another cookie and laughed, biting into it leisurely. “We’re really the ones that should be thanking you…”

Claire sat erect in her seat, watching Duke finish his snack in no hurry. Her heart pounded and she gripped the edge of the table as he finished off the rest of his milk.

“Ah, I can imagine you’re not in any hurry to head out there… It looks pretty cloudy this morning... probably rain…  It’s supposed to be real clear tomorrow, though…”  He bit into another cookie.

Claire could hardly contain the bouncing in her seat. The earlier she left, the more likely it was that Cliff was still at the inn…

His eyes flicked toward Claire and he quickly gulped the rest of his biscuit down. He flashed her an apologetic smile as he stood up with a grunt, dusting the crumbs from his clothing.  “Well, I suppose I better get out there sooner than later, eh?”  He gave her a polite bow of the head.  “Thanks.  We’ll see you and your friend tomorrow.”

She blinked, a bit nonplussed as she gave him a small wave, watching him head out. The young woman turned her head and caught her face in the mirror.  Her eyes were wide and her excitement was written plainly on her face.  She only half-scolded herself for being unable to hide her facial expressions as she pulled on some socks and her boots after running a brush through her hair.

She burst out of her house, running into town. She slowed down her pace as she watched Duke leisurely making his way back to the winery, looking up at the cloudy sky.

The young woman struggled to hide her uneven breath as she slowed down to walking, giving him a cordial smile.

He laughed. “Don’t let me keep you from your morning run.”  He gave her a playful wink.  “Go on ahead.  I only hope they’re as excited about tomorrow as you are.”

Her cheeks flooded with color as a grin broke across her face. “I know he will!”  She let out a giddy laugh as she hurried to the inn, throwing the door open and flying up the stairs.  She bounced on the balls of her feet as she rapped on the door.

Gray answered, stifling a yawn. The top half of his coveralls hadn’t been fastened yet; the sleeves were tied around his waist and he was brushing toast crumbs off of his shirt underneath.  His expression was curious but watchful as he saw her in her wide-eyed excited glory.  “Haven’t seen you in a while, Claire.  It’s unusual to see you here this early…”  He tugged on the bill of his hat.

“Hi!” Claire didn’t have time for long greetings and pleasantries.  She looked past Gray and spied Cliff sitting cross-legged on the middle of his bed, brushing out his hair.  The young man was staring out of the window dreamily.  “Cliff!”

His eyes widened at the sound and volume of his friend’s voice; her energy was surprising. “C-Claire?”  He looked up at her, the faint light of hope in his eyes still burning.  At seeing her smile, his lips instinctively began to upturn as well, albeit very cautiously.

She ran to his bedside and boldly planted herself on the foot of the bed, grinning. “Good news!  Part-time work!  Duke’s!  Tomorrow!  Come with me!”  She bounced on the old bed with each exclamation and it squeaked loudly.

“Wait, what?” Cliff dropped his brush and stared at her, his body trembling as he prayed he had heard correctly over the noisy springs in the mattress.

“I’m helping Duke harvest grapes at the winery tomorrow and he told me to bring a friend and we’d get paid! Come with me!”  Claire said it all in one breath and gave the bed one final bounce for emphasis.

At her final jolt, he seemed to snap out of his haze. “Are you serious?”  He hesitated, afraid to allow his excitement to grow out of control.

It was inevitable for his pulse to skyrocket; Claire took his hands in hers and gave them a friendly squeeze in her enthusiasm. “Dead serious.  Come with me,” she repeated, and her voice softened.

He looked at the young woman. With rosy cheeks and bright eyes, she positively glowing and her breathing was elevated as she waited for a response.  Cliff was silent as he collected his thoughts for a moment.  He stared down at the pattern on his green comforter.  Temporary work, while nice, wasn’t something he could rely on too heavily.  After all, he had been struggling to find work in town up until now. 

_This might be all I’ve got. Duke and Manna seem friendly enough.  If I can show them that I’m a hard worker…_

He looked back up at Claire and his brow was furrowed, his deep blue eyes intense. “Alright!  Let’s do this!”  He stood up and began haphazardly gathering his work gloves and canteen in his bag while he carried a thin strip of leather in his mouth for tying back his hair.

Claire grinned; her friend was usually so organized, and she could see that his exhilaration had left him flustered. “The job isn’t until tomorrow,” Claire reminded him with a playful giggle.

This didn’t deter him from his excitable behavior; he was shaking with adrenaline. He began to pace around the bed, energy humming through him like electricity.  Should he even dare think that work could end up lasting for longer than one day?  The words tumbled out of his mouth as he turned to look at her.  “How long do you think they will need someone around for the harvest?  I walk past there every day and I can see that they’ve got a lot of grapes.  I wonder if they want to do them all in one day.”  He gathered his brown locks in his hands and pulled them back impatiently.

“Duke said he used to handle it all himself, but he didn’t say how long it took,” she admitted, kneeling on the bed. “He did complain that without his daughter around anymore, it’s been a lot for two people to handle…”

Cliff’s trembling hands gripped her shoulders and Claire stifled a surprised gasp. “Do you think...?!”  His voice cracked as he stared at his friend longingly.  He was too afraid to finish the last of his sentence.  Realizing he was holding her tighter than was probably comfortable, he eased up his hold.  Before he removed his hands, he was startled to feel Claire cover his with her own.  They were still resting on her shoulders, as if silently begging him not to let go.

“Do I think it might lead to something good? Yes!” she replied with elation, slowly standing up from the bed, but not removing her hands.  She couldn’t hold back her grin and she felt her eyes well with tears at the hope and joy overflowing in her heart.  She patted his hands.  “I mean, it _has_ to, right?  I prayed all yesterday…”

Cliff gulped.

_But I thought the gods didn’t want me… to be here…_

_No._

_I have to fight. I have to try._

She was startled when Cliff threw his arms around her and squeezed her so hard he lifted her off of the floor. It felt so good to see him smile again and share his happiness and hope with her.  She let out a shriek of joy and giggled.

“You need to save all that energy for tomorrow, man.” Gray shook his head and lightly chuckled from his corner of the room as he looked up from buttoning up his coveralls.

“I will definitely have energy for tomorrow.” Cliff felt like he could scale Mother’s Hill in less than five minutes. The jolt of hope for the future buzzed through him and he squeezed Claire again.

Her heart felt light, yet she couldn’t help but feel like crying. She could see the rowdy young boy in his eyes again, that headstrong flicker of a young man that had set forth to create his own destiny.  It wasn’t until she saw the determination in her eyes that she realized she had feared she would never see that again.  His light was back, and it was burning brightly.  She leaned into him.  “So we’ll meet tomorrow morning, okay?  He wants us there by ten.  Come over to my house at eight-thirty; I’ll make us a big breakfast!”

“I’m looking forward to it!” He gave her one last squeeze.

Claire turned to leave, but Gray stopped her.

“Hey, I’ll buy us all coffee or tea. I’ve got time before I’ve got to go to work.” Claire had never seen such kindness in the blacksmith’s eyes.

“Okay!” Cliff was suddenly eager to be around everyone.

“On second thought, maybe he doesn’t need any caffeine,” Gray rolled his eyes as the trio left the bedroom.

Ann was standing in the hallway, her broom resting on her shoulder. “I almost came in there, you know,” she glared at the three of them.  “What were you all doing?  Jumping on the mattresses?”

“Yes, Ann. Three grown adults were jumping on the beds like a bunch of five-year-olds,” Gray deadpanned.

“Well, cut it out then! It was starting to sound… _unseemly_!”  Ann let out a fake gasp of shock.

“If you don’t want to have to hear it, get us some better beds,” Gray replied with a smirk.

The redhead pretended to swoon and gave him a playful swat on the arm, leading the way down the hallway. “Are you guys headed out already?”  She noticed the not-so-subtle excitement on all of their faces and was dying to hear the news.

“Just having some celebratory coffee,” Gray explained.

“Oh?” Ann was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

Cliff nodded with a grin. “Yeah.  You see, Claire found me some part-time work at Duke’s tomorrow-”

His words were cut off as Ann threw her arms around him in a deep embrace, knocking the wind out of him. “Wow, a job!  Awesome!  How long are you going to be employed?  Do you think he’ll be looking to hire you on for the season?”

He could hardly speak as she squeezed him tighter. “I-I’m not really sure…”  He took a deep breath as Ann moved to Claire, squealing and cheering as she hugged her as well.

“Oh, Claire! I knew you’d find a solution!  You’re always so smart!” 

The blonde shook her head with a giggle. “I don’t think intelligence has anything to do-”

She was interrupted as Ann tore ahead of them and ran down the stairs so quickly it sounded like she had fallen down them.

“Dad, Dad, Dad! Big news!”

Doug looked up from the bar counter. “What, what, what?” he asked in a teasing manner, a smile hidden beneath his moustache.

“Are you guys coming or not?!” Ann groaned impatiently as the others finished coming down the stairs and approached the bar.

 “Coffee?” Doug asked politely as they climbed up on the bar stools.

Gray nodded. “Black.  You, too, Claire?”

“I’d like some chai tea please.” She smiled up at Doug as he passed Gray his simple order.  “Actually, could you make that a chai latte?”

“Sure thing. Cliff?”

“Straight matcha, please.”

Ann let out an exasperated groan. “Come on, _tell_ him!”  She pulled herself onto a stool and kicked her feet to burn her excess energy.

Cliff gave Ann a mischievous grin. Playfully testing her patience was a regular lighthearted prank around the inn, similar to the way she would lightly scold the roommates for leaving their shared room in anything but pristine condition.

“Me and Claire are going to the winery tomorrow to harvest grapes with Duke. It’s just a temporary job as far as I know.”

“But it could lead to something nice!” Ann nodded along with Claire.  She reached over toward Cliff and instinctively wrapped her fingers around his thick ponytail.  She stopped herself before she gave his hair a tug and opted for resting her arm along his shoulders instead.  He turned to give her a small smile and she felt a small victory for consciously making a more mature decision.

“That’s definitely a possibility,” Doug replied carefully, passing Claire her latte, “but we need to just celebrate today.” He proceeded to whisk the matcha for Cliff.

The door to the inn creaked open and a friendly but cautious Harris gave Doug a wave before sitting at a table. Ann turned around and frowned a bit, pulling Cliff a little closer before bouncing up from her stool and joining her father behind the bar.

“I’ve got the tea, Dad.”

Doug’s eyes flicked across the room. He gave his daughter a sad smile.  “Sure.”

The hesitancy vanished from Ann’s face as she located a fresh mug, placing it on a saucer. “Here ya go!” she chirped.

Claire’s smile vanished a bit as she remembered Doug mentioning that Ann had gone to watch the full moon with Popuri. She watched as Ann passed the tea along to Cliff and a curious Gray took a sniff of it, trying to remember how long it had been since he had been to his grandfather’s for bitter tea.

Ann watched as both men refused sips of each other’s drinks and laughed, the prospects of hope for the future creating a much more lighthearted mood. Ann noticed that Claire was still watching her curiously, idling stirring her chai with her spoon, waiting for it to cool.

“It was mutual,” Ann finally said quietly. “He practically finished my sentence for me when I finally talked to him…  No hard feelings.  He was very polite about the whole thing, and even Thomas stopped by to see how I was feeling the morning after.”

“Are you doing okay?” Claire asked gently, searching Ann’s face and noticing a slight furrow of her red brows.

She let out a small sigh. “Yeah…  I guess it’s gonna take a little time.  I talked to Mary and a lot of things started to make more sense.  I’m not really sure what I’m mourning, though.  I suppose in a way, that makes me kind of sad,” she admitted quietly.  “I never really got him to open up…  I just… wanted to be the light in someone’s day, I guess.”  Her eyes drifted to Cliff, who was in a conversation with Gray.  “This isn’t the first time I’ve failed with that.”

Claire gave her friend a sad smile. “A lot of people see you that way.  Do you think the inn would be as busy as it is if they didn’t?”

A light blush rose in Ann’s cheeks, but she stuck out her tongue. “Well, my dad _is_ a really good cook…  And I ain’t too shabby myself!”

“No one wants to eat good food around someone who isn’t friendly,” Claire pointed out. “You make them feel at home and welcome.”

Ann gave her a more genuine smile.  “I sure try, at least…”  She looked back over at her father, who was chatting with Harris.  Despite what had happened, she was glad the men’s friendship hadn’t changed.  “At least Dad hasn’t mentioned anything about me needing to find a boyfriend anymore.”  She gave Claire a wry smile.  “I’ll give him two weeks.”

0o0o0o0

“Good morning, Claire,” Duke greeted them as they entered the vineyard. “Ah, here’s a familiar face… Cliff Yamamoto, right?”

The young man nodded, and Claire realized how rarely people in Mineral Town used their last names.

“Doug’s told me a bit about you, and I’ve seen you with Claire around town a lot… So, what’s Cliff short for, anyway?  Clifford?  Clifton?”

The young man shook his head and cringed as he spoke. “Cliffgard.”  His voice was scarcely a whisper.  “B-but just Cliff is fine!” he added quickly.

“Alright, Claire and ‘Just Cliff’, are you ready to work hard today? I’ve got a vineyard full of grapes.”

“Of course!” His face lit up; Claire knew he was eager to prove himself. They followed Duke out to the trellises of grapes.  Cliff turned to face his friend and grinned at her playfully.  “No slacking off, now!”  He gave her a hearty slap on the back.

“Yes, sir!” she giggled.

0o0o0o0

It was simple, methodical work – clip the grapes that were ripe and drop them into the basket. Identifying the grapes ready for picking was easy enough, and the cool breeze and pleasant weather made it comfortable enough to daydream as she worked.

That gentle touch… his soft breath in her ear…

Goosebumps traveled up her arms as she cast Cliff a quick gaze. She watched the autumn sunlight play with his hair and she dropped another cluster of grapes with a small blush, wondering if she should invite him over again soon.

How would he feel if she ran her fingers through those locks? Up and down his back?

A glow filled her heart as she turned back toward the grapes, but a slight brush against her back caught her attention.

“Ah… how’s it going?”

She couldn’t help but notice that Cliff didn’t apologize for bumping her with his arm. His muscles were flexed as he held the basket of grapes, and she couldn’t tell if the rosiness in his cheeks was from exertion or if he was blushing.

“There are a lot of grapes, huh?” Claire inwardly cringed at her obvious remark.

“I thought we agreed on no _wine-ing_ ,” Cliff gave her a playful wink.

She blinked at him, wondering if he thought she was really complaining.

He stifled a chuckle. “That’s for Duke to do when he works the presses in the cellar, right? _Wine-ing_?” he repeated for emphasis.

Claire shook her head with a laugh. “Get back to work!”

His eyes glowed at her as he hurried off with the basket and retrieved a fresh one. He brushed against her once more.  “Hey, I thought it was pretty _grape_.  It sounded _vine_ to me.”

She playfully bumped him with her hip. “It seems like all of your ideas for bad jokes are coming to _fruition_.”

Cliff considered this. “Hmmm… _almost_ , Claire.”

“Oh, come on! That was a good one!”  A smirk played at her lips.  “A total case of sour grapes!”

A roaring laughter caused the pair to jump. Duke set down his clippers and wiped a tear from his eye.  “Ah, I didn’t realize I was going to get a comedy routine when I hired you two!”

Cliff turned a bright shade of red and shifted his basket in his hands as he scurried back to his work station. “Ah, s-sorry, Sir!”

Duke gave him a clap on the shoulder as he walked past. “Don’t be!  What’s work without a little fun, after all?”

Claire was delighted to see Cliff relax a bit, and as they all worked together, they took turns telling stories. Duke shared a tale about a young Karen and Popuri getting lost in the vineyard during a round of hide and seek.  Claire mused about some of Koro’s antics, and Cliff told a story of him and his sister foraging for honey and being chased by a swarm of bees.  The tale ended in laughter, but Claire could tell from the strain in his voice that he was putting up a happy front to hide his nervousness.

Manna came out from the shop that afternoon, turning the sign on the door to “closed” and grabbing a basket of her own. She let out a surprised gasp at the quantity of completed bushels waiting by the cellar.

“Look at you two! You’re like a couple of machines!”  Manna commented.  “You’re really fast!  I don’t think we’ve ever been this far along so early!  It sure takes a load off of my shoulders.  Between you and me, this large harvesting day always has me a bit nervous because there’s so much to do.  It gets a little overwhelming.  But I guess it’s like they say – one step at a time – or should I say one basket at a time?” Manna giggled at her own joke.

Duke shook his head. “You missed the comedy routine earlier, Honey.”

Cliff’s cheeks immediately became pink again as he ducked his head, throwing himself into his work. Claire couldn’t help but notice that she felt a little flushed as well.

“You’re doing such a great job; why don’t we all take a quick break to have some lunch?” Duke had filled a pitcher from the water pump while Manna went inside to prepare something to eat for her and her spouse.

“Thank you very much!” Claire didn’t realize how thirsty she was. She accepted the glass of water and plopped down on the ground in the shade of a large decorative arbor covered with grape vines.  She looked up at the canopy of grapes hanging above her and let out a happy sigh, retrieving her lunch from her bag.  “This place is very beautiful, Duke.”

“Thank you,” the owner beamed. He handed the other glass of water to Cliff, who thanked him.  Duke took a seat on a barrel, hiding a smirk at how closely the two friends sat.

“Do you have to maintain the vines in the winter?” Cliff asked him, taking a drink of his water. He was admiring the vines as well.  The wind played at the rich, deep green leaves.  He could see a place like this being comfortable to visit every day…

Duke stretched his back with a groan. “A bit.  Fall is our busiest season, though.  We spend a lot of winter planning for the next season and checking the soil levels for erosion.  Of course, we also are monitoring the wine we make year-round.  We have many unique varieties, and each one is treated a little differently.”

Cliff’s heart pounded in his throat. “S-so… you keep pretty busy throughout the whole year, then?”

Claire was about to loop her arm around Cliff’s, but decided against it in the work setting. She opened a package of rice balls and bit into one heartily.

Duke nodded. “There is always plenty of work to do around here, no matter the season…”  He paused, eyeing up the young man as he tried to remember the details about him Doug had mentioned to him in the past.  “You’re not employed right now, are you, Cliff?”

Cliff gulped, his posture becoming erect as he shook his head. “No, Sir, but I’m definitely looking for work.”  He prayed that he didn’t sound desperate, and he felt a small swell of pride for not stuttering. 

Claire held her breath.

“I see…” Duke smiled at him, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.  “Well, we really appreciate the help from both of you today.  Take a few minutes to relax; I’ll be out in a bit with some more baskets.”  He gave them a warm smile and one last gaze before heading back into the house.

Cliff’s shoulders slouched and he sighed as Duke closed the door and the tension was gone. “Ah…  I-I thought he was going somewhere with that…”

Claire caught the wounded look in his eyes. The light there was flickering, unstable.  She wrapped her arm around his.  “Hey… he sounded interested,” she whispered optimistically, handing him a rice ball.

He accepted the food with a small sigh and quiet thanks. “You really think so?”  The hint of a smile played at his lips.

It was endearing. Claire grinned, peeking toward the house before leaning over and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.  “Sure, don’t lose hope!”

_Duke had to be interested… He just had to…_

It took Cliff a moment to register what Claire had done. He blinked in surprise and placed his hand on his cheek, his face flooding with color.  “Y-yeah!”  A joyful smile cracked across his face and he gave her a squeeze, the rice ball in his hand uneaten. 

Claire couldn’t wipe the silly smile off of her own lips. “H-hey…  I filled those with smoked salmon.”  She attempted to entice him.

She laughed when he happily dug into the food and she scooted the full container of onigiri between them.

0o0o0o0

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly for Claire; there was a lot less tension in the air. The four of them worked until early evening, and it wasn’t long before baskets full of grapes filled the vineyard.  Claire set down her clippers with stiff and aching fingers, wishing for another hand massage from Cliff.

“I think that’s enough work for today,” Duke smiled. “Please, come inside.  We’ve got a little something for the two of you.”

The friends followed him into the house. Manna had the table set with fancy stemware and a cheese tray.  “Please have a seat!”  She gave them a cheery grin, the promises of a celebration renewing her energy.  “We thought you could use some refreshments after all that hard work.  It’s not every day you’re out in the vineyard for so long, even for me and Duke.  We appreciate it so much!  There was no way we would have been able to get even half that much done with just the two of us!”

Claire glowed as she took a seat at the table. The cushion on her seat felt lovely and she felt herself drooling at the array of cheeses, fruit, and crackers on the table.

“You two did a fine job today. I don’t think we’ve had such a huge crop before.”  Duke poured them each a glass of wine.  “Moscato – sweet, fruity, crisp.  I hope you like it.”

Claire looked outside at the rows of baskets and was surprised at the quantity. She took a sip from her glass.  The wine was pleasant and reminded her of a bit of sweet grape juice.  She looked over at Cliff and her smile faded a bit.  He took a sip of his drink to be polite, but Claire could read the sudden nervousness on his face.  She reached for his hand under the table and held it.  He was trembling, and she had a feeling it wasn’t from hunger.

“Hey Cliff, can I have a word with you for a moment?” Duke’s sudden voice made the young man jump.

Gulping, he nodded, and stood up shakily as Duke ushered him out of the room and closed the door.

Claire’s heart stopped. She dropped the piece of cheese she was holding and the world stood still for several moments.  She nearly fell out of her chair when Manna’s perky voice broke the silence.

“Those cabernet sauvignon were quite a task, no? It looks like Duke’s broom waving and screaming at those starlings paid off; we were able to save a lot of them.  Of course, if we had a more efficient way to get rid of them, we’d be doing even better.  Duke’s pretty excited about this season’s harvest, and we’ve been talking about expanding the vineyard recently.  There’s a lot of empty soil that’s just begging for more vines.  Of course, Duke just talks about all of these things like they’ll magically be done – he often forgets how much hard work goes into setting up the supports for the vines.  But I will say that it’s nice to hear him excited about something again; it can get rather dull around here with just the two of us doing the same thing every day, so I am pretty happy for him…”

Claire’s mind began to wander as she nodded, taking a sip from her glass.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Manna laughed, and Claire jumped with a start.  “Here is your portion of the payment for today.”  She handed her an envelope.

Claire looked inside and her eyes widened; Cliff would be able to pay a weeks’ rent with his portion. She opened her mouth to speak, but Manna spoke over her.

“We are very happy and grateful that you came to help us out today. Sometimes it’s nice having a couple extra sets of hands around here to help get the work done.  I mean, Duke is no spring chicken, but he’s out there every day, monitoring the vines.  It’s really good that you were able to take the time out of your busy schedule to give him a hand.  I worry about him sometimes; that’s why I suggested that he ask you for help this year, and I’m really glad that he did.”

“T-thank you,” Claire stammered.

The door flew open and Claire was startled again. Her heart was pounding in her throat.

“Great! So I’ll see you here tomorrow morning.”  Duke slapped Cliff’s shoulder.

“Yes, sir!” Cliff was beaming. He hurried over to her friend, grasping her hands in his.  “Claire!  Duke offered me a full-time job at the winery!”

Her jaw fell open in surprise and she suddenly felt as if she was flying. The heavy weight that had been crushing her heart had lifted all at once. 

_If Cliff has a job, he can pay rent._

_He can stay here._

_He can stay home._

“W-wow! That’s wonderful!”  She blinked away happy tears.  She bounced up from her seat to give Cliff a hug, and was surprised when he picked her up and stepped away from the furniture, swinging her around in a circle.

Claire was immediately reminded of their dance at the Fireworks Festival, and she felt as if she could see stars and fireworks right now in his blue eyes. She threw her arms around him with a grateful laugh that began to turn dangerously close to a sob.

“I’m glad I could make you both so happy,” Duke laughed, and Manna rested a loving hand on her husband’s shoulder. The spouses’ eyes met and they smiled at one another.

“I promise I will work as hard as I can for you,” Cliff said to the owners earnestly with a polite bow of the head.

“I have no doubt about that if today is any indication.” Duke gave Cliff a hearty grin.  “Doug says that you’re a good guy, and if you’re friends with Claire, then I am certain you’ll be a good fit for us.”  He gave Cliff a nod of finality.

“And I will make you proud, too, Claire.” He squeezed her hands and she could feel the energy from him humming.  “Thank you for bringing me here today, and thank you all for the opportunity.”  His voice began to crack and when Claire’s eyes met his, she saw that they were especially shiny.

“Well, what are we waiting for? We have a lot to celebrate,” Manna poured another round of wine.  “Feel free to help yourself.  Duke and I actually decided to hire you earlier today and I even snuck to the inn next door and ordered a cake.  We are really excited to have you join our family!”

There was a rush of emotion that caught Cliff by surprise. His jaw dropped in shock as he tried to process Manna’s seemingly causal words.  This was all so much…  “J-join your family?” Cliff stammered, ducking his head.

“Of course!” Manna exclaimed. “You don’t think we would hire just anyone to work in our winery, do you?  We are eager to have you here working with us.  Come on; let’s have some of that cake!”

As they sat down, Cliff’s head buzzed with emotions, wondering if he was truly awake.

0o0o0o0

Cliff’s head continued to swim as he walked hand in hand with Claire to her house, where she picked up the bottle of wine that she purchased the week before for Karen’s birthday. She explained that Karen was going to have a get-together at the bar that evening.

“Manna said that this is Karen’s favorite,” Claire explained with a grin. She had lamented days ago that she hadn’t had the spirit to craft a handmade gift for Karen with all of the emotional turmoil she had been going through.  However, in that moment, her heart felt light and she didn’t have a care in the world.

“I don’t have anything to give her…” He shyly hung his head, letting out a regretful sigh.  “Maybe she won’t want to see me after what happened last time…”

Even the image of Karen slapping Cliff didn’t break Claire’s spirits. “I think that the perfect gift would be the news that you have a job now, don’t you think?”

Cliff gave her a hesitant smile as they headed back outside. A cluster of wildflowers was growing by the bank of the stream by her house.  “I-is it okay if I pick her some of those?  I feel like I at least owe her an apology…”

She gave a nod he headed over to the blue blossoms. “Of course.  I have something inside we can tie them with.”

Claire darted inside and untied the ribbon from the basket Kai had given her when she was sick. When she met him at the water’s edge, he already had a large bundle of the flowers ready.

“Thank you.” He accepted the plaid ribbon with a smile and carefully tied a bow.

Claire admired the deep blue petals and sniffed them with a sigh. “Ah, she’ll love this; it’s really pretty.”  Autumn truly was a beautiful time of year, and now that she was living where there was a lot more nature, she had learned that the season wasn’t a signal of things dying off – there were so many nuts, mushrooms, and wildflowers she had never seen before.

Cliff gave her a warm smile, and she noticed he had one more bloom in his hand.

“I don’t think you can tuck any more in there. You tied it pretty tight,” Claire giggled at him.

The young man shook his head and his eyes quickly moved to the ground, his cheeks burning. “Uh…  Claire, would you mind holding this bouquet for a moment?”

She looked at him curiously, but something about his mannerisms caused her heart to hammer in her chest. “Sure…”  She relieved him of the flowers and looked down at the bundle, admiring its beauty.

Cliff broke the stem of the flower, shortening it significantly as he nervously leaned in toward his friend. “Th-this is for you…”  His fingers were trembling as he tucked the flower behind the young woman’s ear.  His face was bright red, and Claire noticed her own cheeks felt uncomfortably warm.  “Ah, I’m sorry!  I-It was so pretty that I c-couldn’t help myself…”  A pleased smile crossed his lips as he noticed the flower brought out the color in her eyes.  “It looks nice…”

She instinctively wanted to touch it, but she didn’t want to knock it out of place. “Th-Thank you,” she stammered, twisting a blonde lock of hair around her finger that came loose from her ponytail.  They sat in silence for a minute, neither sure what to say.

“W-Well… I guess we better head to the bar now, huh?”  The young man let out a nervous chuckle as he pulled himself up.

“Yeah… Karen will like these flowers,” Claire looked at the bundle in her arms.

Her friend extended a hand to help her up and she accepted it. She noticed that she was still holding his hand as they passed through her property, but she found that she rather liked it.  His touch was warm and friendly; she relished the fact that he wasn’t going anywhere and she would never take his presence for granted.  She didn’t want to ever let him go.

0o0o0o0

“I was starting to wonder what was taking you two so long,” Karen finished her beer and slammed the mug on the table. She cocked an eyebrow when she saw they were holding hands, but she didn’t say anything aloud.

“Happy birthday!” Claire shoved the bottle of wine in her face.

“Oooh, thank you!” Karen squeezed her and gave her a smooch on the forehead, messing up her bangs. “I have the sweetest best friend in the world!”  She looked over at Cliff, and there was a moment of silent tension.  Claire held her breath and jumped when Karen’s hug moved to Cliff as she accepted the bouquet.  “And what beautiful flowers!  What a sweet, sweet gift!  Cliff, you didn’t have to get me anything!”  She placed a gentle hand on his cheek and her voice lowered.  “Hey… I’m sorry I slapped you the other day.  You were… kinda asking for it, though.”

He hung his head in shame. “I know…  I’m sorry.”

“Hey…” She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek where she had struck him before.  “Let’s just have a good time tonight, okay?”  For all she knew, this was the last social outing that Cliff was going to attend in Mineral Town; she wasn’t about to mar the event with arguments.  She gave him one last kiss.

“I think she’s just feeling good because she’s already had two merlots,” Gray whispered into his roommate’s ear as the two took seats beside each other at the table.

“I heard that!” Karen rolled her eyes. “I see you have box for me, Gray.  Gift me!” She snapped her fingers and beckoned him to come over.

Claire was surprised he had brought her something; she never really thought of the two as friends, as they often quarreled when they were together. Claire did notice that Karen had stopped grumbling about Gray so much as she felt her crush for him fade away.

Karen removed the lid from the box and almost dropped the contents in her surprise. Her jaw dropped slightly and she blinked rapidly before looking up at him.

“R-really, Gray?”

A hint of a smirk played at the corner of his mouth. “Well, yeah…  I figured since you’re kind of an apprentice, too, now…  Although I think Claire’s crazy for taking on that challenge…”

Claire watched with interest. The box tumbled off of Karen’s lap as she held up the shiny metal spatula for everyone to see, her eyes glowing.  It took a moment for his words to register when she have him a sharp pout, giving his arm a light swat with the utensil.

“Just… don’t look too closely or you’ll see where the left side is thinner than the right…” Gray’s face turned pink as he looked away.

“Aw, it’s just got personality!” Karen chirped, turning it over in her hands. “We’re both still learning, see?”  She tugged on the bill of his hat playfully.

Gray rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his lips. “Yeah, yeah…  Just don’t hurt anyone with it.”

“It doesn’t look sharp to me,” Karen replied, imitating a flipping motion with the tool.

“I was referring to the results – not the tool itself,” he quipped with a teasing chuckle.

Rick burst into laughter a little too loudly and Karen’s hair flicked into her face as she lashed her head to give him a stern look.

“You’re getting the first batch of cookies I make.” Karen’s voice was low and threatening until her façade broke and her scolding turned into a giggle.

“What did Rick get for you?” Claire asked.

“He agreed to pick up my tab today; I’m going to make him sorry he agreed to that! You only turn twenty-five once!”  Karen roared with laughter.  “He also got me this.”  She pointed to the necklace she was wearing.  It was a simple golden chain with a brightly colored jewel in the middle.  The rock changed color depending on what angle it was viewed from.  While it looked like something Karen would like, she was a little shocked Rick had selected it for her.

“Oh, that’s beautiful,” she murmured. “Rick sure spoils you, huh?”

“You bet!” She winked as her boyfriend took a seat by her.

“I picked it out,” Popuri said proudly, scooting a chair to the table.

There was a buzz of activity as the group engaged in conversation. A small pile of offerings sat beside Karen, and Claire reasoned that their arrival would likely be the last one of the night.  She couldn’t wait any longer, and she noticed Cliff was fidgeting with excitement.  “Hey, everyone, Cliff’s got some news!” Claire hollered over the din of the bar.

Everyone fell silent and Claire felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment for being so loud.

“Wow, look at you Claire – so in command today,” Karen giggled. “I like it.  So, what’s up?”

Cliff’s face lit up. “Duke offered me a full-time job at the winery today.  I-I’m…  I’m going to stay in town!”  His voice was shaking.  He wasn’t expecting the rush of friends hugging and congratulating him, asking him questions more quickly than he could answer.

Claire smiled. He had a lot more friends than he thought.

_This can be your home._

“Well, thanks for upstaging my birthday,” Karen teased, ruffling his hair. She gave him a big hug.  “Seriously, though.  I’m really glad you’re staying.”  Her voice became gentle as she pulled him close.

“Are you serious?!” Ann had come over and was passing out some drinks. She wiped a tear out of her eye and smothered him.  “I’m so happy!  See, I told you that you’d get the job!  I was just telling Dad that Duke would have to be an idiot not to hire you permanently.  You’ve gotta tell Dad right away!”  She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to the kitchen. 

Everyone at the table began chattering away happily, and Claire got lost in the loving, celebratory feeling.

“Claire, I’m really happy for both of you.” She was startled by Gray’s sudden voice.  He sat down in Cliff’s empty chair and put his hands in his lap.  “I know that you’re really… close with Cliff.”  Gray tugged on his hat.  “He was pretty upset for the past few weeks, and it seemed like nothing could snap him out of it.”  He flashed her a genuine smile.  “Everyone had a rough time when he was leaving, but you stuck with him.  It might not mean much from me, but… th-thanks.”

Claire’s heart soared as she watched Cliff and Ann walk back from the kitchen together.

“I’m just happy to have him back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Ah, that was satisfying to write! Lots of stuff crammed into this chapter! I really hope you enjoyed. :)
> 
> As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been updating this story like crazy. I want to post a special chapter for this Wednesday, which will be the 10 year anniversary of this story. I hope you all are looking forward to it.
> 
> A special thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this. I know I say it all the time, but seriously, it motivates me so much to know that this story is bringing joy to others. I hope it made you smile. :)
> 
> See y’all on Wednesday!


	90. You're My Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It finally starts to soak in with Cliff and Claire that he is not leaving.

The hour had grown late and Claire finished off the remaining hot cider in her glass, focusing on the warm, cozy feeling it left behind. Throwing her caution to the wind tonight, she lost track of time, and the last thing on her mind was what time she planned to be up the next morning.

“Wow, you remember that too, right, Gray?” Karen laughed, leaning across the table with a snort. “Ann must’ve come here and pretended not to notice that we cut off her braid.”

Ann took a heavy drink from her own glass and shook her head, laughing. “Yeah, Dad didn’t buy that for one second.  I really didn’t mind shorter hair, except that I couldn’t pull it all out of my face.  I wore a hat to keep my hair out of my eyes.”

“Ah, the year of the beanie,” Rick sighed nostalgically with a chuckle. “And that braid was stuck in that tree for the next few months!”

Claire felt a warm hand squeeze hers and Cliff leaned in to whisper to her. “Wanna get out of here?”

His warm breath in her ear made her go a bit limp, the round of silly stories suddenly sounding a lot less interesting than the alternative. Popuri had already left a while ago, so Claire reasoned it wouldn’t be too rude to leave the party.  “Uh-huh…”

They caught the eye of Karen, who said nothing but gave them a hint of a smirk and a wink as she gave them silent permission to leave. Noticing that the others were in rowdy conversation, Cliff’s gaze flicked over them before quietly standing up and offering her his hand.  He slightly cocked his head toward the stairs, wordlessly asking if she’d like to go there.

Claire nodded, accepting his hand and leaning into him a bit as they quietly made their way up. Her heart felt a strange combination of giddiness and relaxation, and all of the activities from the day flooded her mind.  Cliff was staying.  He had an income now.  While it was happy news she had been dying to hear, it was a lot to take in.  Claire gave him a kind smile as he opened his bedroom door for her, turning on the light and gesturing for her to head inside.  She immediately kicked off her boots, eager to relax.

He quickly followed suit, removing his moccasins and leg wraps. “Long day, huh?”

Claire untied and ruffled her hair, letting it run through her fingers and down her back as she sighed. The blue flower Cliff had tucked into her locks earlier fell loose and she placed it carefully on the table.  “Definitely.”  She unfastened a couple of buttons on her flannel shirt, inhaling the scent of the room.  Smoked fish, dried herbs, clean laundry, and a hint of machine oil and coal – Cliff’s room.  A smile spread across her lips.

Upon seeing her get more comfortable, Cliff removed his bracers and outer hide tunic, the sheer joy in his heart leaving him warm. He returned to her, silently throwing his arms around her in a deep embrace.

Neither of them could think of words for the moment; they were simply happy to be in each other’s presence and took comfort in the fact that they weren’t going to be torn apart.

Claire buried her face into the crook of his neck. “Never leave me,” she murmured, the tears threatening to come as she stroked the fabric of his cotton undershirt.

His fingers gently stroked the nape of her neck as he realized just how much his potential leaving had torn her.

_I really was a monster…_

“Oh, Claire…”

She held him tighter with an ache in her heart. “Promise.”

He let go of her and instinctively held out a pinky, unable to shake the image of his sister frowning at him with wide blue eyes. He wouldn’t let her go – never again.  “I pinky promise.”

A smile played at the corners of her mouth. “You understand the seriousness of this vow?”  A light chuckle escaped her lips, chasing away the lump that was threatening to form in her throat.

“Do _you_?  No giggling now.”  A grin spread across his face anyway.  He didn’t realize just how much he had been dying to say it.  “I pinky promise I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Claire echoed, a peaceful warmth filling her heart as they wrapped their fingers around one another’s. They stood like that for a moment, lost in each other’s eyes.  The nightmare of his potential leaving already felt so far away.

His voice sobered. “I won’t leave your side, Claire.  Ever.  I realized you’re far too important to me for me to ever do that.”  All of the things he had been through and the ways he had changed – he would be a fool to credit himself for all of the positive changes in his life.  One driving force had definitely been her smiling face and gentle heart.

And perhaps the gods weren’t completely against him, either. It was a lot to take in, and he wasn’t quite sure if he still believed it…

She snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him close, a little drunk on the feeling his words had released. “Good, because I wouldn’t let you leave even if you tried.  I’m not leaving you, either.”

Her closeness shook him from his thoughts and he let out a delighted chuckle, relaxing into her. In their mirth, they tumbled over onto his bed together, the mattress creaking loudly as Claire let out a yelp in surprise.  She quickly dissolved into giggles as he pulled her closer to him, and they both immediately fell silent, a little unsure of where to go from there.  The two lay on the bed together, their arms wrapping the other’s torso while their eyes locked once more, and their breaths were nearly panting in excitement.

She had never lain down beside a man in his bed before, but she found it was comfortable. This was Cliff, after all.  He was safety, he was tenderness, and he was her very definition of genuine kindness.  Still, she found herself a little unsure of what she was expecting.  Had she essentially asked him to be her lover?  Shouldn’t she have asked something like that more formally?  Had he accepted?  Did he even read into that question that way?  What had she even originally thought of it as she asked?  What was supposed to happen now?  Her head was spinning.

Cliff’s mind was reeling with thoughts as well. Was he taking advantage of her because they were both tired right now?  Had he been too bold to state that she was so important to him?  Did she think that his idea to pinky promise trivialized the pain she had gone through earlier when he was planning on leaving town?  Maybe he needed to convince her in some other way…

“How are you feeling?” His voice broke the silence.

She buried her face into his chest and grinned. “Happy.”

She felt the vibrations as he let out a soft chuckle. He gulped; something about the moment felt so perfect that he couldn’t help himself.  He removed her hand from his shoulder and brushed his lips against her knuckles, giving them a gentle kiss.  He swallowed, his face burning.  “Y’know… when I think of happiness… my mind keeps coming back to you.”

“Cliff…” Her voice was muffled as she gasped into his chest, holding him tighter.  His words made her swoon a bit.  “You’re my happiness, too…”  She was so overjoyed that she could cry.

Cliff’s eyes snapped open and he found himself trembling with emotion at her declaration. They laid together in silence for a few minutes when he slowly sat up and looked deep in thought.  Claire’s heart began to pound in her throat; had she done or said something wrong?  She pulled herself into a sitting position and he turned to face her, his eyes searching hers desperately as he nervously balled his fists on his lap.  It was apparent something was on his mind.  The young woman was about to ask what was wrong when she noticed that his gaze had moved to her lips as he slowly leaned in toward her. 

“Claire, I…” His voice trailed off, unsure of how to finish his sentence.

She could feel her face getting hot, and she saw that he had stopped moving. Cliff simply looked up at her for a moment, and his eyes were etched with a combination of longing and nervousness.  It was then that she realized he was silently asking for permission and she found herself looking at his mouth desperately as well.  Claire could feel his warm breath on her lips and her skin prickled with goose bumps.  She met his eyes again with a pleading stare; the tension was too much…  She slowly closed her eyes as he gathered up his courage and their lips met.

Claire didn’t know if it lasted for seconds, minutes, or hours – all she knew was she didn’t want it to end. Nothing in the world felt sweeter than those shy lips pressed against hers.  They were each other’s happiness.  He wasn’t going anywhere, and Claire took comfort in this notion.  She could feel his mouth turning into a slight smile as he leaned into her a little more, stroking her cheek with quivering fingers.  She wondered if he was thinking the same thing.  Claire noticed how gentle Cliff was with her, and she felt like her entire body was going to melt.  Their eyes fluttered open and they smiled at each other as the kiss ended.  Claire’s heart continued to pound.  His face was so red, and his eyes were such an intense blue in contrast…

“W-wow…” His voice was breathless as he bashfully ducked his head.  He gulped, looking back up at her with wide eyes.  “I’ve wanted to do that for a _very_ long time,” he finally admitted, taking her hands in his.

Claire could feel that her face was easily just as flushed as his. “Me, too.”  She felt his posture relax a bit and stole a glance at the lips she had just touched with her own, a deep satisfaction settling in her heart. 

His fingers brushed lightly against her forearms as she let out a breathy sigh, relishing in the lovely sensations. His touch made her skin wake up and she got a fresh case of goose bumps along her arms.  Their eyes met and the affection in Cliff’s gaze left Claire a bit paralyzed.  This was a very different experience with the lights on.  He leaned in and she allowed her eyes to close as his lips lightly brushed hers, giving her but a shy ghost of a kiss.  It left her with a delightful shiver run up her spine and her eyes slowly opened to his smile.

“How are your hands feeling?” he asked softly, giving them a squeeze. His voice was mellow and dreamy; it soothed her.

“A little stiff,” Claire admitted. “I’m not used to that motion of using those clippers.  How about yours?”

He gave her a wry smile, flexing the muscles in his hands and fingers. “Same, but I’ll manage.”

“I know you will.” She gave his hands a soft massage and her lips turned upward, lightly squeezing his fingers between hers.  She was thrilled that their contact felt so comfortable and natural.  While her heart was still pounding from his kisses, there was a serene sense of deep joy and calm washing over her.  “Did you ever think you’d be harvesting grapes and making wine for a living?”

His soft chuckle sounded like music as his eyes locked onto hers. “No, but I didn’t think I’d ever meet someone as special as you, either.  I guess life can be full of pleasant surprises.”

She blushed deeply, lowering her eyes demurely as she was shocked at his candid words. “Very pleasant,” she agreed, butterflies fluttering about in her stomach.

He threw his arms around her and they sat for several minutes in silence, soaking in the moment. As time passed, they relaxed on the bed in each other’s embrace, taking turns rubbing each other’s tired hands and fingers as they lay side by side.  A quiet, but happy contentment surrounded them, and Claire’s eyelids felt heavy as she stifled a yawn.  Cliff pulled her a bit closer in response, resting his chin on the top of her blonde head, his tired eyes sliding shut with pure satisfaction.  She was warm and she smelled faintly of sweat and lavender.  The heavy weight lifted from his heart, and the young man silently thanked the gods, losing consciousness as he felt her slow, rhythmic breathing in his arms.

0o0o0o0

Cliff awoke to the sound of Gray plopping onto the mattress on the other side of the room, the bed creaking. Claire’s soft, muffled moan further dragged him from his sleeping.  He could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he realized his earlier conversation and activities with her hadn’t been a dream after all.  His pulse quickened in exhilaration at this, and he couldn’t help but give her a hug in his joy.

She let out a small hum of confusion as she slowly blinked in the dark, trying to catch her bearings. “Oh, we fell asleep, Cliff.  What time is it?” she slurred, curling up against him for warmth.

Her snuggling felt lovely. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek, earning a small gasp from her before turning his head toward the alarm clock on the far side of the room.

“It’s one-thirty.” Gray’s alert voice from the other side of the room pulled Claire into a more conscious state, her face blazing as she realized they weren’t alone.

“How are you feeling?” Cliff asked softly.

Claire closed her eyes, her head spinning in her fatigue. The past sleepless nights had taken a toll on her body and she almost felt ill.  “I’m _really_ tired.  I just want to sleep for the next week.”

“Stay the night,” he murmured, snuggling back down against the pillow.

“I’d love to, but…” Claire could feel the heat rushing to her face.  Her eyes flicked over toward the vague outline of Gray resting under his covers.  “Uh…”

“We both know it’s just going to be innocent sleeping,” he whispered soothingly, wrapping an arm around her. “Besides, you can sleep in Kai’s bed if you want to stretch out.”  The small twin bed they were sharing was a tight fit for the two adults.

“That might be good. You’ve got a big day tomorrow,” she whispered with a smile.  She hugged him and brushed her cheek against his.  “Sleep well.”

“You, too.” He gave her one last squeeze before stretching out with a yawn as she stood up.

Claire padded over to Kai’s vacant bed, pulling the blankets back with a yawn of her own. Her eyelids began to ache as she crawled into bed, exhaling in relief.  Despite the creaky mattress, it was much more comfortable than her lumpy cotton bed at home.

“Good night, Claire.” She heard a soft whisper to her right.

A smile spread across her face as she snuggled against the pillow. “Good night, Cliff.”  She immediately enjoyed her choice to have more space, stretching the muscles in her arms and legs with contentment.

The cushion under her head smelled vaguely of the musky cologne she associated with Kai, along with the scent of coconut sunscreen. Summer.  Gentle waves lapping over the shores.  Shell hunting with Karen.  Rock skipping with Cliff.  Dancing on the beach with a young man who would never leave her side.  His soft lips on hers as they melted together…  Her thoughts drifted into dreamy, floating piles of sea foam.

0o0o0o0

Claire was tugged a bit back into consciousness at the sound of the bathroom door opening.

“It’s all yours,” she heard Cliff whisper. “Ah, she’s still asleep?”

“Uh-huh. I’d imagine she can sleep well now that you’re staying.  What time you gotta be in again?”

“Ten-thirty.”

The bed on her right side squeaked and she fluttered her eyes open. Cliff was dressed sans one of his usual hide tunics, a bath towel resting on his shoulder.  He ran his fingers along his freshly-shaven jaw line.  A bit of soap-scented steam escaped the bathroom.  Gray was headed toward the bathroom door with a pile of clothes in his arms.  She blinked heavily and rolled onto her back, propping herself up with her elbows.

“Ah, good morning.” Cliff’s cheeks turned rosy at the very sight of her.  He gave her a warm smile and began drying his hair with the towel.  He paused when he saw her sit up further, the blankets slipping down to reveal her rumpled work clothes.  “Sleep alright?”

She gave a heavy nod, stretching her arms over her head with a yawn. If she was completely honest with herself, she could use a couple more hours of sleep, but at the sight of his smiling face, she felt a burst of energy.

“You must have, because Gray knocked his alarm clock off his nightstand, yelling and swearing at it and you slept through the whole thing.”

“Really?” Her voice squeaked and sounded very groggy.  She quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment, running her fingers through her hair to smooth it down.

He gave her a grin. “Yeah.  You must have been really tired, too.”  He let out a sigh as he blotted his wet hair with the towel and sat on the edge of his bed.  He ruffled his hair under the towel and hung it on the corner of his bed frame.  “I slept solidly for the first time I can remember in a very long time, and I’ve already been out to check on Cain.”  Claire watched him carefully brush out his hair.  His locks nearly reached the middle of his back and looked a bit darker as they were still damp, leaving small wet spots on his cotton undershirt.  He turned toward her, eyes glittering.  “I feel… _really_ good today.”

Claire sat up further and pulled herself into a seated position, pulling her knees to her chest. “I think your first day is going to go wonderfully.”

“W-well, that, too, I suppose…” He shyly looked at her, wringing his hands.  His eyes flicked toward the bathroom door.  The sound of the running shower could be heard beyond it.  “I, uh… I don’t have to leave right away or anything…”

Claire could feel her heart accelerate. “Y-yeah…?”

His eyes were drawn to his hands as he nervously rubbed his arms. “Uh-huh…”  He cleared his throat.  “Well, if y-you don’t mind, I thought we could… spend a little time together.”

Claire stretched out her legs and pulled the blankets off of her lap. “S-sounds nice,” she squeaked.  The fluttering in her stomach started up once more and she could feel her heart pound.  “Y-you mean like last night?”

He said nothing, but he nodded, his ears turning red.

She hadn’t taken much time to process the night before since she had awakened. “I… liked it,” she admitted, standing up, her giddiness commanding her to walk over to him.  She wasn’t exactly sure what to do with her hands, and she fussed with her fingers.  “Being so close to you and knowing you’re not leaving.”

She took a seat beside him and he wrapped his arms around her. “I loved it,” he murmured into her hair.

His hugs were friendly and energetic, and Claire found herself giggling with delight as she returned them. He smelled of fresh patchouli soap, and it reminded her of their shopping trip ages ago back in spring.  She was momentarily embarrassed at the fact she hadn’t washed up yet, brushed her teeth, or fixed her hair for the day, but his soft chuckles free from the shackles of fear and doubt made her shame fade immediately.  She focused on her breathing, attempting to steady it.  While there was a sense of lighthearted joy, she also had serious thoughts on her mind.  How could she confirm her questions about their discussion the night before?  “So… you and me?” she asked, her voice muffled by his cotton undershirt.

After all of this time, all of the agonizing over her feelings and finally accepting them, all of the wondering about how he felt about her – it all came out as an awkwardly childish and flippant phrase. Claire bit her tongue in regret.  She had wanted to say something beautiful, something that would take his breath away and leave him with stars in his eyes.  Instead she had clumsily said it while sporting bed head, wrinkled clothes, and most likely morning breath…

She could feel his heart hammering as they broke off the hug. “M-me and you?”

While Claire felt silly for her behavior, she realized all hope was not lost; she had gotten some sort of response out of him. “Y-you’re… going to stay by my side, right?”  She held her breath.

The young woman didn’t have to wait long for a response. He held her close once more.  “I always will.  I’m not going anywhere, remember?”  She could feel him gulp.  “A-after all… w-we make each other happy, right?”  He stumbled over this second sentence, quickly averting his eyes as his face flushed with color.

Claire found a comfortable spot against the crook of his neck. His cool, damp hair felt nice against her burning cheeks.  “Very happy.”  She rested her eyes as they relaxed against one another, listening to the birds outside.  “Remember our promise to do that?”

His hand cradled the base of her skull and their eyes locked. “Yeah.”

“I know you’re going to be busy with your new job, but… I want to spend more time with you again.”  She was aware of her selfishness, but she realized she didn’t care in that moment.

He pulled her closer with a hum of agreement and she stifled a happy cry at how marvelous it felt to be in his arms. “I’ll always have time for you.  You’re special to me, Claire.”  The words easily tumbled out of his mouth as he reveled in their closeness.

His words rang clearly like a bell and her breath halted for a moment as she let them soak in. Dizzy and delirious with joy, she struggled to remember to breathe.  She broke one arm free of their embrace and gave his cheek a stroke.  He flinched a bit, his eyes popping open in surprise for a brief moment before relaxing once more, placing his hand over hers.

“You’re special to me, too, Cliff. After all, you’re my happiness.”

She was thrilled that her disheveled state didn’t deter Cliff from gently pressing his lips against hers. He had a little more confidence than the night before, and the thought of him remaining by her side made her go limp.

Things were indeed changing, but sharing her heart with him was something she found that she was rather looking forward to. She was becoming more comfortable working the land, she had made wonderful new friends, and she had found someone that was special to her.  Whatever it was all preparing her for, she wasn’t exactly sure, but for the first time, the concept of the unknown didn’t feel quite as terrifying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Ahhhhh! To quote Cliff, "I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time!"
> 
> Well, here we are! My massive updating mission, Project Pucker Up, is complete! I poured my heart into this and I really hope I was able to do this couple justice. The story is by no means finished, but I will be slowing my production of chapters, as I had been churning them out at a breakneck speed to release this specific one on this specific day.
> 
> Why’s that, you ask?
> 
> Bust out the party poppers and confetti! Someone is ten years old today!
> 
> The Shy Newcomer, that is!
> 
> Today marks the ten year anniversary of when I first published this story. I haven’t been writing it solidly for ten years straight, but I picked it up from a hiatus a couple of years ago and started from scratch there, with only three barebones chapters and a handful of trope-y pages to go on.
> 
> This is so much more than a simple hobby of writing fan fiction for me. When I started writing this again, I was in a dark place, and I was struggling to find happiness in my life again, something that brought me joy. In so many ways, I have a difficult time speaking. I’m painfully shy, socially awkward, constantly struggling with self-esteem, and I have a hard time expressing myself. Writing as opposed to speaking has always been easier for me. I turned back to writing to find myself, and dusted off this little number. I’m still astounded at what it has turned into in the past couple of years. It’s about so much more than Claire and Cliff finding their way in the world and finding each other. So many of their experiences are shaped by my own fears and challenges I have gone through as I struggle with my depression and bipolar disorder.
> 
> As satisfying as it is to finally write a genuinely romantic scene between these two main characters, the most rewarding thing about writing this story has been messages from and friendships I have formed with the readers. Helping someone through a rough patch in their life, helping improve someone’s relationship with others, helping spark inspiration for someone with a dry spell in their artistic growth… I am honored. Yes, these are just words, and just a silly fan fiction some people would insist, but I am constantly amazed by the power that words can have. And I am truly humbled that they were able to touch another heart.
> 
> That is why I want to write.
> 
> In so many ways, Claire is me. Cliff is me. Karen is my best friend. These characters are so shaped by the people I know and love that this fan fiction has taken on such a personal tone with me. I never expected it to be what it is now.
> 
> This frequent updating lately and completing “Project Pucker Up” has been an exercise for me to see if I could set a goal for myself and stick with it. I chose something that gave me joy to do, and I really feel that I have learned a lot about myself as a writer and a person in these past couple of months.
> 
> I’m aware I’m not normally this candid in my author’s notes, but I really wanted y’all to know and understand that your support for this story has really changed my life. Maybe you wrote a review. Maybe you followed/favorited me or gave me kudos. Perhaps you dropped me a private message just to say hello. Or maybe you drew fan art based on this story. Maybe you helped bounce ideas around with me. Perhaps you consoled me when I was hurting and honestly thought about giving up and deleting this story (several times). Maybe you befriended and supported me, cheering me on with each new chapter. Maybe you read along silently.
> 
> I truly appreciate you all.


	91. Flustered and Giddy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire attempts to process all of the emotions she has been through in the past few days and wonders if the word "friend" is too casual to use around Cliff.

Despite the comfortable ease that had settled in Claire’s heart, she found that she was still rather giddy as she attempted to focus on her chores. Claire had heard that when people were in love, the sky was bluer and the water tasted sweeter.  She wasn’t sure if the liquid in her canteen tasted any different, but there was definitely a sense of appreciation for the world around her.  She felt immensely proud of her tidy rows of sprouts and even found herself softly singing as she weeded them.  A heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders and it felt lovely.

Cliff wasn’t leaving town.

He was staying right here – right by her side.

Warmth rushed to her cheeks as she replayed the events from the evening before and earlier that morning in her head for the millionth time. Cliff had been so gentle, so sweet with her.  If she closed her eyes and concentrated hard enough, she could still feel the vibrations in his chest as he chuckled while holding her, his calloused hands stroking hers, his lips gently pressing against her own... 

She quickly learned that she needed to do a little more focusing on her work and a little less daydreaming.

The farmer frowned at the flowering sprout in her gloved hand, realizing it matched the row of young pepper plants growing nearby. She let out a sigh and gingerly replanted the pepper seedlings she had mistaken for weeds.  It wasn’t a large hit to her total crops, but she was frustrated she had made the mistake in the first place. 

Reckless, careless, too caught up in daydreams… Surely that was the way her parents would describe her behavior.

She could still remember the bitter chill as she had sat on the bench at the bus stop, the metal seat cutting though her thin clothes. She was holding back tears and anger and her heart felt like it was going to burst. 

_Get it together, idiot._

_Did you really think they were going to be happy about you moving out to the middle of nowhere doing something you have absolutely no experience in? Don’t be a moron!_

_All you have to do is keep a semi-normal face until you get home, crybaby. Don’t you dare make a scene on the bus!_

She had muttered these unkind words to herself in a failing attempt to cheer herself up and felt a little surprised that she felt like crying by the time the bus pulled up. The driver opened the doors and she apologized profusely as she scrambled to find her bus fare despite having plenty of time to find it while waiting.  She shivered as a cold breeze blew through the open door and chilled her to the bone; her winter gear was still on the coat rack at her parents’ apartment. 

Claire looked at the plot of crops in front of her now – all cold-hardy vegetables. Now that the weather was getting cooler once more, did her parents notice her coat hanging there and ever think of how their daughter left in such an unhappy manner?  That she had been writing them letters fairly regularly?  Or had they completely forgotten about the owner of the woolen coat that hung by the door they left through every single day?

_Perhaps they’re doing it by choice… Maybe they’re trying to teach me a lesson… or maybe they just laugh every time they open a letter of mine._

She shook her head. _But they’re my parents!_

Her confidence deflated as she halfheartedly piled dirt around the uprooted pepper plants. Even if they survived, they would be weak for a few days at least, and they wouldn’t produce as much fruit as one that hadn’t been unsettled _…_ She looked down on the young plants that were depending on her for survival, and she had let them down.

“I know I messed up, but I’m doing the best I can!” she cried aloud. As a lump formed in her throat, she realized that it wasn’t her minor mishap with the peppers she was talking about.  Her eyes darted to the farms nearby and she was grateful to see that she was the only one outside at the moment.

Her cheeks flushed as she realized how melodramatic she was being; of course her parents still loved her. The only letter she had sent them that wasn’t strictly a progress report was the one she sent several weeks ago.

_Surely they’ve gotten the letter by now…_

As to what she was expecting from them, she wasn’t quite sure. Proof that they had gotten her letters and still wanted her to be part of their lives would be nice…  Claire took her work gloves off of her trembling hands and threw them on the ground.  Why couldn’t she celebrate the successes that were going on around her now?  Cliff was staying in Mineral Town and he even had expressed that she was very special to him.  So special, in fact, that they had not only kissed the night before, but this morning as well.

She felt her knees go weak at the memory of his soft breath on her lips…

Claire folded her arms across her chest with a pout. Those kinds of thoughts were the ones that had caused her to rip up more than just her weeds in the first place.

 _Now I’m just looking for problems_ , Claire realized, picking up her gloves and tucking them into her back pocket.  _Mistakes happen; I never claimed to be perfect. It’s alright to enjoy the here and now without worrying about my parents.  And it’s okay to allow myself to be happy…_

Claire’s eyes looked beyond Saibara’s forge and she let out a small sigh at the sight of the lush, green vineyard. Somewhere among the leaves and trellises was a young man that made her heart beat faster.  Claire couldn’t help but smirk as she caught herself leaning on the northern fence of her property; it seemed she was forever destined to gaze longingly in that direction from her farm.

0o0o0o0

Claire rolled up the cuffs of her clean sweatshirt and looked down at her sneakers, stepping to the beat of the clanking hammers from the forge. Her freshly brushed low pigtails bounced on her shoulders as she walked, the loose wisps of hair by her face dancing in the fall breeze.

She took the scenic route to the grocery store, stopping as she came closer to the familiar trellises of grape vines at Aja Winery. It was a bit shorter of a trip to go this way, but she wasn’t in a hurry.  Despite their hard work harvesting grapes, many vines were still laden with fruit, and a couple of sections that were still unripe were left untouched.  She caught the top of Duke’s silvery streaked head as he moved along the rows, his voice hardly audible as she could only assume he was talking to his new employee.

While Claire held a hand over her heart, she refrained from calling and waving to Cliff. She was a grown adult, she reminded herself, and she had no intentions of embarrassing the two of them in public.

“Well, you sure look cheery today, Claire. Do you have a question for Duke?  I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you just went in the vineyard to ask him.”  Harris’s sudden voice caused her to jump.

While she recalled Ann saying that her breakup with him was mutual, Claire couldn’t help but feel a little stiff around him. “I-I was just on my way to the grocery store.”  She wasn’t sure why she felt she had to explain herself to him.  The badge and officer’s uniform surely had something to do with it…

“I spent a lot of my childhood here on this vineyard.” Harris straightened his cap and looked out at the grape plants with a soft sigh.  “Sometimes it feels like everything changes when you grow up.  I didn’t expect to be a constable when I was a kid or teenager.  I wanted to work at the winery, or live off of the land, like Gotz.  My childhood friend Joanna isn’t around town anymore, and neither is…”  His voice cracked and he swallowed.  “Anyway, things change.  Seasons pass.  Vines wither and die, and new ones are planted with the same caring hands… but… the vineyard still has the same spirit in the grand scheme of things, you know?  I mean, sure, it’s changed, but not really.”  His eyes were beseeching as they turned to Claire.

“I-I’m not sure what you’re getting at,” she admitted with a quiet shrug, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she looked down at the cobblestones. “Would you say that my farm has the same spirit it did a year ago?  It used to be a field of weeds and debris.”  The words slipped out before she could stop them; surely she had come off as rude and unsympathetic.

He gave her a sad smile. “I suppose I’m rambling.  Forgive me.”  He tucked his hands in his pockets.  “You know…  I really do wish Ann the best,” he said quietly.  “She reminded me of a part of myself I thought I had lost forever.” 

The sudden change of subject caught her by surprise, but part of her wondered if in some strange convoluted way he had connected what he said. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a bit defensive for her jilted friend. _Then why did you break her heart?_ Claire wanted to ask.  She bit her tongue.

Harris gave her a sad smile. “She’s lucky to have good friends like you and Karen.  I can tell that you both mean a great deal to her.  As for why I needed to let her go, I can’t ask you to understand the same way I can’t ask Ann to.  After all, I’m not sure if I quite understand it myself.”

She thought of the teary-eyed Ann looking up at the moon. “You both seemed like you could’ve been so happy…”  Once more she found that she was having a hard time keeping her thoughts to herself.

“Sometimes… happiness isn’t enough.” Harris tugged on the bill of his cap with a sense of finality.

Claire had a hard time wrapping her head around his mantra. Allowing herself to feel unapologetically happy had been a turning point in her life.  What did he mean, it wasn’t enough?

“From what I’ve heard, Cliff got hired here yesterday.” He gave her one last smile.  “Congratulations to you both.”  He figured it was best not to mention the rumors he had heard that Cliff was planning to leave Mineral Town due to lack of employment.  “I hope everything works out alright for you two,” he added, giving her a nod in farewell as he continued on his way.

Claire found that she was a little grateful he was gone; she was furrowing her eyebrows as she stared out at the vineyard.

Were her goals to be simply happy too juvenile and naïve?

0o0o0o0

_Rice, milk, peanut butter, bread…_

She put back a small block of cheese and some plums with a frown. Her budget was tight, so she was going to need to cut back on things that weren’t essential and get creative with her blemished produce.

“We heard someone got a new job yesterday!” Sasha cheered.

A muffled voice could be heard from the storage room. “No thanks to you guys!”  Karen’s tone was bitter.  She stepped out of the storage room with a crate of snack cakes.  Setting it down, she removed a package and placed it in Claire’s basket, knowing the vanilla treats were one of her guilty pleasure purchases.  “I think a little celebratory snack is the least we owe her.”  Karen gave her parents a sharp look.

“I-it’s alright,” Claire replied with a weak chuckle, placing the box of snack cakes back on the shelf. The last thing she wanted to do was cause tension among the Blanchette family.

Karen slapped the box back into her basket, causing it to lightly dent the loaf of bread Claire was intending on purchasing. “ _We_ insist. _On the house._ ”

“That’s fine, Karen,” Sasha replied with a nod. “Please, take one, Claire.”  The cost of a box of sweets was definitely a lot cheaper than a new employee that they couldn’t afford.

Claire looked over and noticed that Jeff was nervously pacing behind the register. She felt a wave of guilt for what had happened.  “Th-thank you.  I’m _really_ happy that Cliff has a job now.  He’s a great friend and I’m relieved he has a steady income.” 

_Friend…? Is that word still appropriate after what we’ve shared?_

She brought her things to the cash register to pay.

Jeff relaxed a little, but he didn’t refrain from ringing up her order with shaking hands, giving her a paper sack with an uneasy smile. “It’s good that Duke’s doing well enough to be able to pay a full-time employee…”

“… Which means he should have no problem paying back his tab,” Sasha finished with a tone of finality.

Her husband’s shoulders drooped once more and Claire couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable. “I don’t understand why you can’t just mention it to Manna when you’re out with your lady friends…”

“I’m not about to embarrass the both of us in front of Anna!” Sasha gave him a glare.  “Besides, _I_ wasn’t the one minding the store when _Duke_ bought all of that stuff on credit!  It is neither mine nor Manna’s problem, and Duke is never going to respect you if you don’t learn to stand up for yourself!”

Jeff frowned, playing with the cuff of his sleeve. The nagging and prodding – he had had enough.  “W-well, then why is it not a problem when you give out free things to Karen’s friends?”

Claire felt a wave of guilt and went pale.

Sasha’s face turned pink and she folded her arms across her chest. “There’s a big difference between one free thing here or there and giving away an entire cart of merchandise!  And have you forgotten how much money Claire brings in for us with her seed purchases?!”

Karen stomped loudly on the floor and put her hands on her hips. “Goddess, have either of you heard of the word _tact_?!  Come on, Claire.  We have better things to do than listen to a couple of grown adults bicker like schoolchildren!”  She tugged her friend by the arm and led the way to their living quarters, closing the door loudly behind her.

They both heard the arguing grow in volume and Claire stood uncomfortably in the entryway to their room as her eyes moved to the floor.

Karen snatched her grocery sack and stashed it in the refrigerator. “Don’t give them another thought, Claire.  They get like that from time to time.  Mom’s just mad because Dad doesn’t stand up for himself.”

Claire removed her shoes and quietly took a seat beside Karen at the table.

“So,” her friend began, resting her chin on her folded arms, “spill.”

The blonde blinked in surprise, running a few fingers through a pigtail. “Spill?”

She was met with a soft chuckle. “Oh, come on!  I could see the eyes you and Cliff were making at each other all last night.  Only an idiot couldn’t see it!  And holding hands like a pair of lovers; you two are way too cute for your own good!  Did something end up happening last night?”  Karen gave her a playful wink.

“Ah, I-I’m never sure what the protocol is in these kinds of situations, really,” Claire admitted, blushing deeply as she played with a strand of her hair. The word _lovers_ had her heart pounding and a silly smile played at her lips.  “Stuff happened last night… a-and this morning…”

Karen’s eyes widened, and her annoyance at Cliff’s past behaviors for the past week or so faded a bit at the joy on her friend’s face. “Did you stay the night?” she whispered, her grin growing.

She got a shy nod in response. “But n-nothing unseemly happened!  I promise!”

Karen laughed. “We’re all grown adults here.  I’m not going to tattle on you to anyone.”

Claire shook her head, averting her gaze. “He’s… really sweet.”

Her friend’s smirk turned into a more genuine smile. “You look like you’re dying to talk about it.  Go on; you never let yourself gush, and I’d love to hear you do it.”  Her eyes traced the glow in her friend’s eyes.

A soft giggle escaped Claire’s lips as she eagerly accepted the invitation. “He was telling me he’d never leave…  H-he said he realized then that I was too important to him for that to be an option.”  She idly stirred at her mug of tea.

“Of course you are,” Karen agreed, patiently waiting for more. Part of her wondered if Cliff knew that all along, but he had been fighting with himself over it.

“He said when he thinks of being happy… h-he thinks of _me_.”  She shyly ducked her head.  “And I told him he makes me happy, too.”  Something about repeating the actual phrasing felt a little too intimate, but the words echoed in her head, causing a fresh wave of butterflies in her stomach.

_“You’re my happiness.”_

“We spent the evening just enjoying each other’s company…” Claire continued, and her grin grew as she replayed the events in her mind.

Karen’s smile turned serene; it was truly satisfying to see her friend elated like this…

“We were talking and fell asleep. I ended up sleeping in Kai’s bed.  Oh, and we kissed,” Claire added casually at the end.  Despite her flippant words, her mind was reliving the details as she bit back a happy sigh.  “A couple of times, actually…  I dunno if that really makes us a couple…  I g-guess I should ask him how he feels…  Ah, I’d love for him to be mine…”

Karen reached over and rubbed Claire’s shoulder. “That’s adorable.  I can see how happy you two make each other.  I really don’t think he’d be opposed to the idea.  I’ve been seeing him make eyes at you since the two of you met.”

A smirk played at the corner of Claire’s mouth. “You don’t have to try to flatter me to make me feel better…”

Karen let out an exasperated sigh that turned into a laugh. “I love you, Claire, but you’re incredibly dense sometimes.  The kid even has a special goofy look on his face whenever your name is mentioned.”  She wasn’t about to mention the fond tone Claire’s words had gained around Cliff since the middle of summer and the gentle voice he had always used solely for Claire.

The young woman’s cheeks felt hot at this claim and she recalled Ann saying something similar. Did she really garner special behavior from him?  Her heart pounded as she recalled Cliff’s warm deep blue gaze accompanied by a soft touch on her arm.  “Ah, I just prefer to think of myself as… _cautiously optimistic_.”

“Alright, Miss Cautious, just make sure that you don’t spend so much time worrying about the what-ifs that you keep yourself from truly being happy.”

“I think… I’m actually _really_ happy,” Claire replied with a dreamy sigh, resting her chin on her hand.

The memory of Harris’s words broke her spell.

_“Sometimes… happiness isn’t enough.”_

She sat up straight, trying to fight back her frown. If it wasn’t enough, then what was?  Harris was an older, more experienced man; surely he knew what he was talking about.  Was she doomed to fail with her budding relationship with Cliff?

“So, is he a good kisser or what?” Karen gave her a flirty wink.

The nagging worries left Claire’s mind as she laughed, shoving her friend playfully. “Wouldn’t _you_ like to know?”

0o0o0o0

She was back to carefully weeding her fields, giving Koro the occasional scratch on the head as she continued her work. The young dog left her side with a playful bark as she stood up and surveyed her fields, wiping the sweat from her brow and leaving a line of dirt across her forehead.

It was a lot more modest than the operation she had handled last season, but this was much easier for one person to manage. Her eyes scanned the tidy lines of sweet potatoes and she smiled – maybe she really was starting to get the hang of growing crops.

Koro’s playful barking caught Claire’s attention and she whirled around to see Cliff patting the dog’s head as he approached her. Seeing that she had noticed him, he immediately turned pink, stepping towards her as he nervously rubbed the crook of his neck.

“J-just came by to see you… And say hello!” he added quickly, hoping he didn’t sound like a creep that just wanted to look at her bending over in her fields.

Claire’s heart pounded in her throat at the sight of him. “H-hi…  How was your first day of work?”

He gave her a shy smile as he kept his eyes focused on the satchel on his shoulder. “Ah, i-it was…”  Claire reached for his hands and he took hers, adjusting his breath with an anxious laugh as he struggled to calm down.  “It was better than I could’ve hoped for.”

“Were you still harvesting grapes?” She was afraid to mention she had passed by for fear of coming off as a stalker.

He nodded. “Yeah, and I’m going to be trained on how to make the wine, too.”  He paused, smiling.  “Duke and Manna are really nice…  Ah, I had a couple of things I wanted to give you.”  He shuffled in his bag, producing a long, thin paper sack with the Aja Winery emblem stamped on it – an embellished letter _a_.  It was shaped for holding a bottle of wine, but as he handed it over to Claire and she peeked inside curiously, she saw it was holding something else.  “The grapes for winemaking aren’t really all that good for eating, but they have some vines of table grapes.  They’re really crunchy and juicy.  I had some with my lunch…  I-I thought maybe you’d like some, too…”  He shyly looked away.  “I know it’s not much, but…”

Claire had already popped one into her mouth with a smile. “They’re really good!  Thank you very much!  I was just finishing up for the day…  W-want to… come inside and eat with me?”  She scolded herself for her awkwardness.

His face lit up but his smile immediately turned apologetic. “I’d love to, but… Doug and Ann already planned a special dinner tonight to celebrate my new job…  They’re expecting me soon…  A-and I have plans with Saibara tonight…”

Her face fell a bit. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have any other people who cared about him.  He likely hadn’t seen the old blacksmith since he got his new job.  “Ah, I see.  Well, have a good time.  I’m sure they made something tasty, and I know Saibara will be happy to see you.”

“Thanks.” He gave her free hand a squeeze and stood for a moment as he observed her ruddy cheeks and dirt streaked on her forehead.  Her hair was disheveled, and her work clothes were dirty.  She was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes upon, and he loved seeing her full of spirit after a day of work.  The young man felt a well of pride that he was able to do so as well, and he had no doubt that he was just as sweaty and grubby.  “I have something else to give you, too…”

“Y-yeah?” She blushed as he stepped closer to her.

He cupped her cheek with one hand and Claire looked up at him with wide eyes, her lips slightly parted as her breath escaped her. He gave her a fond smile as his thumb grazed her cheek.  “Claire…”  Every fiber in his body was screaming for him to press his lips against hers, but his body refused to cooperate as he saw the openness around them and heard the hens clucking next door.  The rooster let out a loud crow, causing them both to jump.  He let out a nervous laugh to regulate his breathing and she let out a giggle.  He knew at that moment that it wasn’t going to happen, and he immediately hated himself for taking too long and letting the moment pass by.  “I’ll, uh, see you soon, okay?”  He refused to leave her without making some sort of impression – he leaned in and softly kissed her cheek.  He was instantly grateful for his choice of action; her quiet yet satisfied gasp was almost too much.  Her skin was soft and she smelled faintly of sweat and fresh earth.  She was too precious, and the kiss felt too good.  His lips lingered for a moment before he tore himself away, his heart breaking a bit as he did so.  The last thing he wanted to do was come off too strong and embarrass her…

Her eyes fluttered open as he pulled away, her beautiful dream pulled from her. A stunned Claire touched her hand to her cheek and a huge smile crept across her face as she reflected on the way his lips felt on her skin.  Simple kisses on the cheek could be rather nice…  The young man gave her another smile paired with a soft hug and turned to leave.

“Hey, Cliff…” Claire gulped as he stopped in his tracks.  At his gaze, she played with her fingers.  “H-how about tomorrow?  We could spend the evening t-together?  You could come over after work and I can make us dinner…”

He was nodding emphatically before she finished speaking. “You sure you don’t mind?  That sounds _wonderful_.”

She eagerly bounced on the balls of her feet, a lovely flutter rising in her stomach. “Of course I don’t mind!  It’s a date!”

He gave her a grin as he headed out and as her words hit him, his knees buckled and he struggled to walk back into town, his breath becoming uneven.

_A date. I have a date with Claire tomorrow…_

Claire watched him leave, her cheeks burning as she reflected on what she had just said.

_I asked him on a date! And he agreed!_

Her heart was singing and she did a happy twirl as she retrieved her mail from her postbox. Flipping through junk mail, bills, and an official invoice from Gotz, Claire gasped as she pulled out a plain white envelope with familiar script.  It was a letter addressed to her.  The sender?

_Mr. Armand and Mrs. Yvette Dumont…_

She was so numb that she didn’t feel her shoulder collide with the side of her house as she stumbled in shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you SOOOO MUCH for the outpouring of support for me as a writer and a person. I was a little nervous putting my heart out there like that. Seriously, you guys are amazing, and I’m truly humbled by your kindness! I’m really happy that I am able to share a bit of myself with y’all with this story.
> 
> I really struggled with choosing a tone for Claire and Cliff’s relationship in this section. I didn’t want them to be claiming they were each other’s soul mates after just a couple of kisses, but I didn’t want them to be too casual, either. I ended up going with a flustered, giddy happiness – almost as if this is all a dream they’re afraid to wake up from. This chapter is almost completely original and I started writing it after posting the last chapter. The only part that was repurposed was bits from the kiss on the cheek. Fun fact: that kiss was scheduled to happen in the middle of WINTER and was a milestone in their relationship. Ah, the plot of this certainly has changed since the initial drafts… For the better, though, I think.
> 
> I’m grateful that my creative streak has kept me active, and I’m starting to work on some original pieces as well. For anyone interested, I do have a creative writing blog on blogspot/blogger. You can find me at scrapsscribblesandhalfformedthoughts . blogspot . com (I added some spaces in there just in case).
> 
> In other news, I’ve been on such a grape kick lately that I had to include some juicy, crunchy ones in my story. Ah, now I’m drooling.
> 
> Karen’s smirking at the “special voices” Cliff and Claire use for each other is based on my sister. She says I use a “special voice” for my husband (which I don’t really hear at all), and although I turn red and get flustered when she teases me about it, I kinda like it. ;)
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed!


	92. A Hot Bath and a Cold Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and Cliff prepare for their date in their own ways, both preoccupied by something else...

Cliff stepped through the fallen autumn leaves, enjoying the combination of sounds between his geta and the crunchy foliage. Autumn always filled him with excitement, but this was the first year on his own where the falling leaves didn’t cause a twinge of panic and desperation along with his increased energy.  No more scraping by, feverishly hoping he’d be lucky enough to gather enough supplies to last through the winter.  This was going to be a different lifestyle than he was used to, and it had only just hit him now that everything was going to change. 

He took a deep breath and waited for his stomach to tense up in anxiety, but when he focused on his fears, he only felt a faint phantom panic that dissolved as the refreshing autumn breeze hit his face. This, in turn, caused him a mild bit of worry that he should be concerned.  This, too, faded as a chilly gust of wind prickled at his cheeks.

He turned to his companion, who was clattering beside him as they made their way to the hot spring.

“I come here a few times a week; these sore old bones need it.” Saibara gave a gruff laugh as they made their way behind the privacy fence.

Cliff never really thought of him as capable of feeling pain. The old man removed his yukata and Cliff quickly noticed why Gray rarely talked back to his grandfather to his face; he had a very sturdy build from his blacksmithing work and could probably break a man’s spine over his knee.

Cliff removed his own yukata and hung it on a hook, stretching his arms over his head with a yawn. His muscles were lean and didn’t have that heavy development his friend’s did.  While lifting heavy baskets of grapes hadn’t hurt at the time, he was definitely feeling it now and felt a mild wave of embarrassment.  Hunting relied more heavily on endurance, and lifting heavy things wasn’t in his usual list of duties. 

The old man grinned at him when he glanced over and noticed Cliff staring blankly at his hanging yukata, he started conversation to move him along. “Finally, a young man with some fashion sense.”  Saibara gave a nod of approval and cackled, removing his own fundoshi before filling one of the buckets with water, scrubbing himself down.

Cliff’s hair had often been the envy of his childhood friends back in his home village, as it grew the fastest in their social circle. Despite this, the young man never thought of himself as fashionable, and Gray’s disapproving grunts didn’t help the situation.  “Simple is best for me,” he murmured offhandedly as he finished undressing.  “I don’t think I’d be able to look stylish no matter how hard I tried.”  He let out a silent sigh and frowned as he thought of his plans with Claire tomorrow night.  What kind of attire was expected?  It wasn’t as if he had a large selection of clothing as he traveled from town to town.  Surely, he’d need to look his best for her on their first date…

Cliff grabbed another bucket and some soap. The autumn air was cool, and it made the water feel especially hot.  He typically used the hot spring in the early hours of the morning so he could have some privacy before the female crowd came.  The natural warmth of the spring was much more comfortable than the sterile shower at the inn, even if that was more convenient.

“Nothing wrong with the classics,” Saibara said over the splash of water.

Cliff frowned at his expression reflecting back up at him from the bucket of water. His hair was piled on top of his head and lathered up, the suds sliding down his shoulders.  Claire never spoke much about his appearance.  How could such a beautiful person suggest a date with someone as plain as himself?  He shook his head.  Maybe those kinds of things didn’t matter to her, and it wasn’t as if that was a bad thing.  Still, sharpening his razorblade tomorrow probably would be a good idea, he decided as he washed his face.  A nice, close shave sounded nice.  He imagined her gentle hands cupping his cheeks.

His face burned as he recalled her soft lips on his. He didn’t want to get too ahead of himself, but he wouldn’t be against sharing another kiss or two with her…

“Do you know why I send the women to Won when they want those cheap trendy bangle bracelets the women in the city are all crazy about? They’ll be tired of them by the end of the year.  I believe in making something that lasts.  Classics never go out of style.”

Cliff heard Saibara let out a groan as he lowered himself into the water and quickened his washing, darting his eyes over to their hanging clothing with a smirk. “Even our matching underwear?” he asked with a slight chuckle.

“Especially that,” Saibara deadpanned.

His friend’s joke caused his worry to fade. Squeezing his eyes shut, Cliff dumped the bucket of water onto his head.  The heat hit him like a punch and he let out an involuntary sigh.  He allowed the water to slide down his body, washing his worries away.  It was time to refocus, and if he was honest with himself, he was a little bit nervous about bringing up his planned topic of conversation.

Cliff set his towel on the edge of the spring and joined Saibara. The relaxing hot water made him realize how tight his back felt.  He recalled his embarrassment while stretching earlier and looked at his muscles once more.  While strong, they weren’t as impressive as Gray’s or Saibara’s.  The old man caught Cliff staring at his lean arms with a frown.  “Ah, I’m not used to lifting all those heavy barrels,” Cliff admitted, sinking into the water.  The warmth melted away his stiffness.

Saibara rested his eyes and sighed again, and Cliff watched the old man’s white beard float on the surface of the water. “Patience is a bitter plant, but it has sweet fruit,” he mumbled.  “You’ll get stronger with time.”  When his eyes opened, they had a twinkle to them as he gave his friend a wink.

Cliff nodded and stared up at the sky. Changes took time, after all, and for the first time he could remember, he had time on his side.  Colorful leaves drifted by, and a lone red maple leaf landed in the water beside him.

“Congratulations on your employment, Cliff.” Saibara was watching him closely.

Cliff held the perfect leaf between his palms and a hint of a smile played at his lips as he held the vibrant gift given from the Harvest Goddess herself. “Thank you.  I won’t take a moment of it for granted,” he replied earnestly, to both the deity and Saibara.

His friend cackled. “We both know you don’t need to say that aloud.”  He rested his eyes again.  “But it is important to be thankful for what you are given.”

The young man stared at the ripples in the water, dipping the edges of the leaf into the bath and watching them dance. It felt like everything in his life was changing; he had gone from emotionally shutting himself down in preparation of another move to feeling overwhelmed in his relief at being able to stay in town.  It felt foreign, having a place to call home; he had been alone for such a long time…

His eyes moved to Saibara.  He looked like he was asleep, but the serene smile on his face told Cliff that he was indeed awake.  Cliff looked at him uncomfortably as his mind drifted back toward serious things.  He had agreed to join Saibara tonight out of celebration, but after a discussion at dinner, Cliff had something he wanted to tell him, and he knew it wouldn’t make him happy at first.

“S-Saibara…?”

He said nothing, but made a small hum of acknowledgement that could scarcely be heard over the trickling water.

“I… was making plans to leave town…” Cliff admitted to him.  “Before I got the job…”

Saibara’s eyes snapped open in surprise, but once more, no words came from him. It was true that he had been very focused on his work lately, and it explained his grandson’s increase in clumsy mistakes in the past couple of weeks.  Gray still hadn’t mastered the art of putting one’s emotions aside while concentrating on blacksmithing.

Cliff watched the old man’s brow furrow and he swallowed back his guilt at disturbing Saibara’s peaceful rest, deciding to continue. They didn’t spend a lot of time without anyone else accompanying them, and he needed to let him know.  “I-I was going to leave at the beginning of winter…  I had no money left…”

The old man stared at him with an expressionless face.

“Saibara…” Cliff’s voice died down as looked into his eyes, hesitating.

“Hmmm?” The old man raised his eyebrows.  He noticed Cliff was struggling to tell him something important.

“I just found out tonight at dinner… Gray…  He paid some rent for me to Doug in advance…”  Ann’s explanation at dinner had caused Gray to turn a bright shade of pink, insisting he knew Cliff would have done the same for him.  The sheer memory caused a lump to form in his throat.  There had been a time when their friendship was rather shaky and begrudging.  Things had changed so much, and Gray had been much more open with his emotions lately…  “He didn’t give up on me…”  His voice cracked.

The old blacksmith went back to his default unreadable expression and was silent for several moments as he closed his eyes. “The boy… isn’t quite like his father,” he finally admitted, his facial features softening.

“No, he’s not…” Cliff smiled at him.  He knew Gray would have given anything to hear those words.  They sat in silence for a few moments, watching the tree branches wave in the breeze.  Cliff looked at the single maple leaf in his hand.  He gulped.  “You… should let him know that.”  Cliff didn’t dare give Saibara another look; he focused on the steam rising from the water.

He didn’t get a reply, but he didn’t really expect one. Saibara’s face remained stoic, thoughtful.  They got out of the water and dried off.

“So, you’re finally here permanently…” Saibara smiled at his friend as they got dressed.

“Yes… Here to stay…”  Cliff finished tying up his yukata.  His heart still pounded with excitement and a bit of fear when he thought about it.  He wasn’t sure if he was still dreaming after everything that had happened.

“So I suppose you can focus more on your hunting project now.” The blacksmith cackled and winked at him.

Cliff shook his head as he slipped on his footwear. “The herd’s moved on…  There’s not even that much small game around here this season…”

Rolling his eyes as he hung his towel around the back of his neck, Saibara let out a gruff laugh. “You are as thick as the boy sometimes.  I was referring to _your doe_.”

“Wha-?” The young man quickly understood and reddened, ducking his head in embarrassment.  In his mind, he could see Claire’s rosy cheeks, her bright sapphire eyes, her cute pink lips…  “I, uh…  I’m actually going to spend some time with her tomorrow… as a d-date…”  His face turned scarlet as he debated whether or not to tell him more about her.

Saibara only laughed harder, giving him a slap on the back. “Come on, let’s get some hot sake.  I feel like drinking a lot tonight!”

Cliff felt his heart lift a bit as he saw the kindness in his friend’s eyes. It was a time to celebrate, and there was a lot to be grateful for, but he didn’t want to get too carried away.  He twirled the stem of the maple leaf in his fingers, casting Saibara a hint of a smirk.  “I think I’ll stick with cold milk.”

0o0o0o0

_Dear Claire,_

_As always, we appreciate your letters. Your choice to run a farm out in Mineral Town is an unexpected one, but as your parents, we respect your right to make decisions about yourself.  That being said, we can’t help but be concerned about you and your well-being.  It really sounds like running a property the size of yours all by yourself is quite the task._

_Hearing more about the people you spend your time with, however, has put our hearts a little more at ease. Your friend Karen seems very loyal and kind to you.  We’re glad that you have someone like her to rely on.  With hard work and dedication, the goal of making Mystic Acres a farm to be proud of may well be within your grasp._

_We look forward to your letters, as always, our little Claire._

_Love,_

_Mum and Dad_

_P.S. Please send us a photo of you and Cliff next time.  We do hope he’s found a job by now._

Her stomach did a somersault as the air escaped from her lungs. She fell back onto her bed with a lump forming in her throat.  Despite the careful words selected from her parents, she could tell that they were still unhappy with her choices.  Their delicate phrasing had her more frustrated than if they had been blunt with her.  Did they think that she would read this letter and blindly agree with everything they had said?

Her eyes ran over the final line once more and she found that she was crumpling the edges of the paper in her fists. Why had they only made positive remarks about Karen?  Why did they need a photo of Cliff?  They hadn’t mentioned him in any other way in the letter.  Well, other than their concern with his lack of employment…

_They’re picking on him because they can tell I’m in love with him…_

Could they really, though, just from mentioning him in her letters? Her mind reran the contents of her reports, trying to recall times she had written his name.

_I made a new friend today named Cliff…_

_I’ve been bumping into Cliff a lot more lately…_

_Cliff and I went foraging today and he even helped me build a campfire..._

_I was pretty proud of myself for not stomping on Cliff’s feet at the dance, although I did bump into him a few times. He’s a great (and very patient) dance partner!_

_I hope Cliff can find a job here in town so he can stay here forever…_

Claire’s cheeks burned as she realized she had snuck his name into nearly every letter, even when she didn’t mention Karen. Perhaps they had noticed that even before Claire did.  Maybe they really could tell…  Her stomach gave an uncomfortable pang that caused her to get angry. 

_Why does that need to be a shameful thing? I’m a grown adult…_

“‘And we respect your decisions _’_ ,” she repeated aloud with a mocking tone.  She let out a bitter laugh.

Respect? The request for a photo of Cliff was likely so they could judge him and tell her that he wasn’t right for her.  His hair was too long, his arms were decorated with too many scars, he was too skinny – there were all sorts of things she could imagine her parents might raise an eyebrow at.  They didn’t want her to settle down with someone here and get too comfortable.  After all, that would make them wrong in their predictions that Claire wasn’t meant to be here.

 _“You’re a city girl, Claire. You’re_ not _a farmer.”_

She felt a lump form in her throat. Judging from the careful tone of the letter, she was certain she hadn’t changed their minds about that.  Her thoughts went back to the last couple sentences of the letter.  They obviously did not approve of her being with someone that could not support himself.  If they wanted the photo to include her as well, they likely were checking to make sure she looked happy and healthy.  The young woman looked down at the baggy pajama pants she was wearing.  She had been consistently tying them tighter since she had purchased them, and when she had ordered new clothing, she had gone down a few sizes in her pants.  Farm work was very physical, and while she was losing weight steadily, she didn’t look ill, but rather, she looked stronger and fuller of life.

She was doing well, and the fact that her parents still seemed to be questioning this was more than just a little bit frustrating. Her letters to them had been composed for the very purpose of setting their minds at ease.  Claire gritted her teeth as she dug through her boxes of clothing and pulled out the flirty dress she had worn at Kai’s birthday party.

_I’m gonna date the heck out of him…_

0o0o0o0

Claire’s concern followed her throughout the next day. She lost track of how many times she had read the letter from her parents, and it had taken her much longer to get her chores done.  She didn’t have the heart to gush to Karen about her date that evening, as she was filled with worry about what her parents thought of her and Cliff together. 

 _I am happy here_ , Claire told herself for the fifth time that next evening, _and I have to make my parents see that!_

Running a farm by herself, choosing her own friends, following her heart – why wouldn’t she be happy?

Harris’s words echoed in her mind.

_“Sometimes happiness isn’t enough.”_

She slammed her fists on the table with a frustrated groan. He had made happiness seem like something that only naïve people strived for.

 _Maybe Harris should hang out with my parents,_ she thought bitterly.  She let out a sigh, causing her blonde bangs to fly into the air before falling clumsily back onto her forehead.  The young woman trotted back into the kitchen and tasted the curry sauce one last time with a spoon, nodding to herself in satisfaction and removing her apron as she glanced at the clock and decided to change.

_Mum and Dad would probably be happy if I was having a date with a man like Harris. After all, he is mature, responsible, polite, and has a place of power in the community…_

_Is Cliff really the complete opposite of that, though?_

She recalled Cliff explaining how he used to live in the cave by the spring in the mountains. Claire frowned as she undressed.  There were different kinds of responsibility, she supposed.  Her discontentment grew.  Cliff had expressed that he thought he was an irresponsible person and said that he was ashamed that he was unable to support himself…

But he had been living on his own for years, she reasoned. Even if his lodgings were a bit untraditional at times, the fact that he was searching for a new home surely had to count for something.  It was likely that Cliff was just being too harsh on himself as he had a tendency to do.  He never talked about what it was like moving out of his hometown, and he always seemed a little depressed when he talked about no longer living in Akiyama…

Claire pulled her dress over her head with a pout. She didn’t exactly talk about her quarrel with her parents, so who was she to expect details from him?  It wasn’t as if that made him unreliable.

The young woman tightened the sash of her dress, realizing she had to take it in more than her initial wearing of the garment. She was hardly surprised she had lost weight since the great tomato harvest began.  A lot of things had changed with time, she realized as she pulled out her makeup kit.  Her cheeks flushed as she looked at the tube of peach-colored lip gloss she had often donned back in the springtime and her life in the city.

_I’m gonna wear it. I’m gonna wear it and look cute during my date tonight._

So much color had risen to her cheeks that she decided to forego the cosmetic blush.

_Tonight is going to be fine. I’m going to have my first date with Cliff and I am going to prove to my parents that staying here is something I deserve!_

Her eyebrows furrowed in determination as she put a coat of color on her lips and stashed away the letter they had written to her.

_I’ll show them!_

Claire spun on her heel and walked over to an old record player sitting on an end table by the door. Karen had gifted Claire the hand-me-down furniture before their slumber party with Ann in an attempt to cheer her up, even including a few old records she had duplicates of.  She set on a selection of instrumental swing and closed her eyes for a minute, letting the music wash away her concerns.

 _Tonight is going to be fine,_ she repeated to herself.

She absentmindedly began twirling in circles, watching the dress flare out.

_Just me, Cliff, some good food and music… It’s time to celebrate!_

Her heart gave an uncomfortable jolt.

_I’m bound to make an idiot of myself. It’s not like I’m guaranteed to be Cliff’s girlfriend!  A few kisses don’t make two people a couple, do they?  I can’t assume things!  I guess I’ll have to show or tell him my intentions tonight…  I need my parents to understand that I am meant to be here!_

She turned toward the mirror.

“Cl-Cliff… want t-to… _please_ … be my boyfriend?” 

She shook her head, shuddering at how desperate she sounded.

“Cliff… let’s go s-steady…”

This earned a snort. Did anyone use that phrase anymore?

“Cliff… I’ve fallen in love with you.”

She let out a gasp at her own words.

“That’s a good way to scare him off before the second date!” she reprimanded her reflection.

How had her old boyfriends confirmed a relationship? Claire stifled a snicker.  One had passed her a note simply stating, “Claire, go out with me.”  The second boy was much more elaborate and had asked her to meet by the library after school.

_“I know it’s probably silly, hoping the prettiest girl in school would be interested in a nerd like me, but… I figured I’d try.  I’ve watched you from afar for the past semester…”_

His monologue had charmed her at the time, but replaying it, she could hear the stilted tone and mechanical way he had spoken; he had likely been rehearsing it for some time. She’d have to be a fool to think speaking in such a manner would work on an adult her age.  She shook her head; perhaps she was getting too far ahead of herself.  It depended on how the date tonight went.

The knock at the door caused her to let out a startled shriek. She quickly put away her makeup and hairbrush, catching her flustered image in the mirror as she found she was terrified.

 _Oh, why did I have to use the word_ date _? Why do I have to make things so difficult?  I know I’m going to ruin this somehow.  And I was really enjoying the idea of being more than friends with him, too!_ Her heart sunk as if she had already lost his interest.  _After all we’ve been through and after Cliff’s finally become a permanent part of Mineral Town, it’s going to be awful if we don’t feel the same way about each other. What if we lose our friendship?  He’s my best friend!_ Her blood ran cold. _I’m not ready for this – I’m not ready for –_

Her eyes flicked to the doorknob and she wiped her sweaty palms off on the skirt of her dress. She choked down the nervous lump in her throat and straightened her posture as she turned the doorknob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I thought a peaceful bath scene would be a nice way of Cliff washing away his troubles and worries after everything that has happened. I had originally drafted dialogue with Gray actually telling Cliff he had already covered his rent, but I couldn’t get it to fit in. Instead, I left a vague reference to it where Gray hurries off to talk to Doug as Cliff leaves for spending the night with Claire.
> 
> A very note to the single leaf falling into the bath: a single leaf can be used to symbolize happiness. Maple leaves can represent peace and unity, which I felt meshed well with Cliff’s relief at finding steady work so that he could be part of the community.
> 
> Claire’s drama with her parents was surprisingly hard to write, as I am dealing with some drama in my own life involving my husband’s side of the family, complete with a passive-aggressive letter. Ah, I wrote it and it happened in real life! I guess I should write happier stuff! It’s so difficult to not judge yourself when you respect the opinion of someone.  
> Look forward to the big date next chapter! I hope y’all enjoyed. I appreciate your support so much!


	93. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With hearts and nerves overflowing, Claire and Cliff have their first date.

His eyes were wide, and the jittery excitement in them was plain to see. “Hi…  Wow, Claire.  You look… _beautiful_ ,” Cliff stammered, anxiously shifting a bag on his shoulder. 

As he stood in the doorway, the scent of herbal cologne tickled her nose and she felt a little less nervous about wearing her lavender oil as perfume. She noticed that he had dressed up for the occasion, and she remembered the offhand comment Karen had made last summer about him cleaning up well.  He was wearing the same white tunic with blue intricate stitching that he had donned during the Midsummer dance.  His outfit was completed with a coordinating strip of dyed leather holding his hair back.  His clothing brought out the color of his deep blue eyes, and Claire wondered how she had been so casual dancing with such a handsome man that whole evening.  He noticed her eyes on him and blushed, afraid she had caught him staring at her.

“Thank you… You look very handsome.”  She fought the urge to greet him with a small kiss; she was overeager and needed to calm down.  This was their first date, after all, and she needed to make a good impression.  “Please, come on in.”

“I’d love to,” he gave her a small smile, hoping he looked more confident than he felt. As he entered the room, he froze.  Claire was looking up at him in a way he had never seen her before.  Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes were wide, and her lips were slightly parted.  That gaze nearly knocked him senseless; he was reminded once more that he had never seen someone so beautiful in his entire life.  He wanted to hold her and kiss her so badly it hurt, whispering words of love into her ear and asking her to be his forever, but he knew he was being much too hasty.  He took a small step toward her as he gulped.

“The food is still going to be another forty-five minutes or so. I’m sorry… I got kind of distracted.”  She tore her eyes from the opened letter lying on her bed, embarrassed she had forgotten to stash it away. 

“That’s fine. I don’t mind at all.”

At his voice, Claire looked back at her guest with a flustered jolt. “Oh!  I-I’ll put on the kettle for some tea in the meantime.  How does that sound?”  She clasped her hands behind her back as she regained her senses, giving him a nervous smile.  Now that he was here and they were officially on a date, she wasn’t sure how to conduct herself.  She had dated people before, but she never felt so strongly for someone right away.  How friendly could someone be until they were considered too forward?

“Oh, okay.” He gave her a concerned look and he wasn’t exactly sure why he felt a little sad.  He watched her scurry to the kitchen, taking in the scent of roasted sweet potatoes and herbed chicken.  “Do you need any help?”

She let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. “It’s an electric kettle.  All I’m doing is pressing a button.  Feel free to have a seat.”

He complied and looked around the room curiously. The old quilt that Claire had folded into a bed for Koro was empty – he must have been sleeping outside when Cliff arrived.

A chilly breeze blew past him as Claire hurried to the other side of the house, softly apologizing. He watched as she carefully folded a paper lying on her bed into an envelope and tucked it into her nightstand drawer.

“They don’t understand what it’s like to run a farm like this… They didn’t mean any harm at all…”

He frowned. Even while she whispered to herself, her voice was strained; she was nervous.  He watched the back of her blonde head and made a vow to himself that he would comfort her.  This date would be good for them.  He hurried to the other side of the table to retrieve the seat cushion…

“Out of sight, out of mind,” she murmured under her breath, jogging back to the table, a little breathless in her anxiety.

She went to sit across from Cliff and looked curiously at the bare floor beneath her. Claire was distracted from her observation as her date patted the cushion beside him, offering her a shy smile.  The worry immediately fled from her face as her cheeks turned rosy, her lips upturning a bit.

“There’s a seat available here,” he offered, pulling it a little closer to his own.

Claire sat down, attempting to stabilize her breathing from her running around, her anxiety, and her flustered state around Cliff. She let out a soft chuckle to disguise her deep exhale, vaguely realizing it was a technique she had first seen him do.

“So… how was work?” She was eager to get the focus off of herself.  She let out a soft sigh and her lips formed a slight pout.  Upon closer inspection, Cliff noticed they had a light coating of peach lip gloss on them.  She used to wear that same shade to attempt to impress Gray…  Cliff’s heart was in his throat as he came to this realization.

“I-it was nice… Oh!” He bolted up from his seat and hurried to the doorway where his bag was hanging.  He retrieved a bottle of white wine from the satchel.  “Duke and Manna wanted to give me a welcoming gift for working there.  I-I wanted to share it with you.”  Flustered, he placed it on the kitchen counter along with a corkscrew, feeling a little silly for getting up so suddenly.  “But we’re going to have tea, so we can have it later, o-okay?”

She nodded from her comfy seat. “Okay.  Thank you for sharing it with me.”  It made her feel pretty special to be partaking in something that was given to him for a special occasion.

Cliff realized with a bit of embarrassment that he was behaving just as frazzled as Claire had been, even though he had taken it upon himself to help calm her down. He sat beside her as he tried to get comfortable.  “Th-there’s no one I’d rather share it with, Claire.”  His fingers lightly brushed her arm. 

He was a little unsure of how to conduct himself on a date, as he had never been to one. Gray’s only advice had been to let things happen naturally and not get drunk.  He had tossed the carved stone pendant at Cliff’s face as he left the room, telling him tonight was the perfect opportunity.  Cliff was grateful for his quick reflexes, and despite the relatively small size of the necklace he carried, it weighed heavily in his pocket that evening.  For months, he dreamed of giving it to her at the right moment and asking her to be his girlfriend.

 _Is that even the right word for what I want? Girlfriend?  Maybe_ lover _is a better description?_

He gulped. Whatever the word was, now that the possibility was there, it was a little bit terrifying.

As his eyes moved back up to her, he saw that she had slowly leaned in a bit closer to him and was looking at him with a warm smile. Her soft breath was on his cheek and his own breath caught in his throat.  Had the right moment already presented itself?

The whistling of the tea kettle caused Claire to jump in her seat, letting out a squeak of surprise.

”Ah, the water’s ready!” She knew it didn’t need to be said but it had already escaped her lips.

The interruption from the kettle had left them both with dampened spirits, each lost in their own thoughts. Claire arranged a tray of things to prepare the tea and she carried it to the table, conflicted with her feelings.  While she had been initially grateful to use preparing tea as an icebreaker, she now felt like it was more of an inconvenience than anything else.  She put her things down beside him and got a reassuring graze from his arm as she lowered herself onto the cushion.  He gave her a shy smile and she felt her heart melt.

_How on earth can Mum and Dad be wary of a man as sweet as Cliff? They don’t understand anything at all!_

She felt a small swell of anger at the very thought and took to practically flinging a spoon of honey into her brew.

The tea was too hot to drink, so the two sat in silence, listening to the record player. Cliff glanced at Claire.  She seemed very distracted tonight; he couldn’t help but wonder if he had said or done something to cause her strange behavior.  Her eyes flicked to the nightstand beside her bed and she frowned, furrowing her brow.  His eyes moved back to her and she was staring at the ceiling with a red face, twisting a strand of blonde hair in her fingers.

Cliff listened to the song on the record player. It was a familiar tune that often played in early evenings as the he and his sister sat around the hearth, watching the embers glow.  Their mother would be skillfully twirling the way her own mother had taught her and she’d sing along to the crooning voice on the record player.

_“Tonight there are diamonds in the sky/_

_And I’ve never really questioned why/_

_Your smile maaaakes me want to swoon~…”_

He could still hear her sweet voice and he loved the way their voices sounded together when they harmonized. Ivy would always sit still and listen, spellbound.

“ _Tonight let’s dance under the moooon~…_ ”  Cliff softly sang the final line of the song aloud without realizing it.

A smile formed at the corner of Claire’s mouth. “Ah, this is the song you and Karen know.”

He nodded, grateful to see that she was a bit more relaxed. The soft piano tones echoed throughout the room and he looked over at his friend.  He wanted to see her smile again.  He wanted to hear her giggle and he wanted to watch that cute dress flare out as she moved to the music.  More than anything else, he desired to see Claire comfortable and having a good time.

Cliff stood up. Claire looked up at him curiously and a relieved look swept over her face as he offered her his hand to dance.  Neither of them said anything as she took his hand and they moved to the open space in the room.

He gave her a spin and Claire couldn’t stand it anymore; a giggle escaped from her lips. Cliff’s face lit up.  “There’s that smile,” he murmured encouragingly into her ear as they danced together.

Her grin only grew as she moved in a little closer. She never recalled his hand at her waist feeling so loving and tender.  She rested her head on his shoulder, allowing herself to let go of her insecurities about loving him.  They stepped to the beat together and after another twirl when Cliff pulled her back in, she allowed her body to fall against his, catching him in an embrace as her anxiety crumbled around him.

“I was afraid for a while that we’d never dance together like this again,” she whispered, a lump forming in her throat.

She could feel him gulping and he gently tilted her chin upward so that their eyes met. “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.  There’s nowhere I’d rather be than by your side.”

“You have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that.” Claire watched his lips curl up into a smile and found herself wanting to touch them.

“Oh, but I do. I’ve been dying to say it.” 

He granted her wish and gave her what started as a gentle kiss on the lips. He could feel her soft exhale as he cupped her cheek, eager to show her how much he cared.  As emotions flowed, their hold on one another grew tighter and their kiss more intense.  Cliff felt admittedly a little dizzy and overwhelmed as they came up for air, and he began to wonder with a giddy excitement what it would feel like to share a kiss beyond their chaste closed-mouth ones someday.  He immediately chided himself for his thoughts, returning his gaze at the young woman.

They were no longer dancing and she was left looking up at him, bashful yet starry-eyed. He felt like there was something he was supposed to ask her, but his mind felt hazy as she ran her fingers across the back of his neck, wrapping her arms around him in a gentle embrace.

He thought of the nightmare they had recently gotten out of and his gratitude that they were spending time together that evening.

“I want you to have fun tonight,” he murmured into her hair as they slowly began to rock to the beat of the music.

She held him tighter. “I am.  I have you, after all.”

Their cold cups of tea sat at the table, forgotten.

0o0o0o0

The ding from Claire’s toaster oven was one of the few things that broke their spell. Cliff reluctantly let go of his dance partner as she checked on the food, although their dancing had really hadn’t been much more than hugging and gently swaying to the music.  He had felt Claire’s trembling and stifling of emotional tears and he was a little surprised he had to keep his own back.

“Do you need any help?”

Claire smiled. “If you want to pour the wine, I’ll plate the food.”  She was grateful that her nerves were almost completely gone.  While this date was much more intimate than the blind dates she had been on before, she found that she enjoyed this one much more already.  “This is like a celebration for your new job,” Claire pointed out with a smile.  They walked to the table together and sat down with the food and drink at the seat cushions that were still pressed together.

 _Just like it would be if we were lovers_ , Claire told herself. _Wait,_ are _we?_

His lips brushed her knuckles before she took her flatware. “We can celebrate us, too…  You make me really happy, Claire…”

His eyes were glowing in genuine delight and a shy smile hinted at his lips as he gazed at her. She felt herself drawn into him and she slowly leaned in towards him, but paused halfway.  He looked at her curiously with large expressive eyes that conveyed affection.  The young woman fought back the giddiness rising up within her and her smile faded.  “And you make me happy, too, b-but…”  She looked up at him and swallowed, her lips turning into a frown as she straightened her posture.  “What if happiness isn’t enough?”

Suddenly she didn’t feel like eating. She stared at her plate of carefully prepared roasted sweet potatoes and chicken and frowned, watching the steam from them rise into the air.  The date had been going well, and she ruined it again…

Cliff blinked as he processed her words, his heart dropping. What had he done this evening to harm their budding relationship?  Perhaps she was referring to stability…  He lowered his eyes in embarrassment; he needed time at his job to make him more financially stable, and he was aware he still had his handful of problems he kept hidden away from the rest of the world…

She watched the worry lines form on his forehead and immediately felt a rash of guilt. “It’s j-just something I heard someone say the other day about their own life,” Claire explained hastily, already regretting bringing up the subject.  She absentmindedly picked up her fork and knife, cutting her piece of chicken in an effort to make conversation feel more natural.  “I told him that it seemed like he had the things in life that would make him happy, but he replied that sometimes happiness isn’t enough.  I just… can’t seem to get the words out of my head,” she finished lamely, setting down her utensils with a soft sigh.  “I wonder if I’m overlooking something in my own life.”

The frown didn’t wipe off of Cliff’s mouth, but his forehead relaxed a little. They sat quietly for a moment as he tried to gather his thoughts.  Claire wasn’t trying to say she didn’t like him, he told himself.  “I guess it depends on what your happiness stems from,” he replied carefully.  “I mean… there are different kinds of happiness from different sources.  The happiness I feel when I hear good music and when I eat a delicious meal are different from each other.  And… both are a lot different from the happiness I feel when… I’m with you…”  He blushed as he averted his gaze, nervously rubbing the crook of his neck.  “Maybe the person you were talking to meant that they didn’t have the right happiness to make them whole, if that makes any sense.”

Claire’s heart lifted and her flushed cheeks matched his. “D-do you feel like you have the right kinds of happiness to feel whole?”  She ignored their food for the moment and leaned toward him, a lock of her hair tumbling in front of her shoulder.

“It’s… a process,” he confessed, shyly running a few gentle fingers through the golden strands, “but… I feel like it doesn’t seem impossible anymore.  This past year has just been…”  Cliff let out a breathy chuckle as he took a moment to reflect.  “I don’t even know if I have words for it.”

She rested her hand on his shoulder. “I know what you mean.  In a lot of ways, my whole life has changed, but…  I’m still struggling to earn my parents’ approval.”  She stroked the nape of his neck to soothe herself as he gave her a small frown.  “I… got a letter from them yesterday.  They were polite… but I could tell they still don’t think I should be out here.”

He watched the ends of her hair curl over the edge of his fingers. “I-it… can be hard… when your parent wants something for you… that deep down just feels wrong.”  His eyebrows furrowed as he bit his lip.  “They have your future all planned out for you, and everyone gets to decide what is best for you but yourself.”

The hurt in his diverted eyes was the same brand that Claire associated with him mentioning his sister. “What about Ivy?”  The words slipped out and she didn’t realize she had said them aloud at first.

She was even more surprised when he answered readily. “She was great at foraging and she had a lot of previous experience with herbal medicines.”  He gulped.  “Ivy… was actually really jealous of me.  I don’t know if I’ll _ever_ understand how she possibly could be.”

“You have a lot of talents,” she pointed out. “You’re resourceful and kind, can hunt, you can sing and dance…”  She immediately thought of the fireworks festival with a grin.

The joy left Cliff’s face, and she immediately remembered with a flash of guilt that he had said something about not enjoying it because he didn’t feel free when he was performing. “The only reason she was jealous was because she didn’t understand.  I-I’m sorry… we were talking about your parents and I just started rambling about myself.”  His words were awkward as he removed his hand from her hair, looking away with embarrassment.

The cue that he didn’t wish to speak more about his family was obvious. “I always love learning more about you, but if you don’t want to talk about it, I will never pressure you,” she told him with a smile.  Claire turned to her food and put her napkin on her lap, hoping to create a more comfortable atmosphere.

Cliff frowned. He hadn’t meant to direct the conversation to being about him.  However, as the weather got cooler and Doug had mentioned snow would be falling before they knew it, Cliff’s blood had run cold.  His nights would inevitably grow sleepless as they always did this time of year…  Maybe having someone to confide in would be nice…

_Maybe I’m just too much of a mess…_

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. “I think that your farm is something anyone would be impressed at.  You’ve come so far from where you started.”  He cocked his head toward the open window.  “Remember when that was a patch of weeds?”  The smile fell from his face and his eyebrows arched in sincerity.  “I…  I think you’re amazing, Claire.”

The young woman had already memorized her parents’ letter:

_“With hard work and dedication, the goal of making Mystic Acres a farm to be proud of may well be within your grasp.”_

_Cliff already thinks I’m there…_

She wasn’t exactly sure why she felt like crying. The young woman fought the urge to screw up her face and shed tears.  Instead she found herself reaching for his hand and holding it fast, giving herself a moment to regain her composure.  “And _I_ think _you’re_ amazing, Cliff.”  She shyly held out her wine glass for a toast.  “T-to…?”  Claire looked to the ceiling as she struggled for something to say, afraid of the ideas bouncing around in her head being too intimate or forward, but her heart was throbbing at his kind words.

She could hear the smile in Cliff’s voice before she rested her eyes upon him. “To you and me.” 

“T-to you and me,” she repeated softly. She was thrilled that he had the courage to make such a toast, and she wished she had been bold enough to make it herself.  Claire found that she was happy enough to clink her glass against his and take a small sip, looking over the edge of her glass to see her date doing the same thing.

As they started into their meal, Claire realized with a laugh how similar the situation was to when Cliff worked at the farm and they’d share a meal together.

Cliff chewed and swallowed, looking at his date curiously. “What’s so funny?”

Claire shook her head, playfully bumping her shoulder into him. “I was so nervous about tonight… but this isn’t much different than you spending evenings with me before.”

The tension disappeared from his face as he playfully bopped her back. “You think it’s the same?”

Cliff received one more bump as Claire leaned into his arm a bit. “I think it’s better.”  She gave him a playful wink as she speared a bite of chicken.  She let out a giggle as he purposefully brushed his arm against hers as he reached for his glass.

“Me, too.”

As they ate, Claire watched as his expressions rapidly change from to inspired to elated to depressed. She looked at him curiously, silently asking what was on his mind.

“Claire… I’m so sorry…  I got so caught up in myself and my own feelings.” 

His statement caught her off guard as his playfulness had vanished and he was soft-spoken and pensive. She wondered if he was referring to his playful flirting…

She quickly saw that wasn’t the case. “It wasn’t even that I couldn’t see your pain when I said I was leaving…  I thought it was for your own good that I not comfort you.”  He gave her an apologetic frown.  “I didn’t want you to miss me.  I couldn’t stand the thought of hurting you… so I hurt you.”

Claire felt her heart sink. How truly lonely and desperate did someone have to feel for that to be a top option?  Still, she gave him a sad smile.  “But you’re not leaving anymore.”

Cliff gave her a sad smile. “You’re right.  I’m staying here…  But it was really cruel for me to reject you the way I did…  Especially after I heard Carter explain to the kids the meaning behind the Harvest Festival.  I want to spend the next full moon with you this fall.  I want to sit with you on Mother’s Hill under the moon and stars.”  He lowered his eyes.  “I know I can’t undo the things I said and did that day, but…  I want to celebrate and support you.”

“Yes.” Her answer escaped her lips almost immediately.  “Yes, take me.  I wanna watch the moon with you.”  Claire’s voice gained confidence and enthusiasm.  “Let’s thank the gods together and pray for a good harvest next year, too.  I have this recipe I want to make for moon dumplings!  I’ve wanted to try it since…”  Her voice grew quiet as she wrapped her arm around his.

“I hurt you…” He finished her sentence as she looked at him with surprised eyes.  “I know I’m asking for far more than I deserve.”

“I don’t care about those things,” Claire replied. “I just want to be with you and enjoy what we have now.”  She gave his arm a squeeze and loaded a forkful of sweet potato.  “After all, you’re my…”  She lifted her fork and gestured toward him with a smile.

“Sweet potato?” he asked with a slight chuckle.

Claire gave him a playful nudge. “ _Happiness_ , silly!”  She quickly swallowed her bit of food.  “That is, unless you _want_ me to call you _my sweet potato_.”

He shook his head with a genuine laugh, but Claire beamed as she watched the color rise in his cheeks.

0o0o0o0

“Thanks for tonight. I’m glad we got a chance to talk.”  A playful smile spread across her face.  “You’re a fun date, Cliff.  I’m looking forward to our next one.”  She gave him a hug in the doorway. 

He was a little sad it was over already; the past hours had flown by like a dream. Their eyes locked and they stood in each other’s arms silently for a few moments.  Cliff gulped and his face turned scarlet as his eyes traced her lips before moving back to her gaze.

“Uh… I-I heard... well, that is to s-say… some people don’t feel comfortable… k-kissing on the first date… but…” He averted his eyes and Claire could almost swear she saw steam roll out of his ears.

Her own face turned rosy as she gently placed a hand on his cheek. “Cliff… we’ve already kissed tonight…” she reminded him.  “You and I… well… we’ve been through a lot more than most people have before their first date.”  A smile played at her lips as she gazed at him fondly.  “I had a really good time tonight.  This… this is the best date I’ve ever been on.”  She paused, ignoring the butterflies fluttering rapidly in her stomach.  “A-and, just for the record…”  Claire gulped, standing on her tiptoes to whisper into his ear.  “I _like_ kissing you.”

Cliff’s lips were immediately on hers and her eyes slid shut as she leaned into him, soaking in the moment as her skin prickled with goose bumps. The comfortable combination of herbs and tanned leather that she caught a faint whiff of was synonymous with Cliff, and she adored it.  He held her with such sincere affection that she felt like she was going to swoon.  He gently broke off the kiss and he let out a small, bewildered chuckle, half wondering if he had held on for too long.  His soft breath tickled Claire’s lips as a pleasurable chill ran down her spine.  His arms were still firmly around her, as if he hated the thought of being away from her.

“I do, too.” The young man gave her shoulder a pat as he reluctantly let go of her, smiling with his wide eyes.  “Sleep well, Claire.”

“You, too.” She gave him a grin and waved goodbye, holding a hand over her heart.

Cliff headed back to the inn, giddy with happiness as he walked with a spring in his step. He had gone on his first date with the woman of his dreams, and everything had gone relatively well.  She wanted to see him again and she reacted well to their closeness.  Maybe someday she could love him as deeply as he loved her.  It still felt like a dream… 

A weight in his pocket caused him to freeze. Fishing the pendant out of his pocket, he held it up under the moon.  The waxing crescent didn’t provide much light even though the sky was relatively clear.  Still, he was able to make out the carvings on the surface of the polished rock.

_Claire… I want a future that has you in it…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: While this chapter was fun to write, it was also a bit tricky. I wanted to set a good pace for their relationship without making the whole chapter too nauseatingly sweet.
> 
> This chapter gave me a lot of nostalgia when I was dating my husband. We met online, and our times together in person were rare, so we had been through a lot together emotionally by the time we had our first “official date”.
> 
> I hope this chapter gave sweet, cozy vibes. I sincerely hope you enjoyed! Feel free to let me know what you think!


	94. Child of the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Claire learns the basics of sheep shearing, we learn a bit more about Barley and Zack's situation...

Among Claire’s modest array of fall vegetables, a large field of dead plant matter left over from summer remained. Eager to have her fields clean by the time cooler weather came around, the farmer was carrying an armful of withered tomato plants in her arms to her compost heap.  She added them to the pile with a loud sigh. 

_Only a million left to go…_

She whirled around and almost bumped into the young man standing behind her.

“Ah, s-sorry about that…” Gray took a small step back and gathered a few loose tomato vines that had missed the heap with his free hand.  He tossed them atop of the compost and tugged down on the bill of his cap.  “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

The young woman was slammed with a wave of nostalgia. It had felt like an eternity since she had longed for Gray to visit her on the farm, almost like part of another life.  She wracked her brain, trying to recall the last words the two of them had spoken to each other, and she found that she hadn’t hung onto them like she had in the past.

“Uh, hi…” He cleared his throat, shifting the small parcel in his hand.

“Hello,” she returned, her posture becoming more erect as she looked at him curiously, trying to puzzle out why he was going out of his way to see her.

He handed her the box with a lavish pink bow, nearly thrusting it into her chest with shaking hands. “I wanted to give this to you.  I know it’s nothing fancy, but still…”

Her birthday wasn’t for another few weeks, and she was certain he didn’t know that date anyway. She accepted the box, which was lighter than she was expecting.  “Thank you,” she stammered, a little unsure of what to do.  Her fingers moved to untie the ribbon, but she froze.  “I… don’t understand,” she admitted.

His face turned pink and he averted his eyes. “I suck at this…  I mean, I know it’s not much, but I just wanted to thank you for everything…”  He jammed his hands into his pockets.  “For helping me not lose my best friend, really…  I… I couldn’t talk any sense into Cliff when you could,” he stammered quickly, the color draining from his face.

She gave him a sad smile. “I think he wanted to stay all along, but he didn’t feel like he was allowed to feel that way.”  She paused, her eyes drifting out beyond her fence to the vineyard.  “I’m really grateful that Duke needed the extra help.”  A lump formed in her throat and her voice unexpectedly cracked.

“Y-yeah…” Gray’s voice was husky and he quickly cleared his throat.  “Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks.”  His eyes moved to the box in Claire’s hands, not-so-subtly asking her to open it already.

Claire complied, untying the ribbon as she spoke. “I’m glad that there are other people here that care about him a lot, too.”  Her eyes rested on a dozen delicate cookies and she felt herself drool.  “Oh, macarons!  Thank you very much!”  They were a definite step up from the sleeves of sugared biscuits she had bought recently as a treat.

Relief swept over his face. “They’re all lavender flavored.  Karen mentioned you liked that kind of stuff.”  He had wanted to purchase her something she would enjoy, and his trip to the store that day made him realize how little he actually knew about the young woman despite her earlier attempts to garner his attention.  He flushed with embarrassment; had he really been that eager to shut her out, even as a friend?

He snapped to attention as she held the box out to him, offering one.

He shook his head. “Oh, no.  They’re yours.”

She took one from the box herself and bit into it, still holding out the package to share. “They’re really good.”  The cookie dissolved in her mouth and the rich cream reminded her of tea with her parents.  She felt a jolt of guilt as she remembered the last time she saw them and the letter sitting in her nightstand drawer.

“Oh, okay, fine,” he stammered, selecting one of the sweets. His thumb promptly went through the cookie and he cursed in surprise.  “What are these, puffed up air?”  A hint of a smile played at his lips.

Claire couldn’t help but giggle as he popped the whole thing in his mouth, licking the cream and pale purple crumbs from his thumb. “They’re made with meringue, so they’re light and fluffy.  What do you think of macarons now that you’ve tried one?”

Gray swallowed with a smirk. “Lavender, huh…  A few years ago, I would’ve asked why they make cookies flavored like bubble bath.”

Claire’s giggle turned into a snort as she closed the box. “Well, I suppose it would be best to leave the rest for someone who appreciates them.”  She cradled the package in her hands protectively.

“They’re not _bad_ ,” he insisted.  “I’m a lot more used to eating things with herbs and flowers now…”

“I can imagine Mary’s opened your eyes a bit to that,” Claire replied, taking another small bite of her macaron.

He gave a nod, surprised she had mentioned his girlfriend. After all, it hadn’t been that terribly long ago since Claire wanted to be his.  His eyes searched hers and he saw that they no longer held that special spark that they used to when she spoke to him.  He realized with a bit of sheepishness that she had been giving a more doting look at Cliff lately, and Gray was the first to admit he normally didn’t notice those kinds of things.  His roommate’s eyes had been positively sparkling since the evening before, and he had gushed that it had gone very well despite not providing much detail.  Gray found himself refraining from asking Claire anything about it to avoid any discomfort.

Awkwardness was still determined to settle in as a young horse trotted to Claire’s side, looking curiously at the box of sweets his master was carrying. The blonde let out a chuckle as she tucked the box under her arm and popped the rest of the cookie into her mouth, rubbing Tucker’s nose.  He gave her a playful bump with his head.

Gray watched the woman and horse together among nuzzles and laughter. She had a different aura about her than he remembered and he realized with a bit of shame and regret that he had never really gotten to know what she was really like.  When she wasn’t obsessing and stalking, it seemed Claire was very gentle hearted and kind, and despite that, she even seemed to have a tiny bit of sass.  Her expressions were more genuine now, her voice less hesitant and shy…  She was happy now, and while the main reason was probably her closeness with Cliff, perhaps one of the bigger reasons for that was because Gray no longer spent time with her.

He tore his eyes from the young horse and the blonde. It would be selfish to even hope she’d be interested in cultivating some sort of friendship with him after everything they had been through together.  Ever since he had helped her prepare Cliff’s things when he was injured, he had reflected on the strong, thoughtful woman that he had rejected.  She didn’t stir his heart the way Mary did, but he couldn’t deny that he was curious to see what it would be like to have a friend like her.  Why did she have to be interesting to him now that he had made things awkward between them?

“Gray?”

Her voice startled him, and he chided the heat he felt in his cheeks. _The last thing I want to do is give her the wrong idea…_ “Huh?”

“You don’t think that Tucker needs to get shoes already, do you? I read that some people think you should avoid it as long as possible, and others say to start right away.  I know there has to be a happy medium, but I don’t want to shoe Tucker if he doesn’t need it.”

His ears perked up at the comments she was making; she had actually read the book on horses he recommended her and wasn’t getting it just to impress him. Moreover, it sounded like she had gotten information from more than one source…  Gray bit his lip; perhaps he had never given her enough credit.

“Let’s take a look.”

0o0o0o0

Gray had suggested they go to Yodel Farm where he could access the proper tools for trimming Tucker’s hooves. They agreed that the lush grass on the farm kept the colt from requiring shoes.  The young man’s face lit up as he led Tucker into the barn with Barley.  Claire watched with curiosity as Gray deftly worked the large file, speaking in soothing tones to the young horse.

“Just as mellow as he was when I first met him.” His pale blue eyes were positively shining as he doted on Tucker – he had long forgotten to keep himself composed around the horse.

Claire couldn’t help but smile at him. She could tell that he had been dying to spend time with Tucker, and while she didn’t regret avoiding Gray for a while, she began to wonder if things would be more comfortable with him from now on.

Claire watched as he worked at filing the hoof to avoid sharp points and her attention was drawn toward Barley, who was walking toward them with a concerned look on his face.

“Gray, your Grandfather mentioned that he’s got a lot of orders coming in for the holiday season already.”

The young man let out a grunt of affirmation. “I swear it gets earlier and earlier every year…  Yeah, we’re getting more orders.  He’s got me staying after a few days a week right now.”

The old man frowned. “I’m going to be shearing soon.  I’d ask Rick to help, but I know he’s getting ready to winterize at his place.”

May was sitting on a wooden stool and she picked up a loose piece of straw, waving it around like a tiny wand. “You can always ask Mr. Zack, Grandpa.  I bet he’d be happy to help.”

A strained smile worked its way across Barley’s lips. “Ah, that’s a possibility, I suppose.”  He turned toward the farmer.  “Claire, I was going to ask if you were interested as well.  You probably have room on your farm to raise sheep when you’re ready, so why not get a little practice in?  I would pay you for your trouble, of course.”

Her eyes traveled to the flock of sheep out in Barley’s field. It already looked like a daunting task.  It looked as if shearing season was an equivalent to her tomato season.  Her own crops were easy enough to manage this time of year anyway, and she felt a little nervous about making it through the winter on her savings.  Every bit of money surely helped.

“Sure, I’d be happy to help out.”

Before she knew it, a ewe was brought into the barn as a demonstration. Gray watched with amusement as he continued to file at Tucker’s hooves.

“I bet you can clip as fast as Grandpa!” May cheered, bouncing on her feet.

Claire bit back a smirk; she wished she shared the young girl’s optimism…

0o0o0o0

_I didn’t even know sheep could move that way – it’s as if they don’t have any bones! Am I even doing this right?_

Claire held onto the sheep’s front legs and bit back a squeak as the creature wriggled in her grasp.

“Ah, I don’t want to hurt her!” She immediately let go and the ewe flailed on her back before scampering up and attempting to bolt.

The sheep was immediately stopped by Barley, who flipped her back over with a thud and pinned her between his knees. The ewe immediately calmed down.

“See this pressure? It keeps her from panicking.  If I’m not confident, then she could flail and get hurt when I’m clipping.  It’s important to remain firm at first so she mellows out.  That being said, flailing is a bit of the process, but you’ll learn to roll with it.  The clippers please.”

Claire reached for the tool resting on the workbench with a bit of what she decided as sheepishness. Her amusement at her pun faded as she quickly realized she had failed.  He accepted the shears in his weather-beaten arthritic hands and set along to clipping.  “See, I’m just doing a few blows across the stomach to open it up.”

Her eyes widened at his terminology, but she quickly saw that he was referring to the fleece being free from the body.

Barley continued. “With this technique, I can get all of the wool off in one piece.”

She watched in amazement as Barley set to work, moving as if the clippers were simply an extension of his hand. “May I ask why you don’t use an electric trimmer?”

“A good question.” He flopped the ewe on her side and she flailed for a moment before calming down in his grasp and he continued as if nothing had happened.  “The buzzing of the trimmer can agitate them more than I think is necessary.”  He worked his way up the ewe’s side, snipping along.  “Also, when I trim them like this, I am able to leave them with a couple weeks’ worth of growth to keep them more comfortable.”

May had joined Claire’s side and wrapped her fingers around the young woman’s in a silent hello.  Just as Claire’s heart began to melt, May let go and grabbed a small push-style broom specially shortened for her.  She moved it along the floor clumsily, clearing the straw.

“If we don’t sweep now, we have to pick out the straw later,” she explained. “This is the part where _I_ help,” she added proudly.

Claire watched the ewe wriggle on the floor as Barley deftly turned her over before continuing his clipping.

“May’s right. This job can get a bit messy sometimes.  But I can imagine you’re quite used to messy jobs by now, eh?” Barley let out a soft chuckle that sounded more like a wheeze than anything else.

Claire blushed as she attempted to dust the dirt off the bib of her overalls, realizing with embarrassment that it would need to be scrubbed before the spot was removed. “Ah, I suppose so,” she confessed.

Her shame faded immediately as the animal was turned on her side once more. “This breed needs to be sheared twice a year.  I usually do it in the fall and spring.  My other sheep only get one shearing in the spring.  It really depends on lambing season, too, though.”  His hands moved fluidly as he worked his way across the ewe’s sides, clipping away.  “I like to give them a trim around a month before they’re due.  Makes for a cleaner birth.”

“Baby lambs are the cutest!” May leaned on the handle of her broom, forgetting how helpful she wanted to show Claire she could be. “Ambrosia had a baby lamb that I got to name Marshmallow!  She is the best!  I know!  I’ll show you Marshmallow!”

“Maybe in a little while, May.” Her grandfather’s voice was kind but firm as he continued his work.  Claire watched his eyebrows immediately furrow as he looked up, speeding up his work.  He said nothing as he moved the shears, removing the fleece in one large piece.  The old man gave the sheep a half-hearted pat as he gave the man standing in the barn doorway a curt nod.  “Ah, Zack, I’ll be right with you.”

Claire took a step back as she watched the old man swiftly set aside the fleece, giving May a pat on the shoulder as she stopped sweeping. He gave the young woman an expression she couldn’t recognize right away.

“I bet Claire would love to see Marshmallow now, May.”

The young woman found she was giving the old man a sympathetic nod as she silently agreed to his pleading request. She watched as the two men disappeared into the house.

“Thank you for coming, Zack…” Barley sat down in his chair heavily with a sigh.  “Now that we know what we do…  I’d really like you to give Joanna a call and see if you can convince her to come back.”

Zack’s posture stiffened and he struggled to keep his jaw from dropping, nearly missing his chair as he sat down. “Are you serious?  Why do you think that she’ll say anything different?”

The old man laced his gnarled fingers together and closed his eyes, partially to avoid seeing his companion’s reaction. “Because you’re going to ask her to marry you.”

The blood drained from his face. “Wh-what?!  I-I can’t do that!”

“Of course you can.” Barley’s voice was level.  “If the two of you can make a child together, you can make a family together.”

Zack felt a little lightheaded; hearing aloud that he had fathered a child felt a little surreal, and frankly, it was terrifying. A faint image of the beautiful Lillia fluttered on the edges of his consciousness, but he pushed it away.  “You don’t understand!”  Zack shook his head so vigorously he made himself a little dizzy.  “She left because she was unhappy here.  She didn’t feel safe.  No one would take the time to understand that.  She told me that-”

“Was that before or after you tore off each other’s clothes while you were out at sea?” Barley’s eyes were hard and unyielding. “May needs a mother and a father!  You can’t tell me that you look at that little girl and feel _nothing_!”  His throat tightened.

Zack moved his eyes to the floor, rubbing his arm. Her laughing dark eyes looked so much like her mother’s, but they still had an innocence to them.  Since he had been by to visit more, May had accepted his company without question and she loved without bias.  It was still hard to believe that she was related to him.  A few months ago, he had never considered the thought that his one-time fling with Joanna would have produced a child.  It wasn’t until that fateful day that he had come into contact with the compass he had left with Joanna.

He could still remember the last time he had seen her around six years ago, watching her tuck her untidy dark hair behind her ears with a sigh as their breathing had slowed down. She let out a surprised squeak as he placed the cold metal compass between her bare breasts.  

“What is this?” she asked with a chuckle, picking it up and flipping it open, her fingers exploring the shiny brass.

He grinned at her smiling face – her removal from Mineral Town had left her with nothing but laughter and lightheartedness. He knew life would only get better for her.

“It’s for you. You need to do what makes you happy, Joanna…  I want you to follow your heart…”

“Follow my heart…” she repeated softly. She held the compass with outstretched arms in front of her face, as if asking it for direction.  “That’s really sweet, Zack, but maybe a little farfetched.  Do you think… I can really be happy out there?”

He gave her hand a friendly pat. “Yeah, I do.”

“Thank you, Zack… Thank you for tonight.  I needed to tell myself this doesn’t have to be scary and bad…”  Her lips trembled as she scrunched up her face, trying to avoid spilling any tears.

Zack wrapped his muscular arms around her as she quietly cried, staring up at the ceiling.

“Ah, I’m sorry…” She gave a weak laugh that quavered.

He stroked her hair. “It’s fine.  Let it out, Joanna…”

He felt her silently sob against his chest as the waves gently rocked them. He thought of the woman with the soft pink hair that had escaped his thoughts while he and Joanna were tangled together under the bed sheets.  He felt a mild wave of guilt, as if he had betrayed her somehow.  He quickly shoved it away; this moment with Joanna wasn’t about forming a bond of love – it was about celebrating freedom and overcoming her past.  She had surprised him with the suggestion for their activities after the anchor was set.  Drinks were poured and protection was provided, Joanna rolling her eyes at him as he expressed interest yet shock.

_What could go wrong? Just a little fun and celebrating…  Besides, she needed this…_

Zack snapped back to reality.

Joanna, his wife? He got along with her alright, but…

He thought of Lillia and felt a mild stab of pain. Despite his friendship with Rod, something about his wife’s gentle kindness had drawn him in.  He shook his head; regardless of whether or not Rod ever returned, she would never be his and he knew it.  The very thought made his heart heavy.

His dark eyes flicked outside at the young girl petting sheep with Claire. These past couple of months with May and Barley had been different than any in his entire life.  Her pure smile, her musical giggle, the way her small fingers would wrap around his when they walked across the farm…  His anxiety over whether or not he was her parent gradually faded as he let himself get lost in her beautiful world.

While having a generally sweet demeanor, she had a sassy side as well. She reminded her so much of Joanna in this sense that he had slipped a couple of times, nearly calling her by the wrong name.  One day she had sent him home with a single daisy and a wish for him to feel better, as May had caught him frowning when he remembered his anxiety.

When he went home that night, he found himself wishing that she was indeed her daughter.

_May does_ _deserve a family – she deserves all the love in the world… Maybe I’m being selfish.  Still…_

“If her own daughter isn’t enough to make her come home, why do you think _I’ll_ be able to convince her?”

“Because you’re going to tell her you’re May’s father and you are going to propose to her!” Barley hardly felt like he needed to explain himself. How could Zack not see that she needed a proper family?

“There was _nothing_ going on between us!  We weren’t in love or anything!  Besides, she _knows_ I’m the father!  Joanna gave May that compass I gave her years ago, saying her dad gave it to her.”

Barley’s voice was taken aback. “Not in love?!  H-how can you even say that, knowing that May is yours?”

“That doesn’t change the past and the fact that Joanna and I were never interested in each other that way,” Zack replied firmly, cutting him off.

“And people wonder why the older folk are disgusted with the younger generation…” Barley looked as if he was going to vomit.

Zack bit his lip, his voice soft. “Look… I…  I think we can agree that you think I made some stupid choices – that Joanna and I probably shouldn’t have… well, you know…”  He shamefully looked away; it didn’t do well to tell Barley that they had tried to be careful.  “But I don’t regret May being born.”

Barley’s expression was unreadable behind his glasses. “It’s simple for you to say because you haven’t been involved up until now.  Joanna has been nothing but a source of heartache for that girl.  I raised May myself and all she has ever longed for is her mother…”  His wrinkled lips became a thin line as memories flooded his head of his daughter’s behavior.  “I’m just an old man who has experienced too much… who has seen his daughter change into someone he doesn’t know anymore…  You… you should go before I say something I’m going to regret.”  He cleared his throat.  “I just ask that you think over my proposal.  I will pay for the marriage certificate.  It can be a small, private ceremony…”

Zack stood up stiffly. “I suppose I should be going then…”

After all, he was moments away from saying something he was going to regret as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I’m baaack! Between working on a story for a friend and struggling with inspiration, it feels like it’s been a while. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that long, but it felt that way to me!
> 
> I watched sooo many sheep shearing videos and tutorials for clipping horse hooves, haha. I was surprised to learn how rarely sheep actually need to be clipped!
> 
> Not a lot of writers touch down on the Joanna/May/Barley situation, and I really didn’t have any plans to until my friend and I were brainstorming a while back about the different relationships between HM64 and Mineral Town/Back to Nature. I certainly didn’t plan on writing out much about Joanna, but lo and behold, she now has a back story, or at least the beginnings of one on her. Her story’s mostly in my head at this point. I really wanted to give her some of the characteristics May has, and I found myself falling in love with this version of Joanna. As I write more of her, I hope you like her, too. I want to write her as not necessarily a bad person, but someone who has been through some hard times and is doing what she thinks is best.
> 
> Also, there is a bakery at our local farmer market that sells lavender macarons. Ah, macarons…
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I’d love to hear what you think about the whole Zack/Barley/May drama going on!


	95. A Proud Woman's Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire visits the super market and gets more than she bargained for.
> 
> Yeah, I just did that.

Claire opened the door to the supermarket and nearly collided with the patron leaving at the same time.

A pair of deep blue eyes looked at her with a combination of surprise and enthrallment.

“Cl-Claire!” Cliff gasped. “I’m sorry – I almost ran right into you, didn’t I?”  Despite his apologies, his face flushed and his lips curled up into an affectionate smile.

“It’s alright; I almost did the same thing.” She bit back a giggle; he almost looked like there was nothing he’d rather do.  Her eyes traveled over his ruddy cheeks, his wind-tousled hair – it looked like he had just gotten off of work.  If his employment at her farm was any indication, Cliff was a very determined and hard worker.

“I was just doing some shopping…” He let out a small chuckle.  “I guess that much is obvious, huh?  I’m not able to get as much fishing done now that I’m working, so I was picking up some things to bring for my lunch.  It feels kind of strange, buying food when I can go fishing.  Anything I catch has been going to Cain lately.  It’s getting darker out, so I can’t stay out fishing for so long.”  His words flowed out easily.

“What kinds of foods were you looking for?”

He gave her a rueful smile. “Something cheap – rice and dried beans.  To be honest, I haven’t cooked on a stove since I lived with my parents, and even then, all I can think of is the time I attempted to make chili but forgot to stir it and ruined the pot.”

Claire let out a good-natured giggle. “I may or may not have done something similar when I was young.”  She could still smell the scorched rice pudding as she recalled standing in front of the stove, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at the charred mess before her.

“Ann was eager to give me a few pointers and she’s going to lend me one of their old hotplates. It shouldn’t be too different from using a campfire.  I don’t cook many complicated things,” Cliff admitted.  “I’ve been told I’m decent at it, but my presentation is terrible.  Ma always said my meals always looked like someone had already eaten them.”

A grin cracked across her face amid laughter. “I think my little brothers would like you.”

He was positively glowing at her comment. “Ah, your brothers… really?”  His eyes lowered and there was a deep sadness to them amid his earnest smile.  “Ma… Ma would’ve really liked you…  Papa, too…”  He looked down at his hands, which had been lingering on her shoulders since they nearly collided.  “And Ivy…  I can’t imagine her not wanting to be your friend.”  He gently removed his hands from her, giving her shoulders a playful squeeze as he did so.

While Claire was happy to hear this, she wasn’t blind to the unique sadness on his face at the very mention of Ivy’s name. She wanted to cheer him up and tell him that her family would like him, too, but she wasn’t sure.  After the letter her parents had sent her, she felt a little nervous of their opinion.  “Well… in the crazy chance that one of my family members actually manages to make it all the way out here, I’d be happy to introduce you to them.”

Cliff turned cherry red but remained silent. Claire wondered how she would introduce him.  Her best friend?  Her _boyfriend_ , perhaps?  She scrunched up her nose at the word – it didn’t seem to quite capture her feelings for him.  It was often a title her friends in the city used to refer to men who bought them trifles and chocolates, participating in melodramatic arguments and apologizing with bouquets of flowers.  If that’s what that word meant, she didn’t want Cliff to be her boyfriend.

She began to wonder if _friend_ was the correct title for the girls she associated with in the city.

“I bet they’d be really impressed with your farm.”

Claire gave him a sad smile; he was far too kind. She had a _long_ way to go to impress anyone in her family…

He took her hands in his and gave them a friendly squeeze. “I know what you’re thinking, but if they really saw everything you’ve done, they’d _have_ to be proud.”

“He’s right, you know,” Karen called from within the grocery store. “And if they weren’t, they’d have to answer to _me_.”  She poked her own chest with her thumb.

Cliff looked back at the inside of the shop and blushed, shuffling his bag on his shoulder. He was likely keeping her from her own chores.  “I’m happy I got to see you today, Claire.  See you again soon?”

“Of course.” She loved the way his eyes glowed when he said her name.  The last time they had said goodbye, they had shared a long, romantic kiss in her doorway.

He gave her hands one last squeeze. “Well, I guess I better go back to the inn to start soaking those dried beans.”  He gave one last look over his shoulder, his face still quite red.  “O-of course, I can stay and keep you company while you shop…”

Claire felt her cheeks blaze. Flattered as she was, she didn’t want him to change his plans for her.  She didn’t want to get too clingy to him while their relationship was still budding.  “Oh, no, it’s alright!  You have those beans to soak.  It’s okay!”  Flustered, she shook her head.

His hand softly brushed against her arm. “Alright.  See you around.  I, uh… I had a wonderful time with you last night.”  He looked over his shoulder, ducking his head with embarrassment as he saw a couple of people had shamelessly been listening.  “S-see y’all later!”  He gave everyone a collective goodbye.

“Bye, Cliff.” Claire watched him walk back toward the inn a few seconds before he turned around to give her one last look.  Her heart jumped into her throat and when she turned back into the store, she did so with a giddy buzzing throughout her body.

Elli was watching Claire with interest as Mary continued to rifle through the bundles of spinach for sale.

Jeff let out a chuckle, shaking his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that boy so talkative.”

Karen looked up from stocking the shelves and shot her father a poisonous look. “Don’t say things that aren’t necessary, Dad!”

“I thought it was rather endearing,” Elli admitted with a smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that happy.  It’s a nice change.”

_Endearing…_

Claire had used that word herself to describe him. How long ago had it been since she had first seen him that way?  Late spring?  Early summer?  It all felt like a haze.  What would life have been like if she had realized how precious he was sooner?  Would she have been jealous of Ann?  She recalled some of the strange jitters in her stomach she had felt when she saw Cliff and Ann together.  Perhaps she had already been a little envious without realizing it.

Mary was observing the way Claire was nervously rubbing her arm, unsure of how to reply. “Did you come shopping for something special today?  Normally I’d recommend the spinach, but that’d be silly since you’re the one who grew it.  Yours is so much fresher than the shipments we used to get from the Valley,” Mary said with a slight smile.

The farmer was tempted to tell Mary she didn’t need to be so kind, but she stopped herself. She looked down at the small display of leafy greens on sale, bundled up and set up in a small tub of crushed ice.  She recognized Karen’s rounded letters on the sign marking the price.  Maybe it wasn’t a giant display in a big box supermarket, but it was the fruit of her labor.

“I’m just looking for some staple ingredients for the week. How about you?”

“Mary’s helping me get ingredients for a special birthday dinner for Trent,” Elli explained. “He’s going to have a couple of special guests visiting at that time as well.” 

She hid a frown. Trent’s idea of celebrating thirty-four years of age was taking on a new project in work.  She knew it was silly to hope he would want to go with her out to dinner on that occasion, but he would most likely see it as a gift from one worker to another, not between friends, and most definitely not between potential lovers.  Elli sighed.  Year after year, she had waited and hoped for more than a passing glance, a kind touch, a glimmer in his eye, a sweet word, _anything_ …  If only she could get him to look at her the way she saw Cliff looking at Claire – he had looked absolutely entranced by her.

_Maybe someday…_

But she had been waiting for him to reach out to her for years. Was “someday” ever going to come?

“Family?” Claire asked. She had heard others say that he wasn’t originally from the area.

Elli shook her head. “I doubt that will ever happen.  He’s meeting with a specialist from the west, along with his wife.  Trent’s always eager to help other doctors move to a more holistic approach.”

“He and my father work closely sometimes,” Mary stated, selecting a bundle of spinach and adding it to their shopping basket.

“That’s actually how we met,” Elli told Claire. “Trent was tickled when he learned a botanist had moved to Mineral Town.”

Claire looked at them curiously. “I just assumed the two of you grew up together.  You both seem to have so much in common.”

The two friends looked at each other and laughed.

“This crazy lady who keeps beetles in jars and insists on showing them to me? She’s worse than Stu!”  Elli’s smile and voice had a warmth to them as she shook her head with a laugh.

Claire was surprised to see Mary a smirk play at her lips as she giggled. “And this one refuses to read anything but trashy romance novels!  She never listens to my recommendations!”

Elli dismissed this with the wave of a hand. “Gray takes your recommendations enough for the both of us.”  She turned toward Claire.  “Mary is always suggesting dull old books by dead people, but she can make the best cup of herbal tea on this side of the Valley.”

“And Elli might not truly appreciate good literature or how fascinating insects are, but her cakes are better than my mom’s.” Mary shot her friend a stern look but her slight smile gave it away.  “Don’t tell Mom that, though – she’s very proud of her baking skills!”

“That reminds me, I was going to bake a cake for when the guests come.” Elli was counting off a mental list in her head and Claire was surprised when she turned back toward her.  “Hey, Claire, do you know what bergamot looks like?  It grows up on Mother’s Hill.”

It had been so long since her foraging lesson with Cliff, but she had remembered him pointing out the pale purple flowers. “Kind of like a chrysanthemum, right?  Lavender-colored and kind of frilly?”

Elli gave her an emphatic nod. “The growing season for them is ending, but Trent wants to work on a project with them.  He wants to have some by tomorrow.  I found some today, but it’s not enough, and while Stu likes flowers and is usually really helpful, I ended up spending half the afternoon trying to catch him instead of finding many.”

Claire could see where this was going. She had finished watering for the day and there were no other large tasks on her list.  “I can see if I can find any more and bring them by the office.”

Elli’s warm brown eyes lit up. “Ah, are you sure?  I would really appreciate that.”

Claire gave her a smile. “I don’t mind.  I have two younger brothers myself, so I know how it can be.”

“I know you’re busy with your farm,” Elli said with an apologetic look.

“It’s alright,” Claire insisted. “I have a big harvest coming up, but right now, I’ve got some time.  How much do you want me to bring?”

She wished Elli would stop looking so sorry for asking for her help. “He’s trying to make an extract, so really, as much as you can find would be wonderful.  He will pay you, of course.  He’ll pay by weight.”

Claire was determined to continue to prove she was someone to be counted on in the community. “I’ll try my best to get you some.”

“Thank you, Claire.” Elli was glad she had kept her mouth shut to the farmer during the days her best friend had come to her in tears over her rivalry with Claire over Gray.  It seemed like Claire was a decent person and Elli wished she had started with a different impression of her rather than seeing her as an antagonist.

She gave them a small wave in farewell. “I hope the dinner goes well.”

Mary gave her a grin. “Elli’s cooking, so it should be fine.”

The young woman smirked. “Are you implying I should talk Trent out of putting one of his homemade cocktails on the table?”

Mary’s cheeks blazed. “Th-that’s not what I said!”

Elli had seen Gray’s face turn the same color as the juice mixtures Trent had treated them to when the four of them spent time together. Even Mary, polite as she was, would turn a little pale.  “It’s alright,” Elli insisted, giving her a knowing look.  “I’ve been trying to give him some pointers and I told him I’d handle the food tomorrow.”

Claire gave them one final wave and made her way to the dried goods section, Cliff’s earlier words leaving her in the mood for chili.

“Pssst!” Karen wasn’t subtle at all as she reached for Claire and linked arms with her.

The blonde brightened at her friend’s company. “Hi, how are you doing?”

She was given a smirk in reply. “Playing it off all cool, huh?”  She looked over her shoulder.  “You gotta be anywhere soon?”

Claire’s blue eyes drifted toward the ceiling as she ran her to-do list in her mind. “Well… not really…”

She stifled a squeak when Karen whisked her away to the back room, plucking the empty basket from Claire’s hand and setting it on the floor by the door. Karen swung the door open and pulled her friend inside their living quarters.

“Wow…” Karen was pacing back and forth across the creaky floorboards, shaking her head.

A frown worked itself onto Claire’s lips. “What’s wrong?”

Karen’s green eyes were startled as she looked back up at her friend. “Nothing bad, I’m just shocked at the fireworks between the two of you earlier.  Are you telling me the whole truth about what happened the other night?”  She gave her a playful wink.

Claire’s cheeks turned crimson. “Ah, you mean me… a-and Cliff…?”  She played with a strand of her long hair, her heart rate quickening.  “We… also had a date the other night.”

It still felt a little strange saying it aloud. She had been on multiple dates in the past with other people, but she never felt a connection to the person she spent time with.  Cliff?  Cliff was different…

Karen leaned against the kitchen table. “Flowers and chocolates?”

Claire shook her head, her stomach bubbling with giddiness and excitement at the mention of their date.

The brunette whirled around, her hair falling over her shoulders like a curtain. “He serenaded you with his sanshin with a rose between his teeth!”  She sniggered at the image.

“Not so much,” Claire replied with a coy smile. The thought of him singing for her left her a little lightheaded, though.  She could definitely get used to his rich, warm tenor singing songs for her…

“Are you going to keep me guessing?” Karen gave a playful wink.

“I’m kind of having fun,” Claire admitted, hanging her rucksack on a chair and sitting down at the table.

Her friend watched the way Claire stretched her arms over her head and leaned forward on the table, resting her chin on her folded arms. Claire was more comfortable here, and Karen reveled in it.  Despite the fact that her body was relaxed, her cheeks were glowing and her eyes were dancing.  Karen wondered if she looked that way after the Midsummer’s Dance when Rick asked her to be her girlfriend.  Karen’s heart dropped a little. 

“He was a naughty boy and kissed on the first date,” she guessed.

Claire went redder, if that were possible. She buried her face in the table.

She sat down and rested her chin in her hands, smiling at her smugly. “Looks like I won a point.  You made out passionately under the stars.”

Claire let out a gasp; embarrassed at her reaction, she laughed so hard she snorted, causing further mortification. “Even if I did, it’s not like I’d tell you!”  She lifted her face, fighting her blush.

“Well, you are telling me to guess,” Karen reminded her. “He held you in his arms and said ‘Baby, you’re my forever’!” she drawled in a thick backwoods accent, lowering her voice.

Claire shook her head, immediately hiding her face in her arms once more. Her heart raced at the possibility of Cliff one day actually saying something like that to her.

_The date went well… I can see us going on future ones…  It just feels so right; it’s probably too early to tell, but maybe in all the crazy circumstances leading us to where we are, we’re supposed to be together…_

_Forever._

A loud twang caused her to jump.

“Be my gal, Claire~!” Karen cooed, making smacking sounds with her lips.

Claire sat back up; by now her hair had turned into a bird’s nest with all of her movement. She had allowed herself to get rather flustered.  “Okay, okay.   There was dinner and dancing.  Satisfied?”

“Hardly,” Karen teased, puckering her lips.

Claire smoothed down her hair. She looked up at her friend, batting her eyelashes.  “Alright, if you really must know, I made…”  She gave her friend a keen look.  “… chicken and sweet potatoes for the dinner,” she stated in a sultry voice.

Her friend clutched her heart, pretending to swoon. “Oh, Claire!  So bold on the first date~!”

“Duke and Manna gave him a bottle of wine to celebrate his employment and he was sweet enough to share it with me,” Claire explained, a grin creeping back onto her face. “We had a really good time.”

“I’m glad you two did,” Karen replied, resting her chin on her palm. “It was written all over your faces.”  Her smile faded a bit as she looked up at the ceiling, reclining in her chair.  “He looks at you like… like nothing else exists… like he can’t imagine a world without you in it.”

A warm glow filled Claire’s chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but Karen continued.

“And I see you look at him the same way… like he’s your whole world.” Her green eyes welled up with tears.  “Like you’ve been waiting your whole life for him.”  Karen’s normally strong voice cracked.

Claire felt a twinge of guilt at Karen’s watery eyes. “I never meant to make you feel left out…”

The young woman shook her head in response. She blinked and a couple of tears fell heavily on the table’s surface.  “That’s not it at all.  I’m sorry, Claire.  I want you to be happy; that’s what I’ve always wanted for you.”

“I _am_ happy,” Claire insisted with a small frown, “and I want _you_ to be happy, too.”

“I feel like I could be,” Karen said miserably, “if I could kiss under the stars, or dance on the beach, or receive a flower to tuck behind my ear ‘just because’.”

Claire’s cheeks became enflamed as she realized she had done some of those things with Cliff already. “I thought you and Rick did those things.”

She got a bitter laugh as a response. “Hardly.  It’s like we’re not dating at all.”

Claire recalled the couple spending some private time on the end of the pier. “What about the Fireworks Festival?”

Her friend looked as if she was going to cry again. “That was pretty much a one-time thing.”

“Well… why don’t you tell him that’s what you’re wanting?”

“You think I haven’t?” Karen’s voice had a bit of a bite to it. She wiped her tears.  “He never said it outright, but I can tell he thinks it’s stupid.  Anything not involving work is a waste of time to him!”

Claire hesitated. “Did you tell him you feel that way?”

Karen’s eyebrows furrowed. “He said he was sick of arguing and he had eggs to collect.  He’s already picked his work over me.”  Her expression melted into tears.  “I’m done… I’m just…. _done_.”

Her friend wasn’t sure what to say so she silently rubbed Karen’s shoulder in a soothing manner.

Karen sniffed. “I deserve better.  I know I do.  This is all so stupid.  I’m going to have to take matters into my own hands.  I’m going to dump his sorry ass, and then…”

Claire looked at her curiously, and she became concerned as Karen averted her eyes and went silent. Her sudden hoarse voice made Claire flinch.

“Promise you won’t get mad.” Karen’s voice was muffled.  She didn’t wait for Claire to reply.  “I… I think I want to give Kai another try.  He seems to have a healthier balance between work and friends.  M… maybe if we tried again there’d be sparks this time.”

Claire felt the blood drain from her face as she recalled Popuri crying in frustration at Kai’s yearly departure. “But, Karen… P-Popuri…”

“I know!” Karen began to sob. “I know I’m a horrible, selfish person!”

“I never called you that.”

Karen sniffed, burying her face in her hands. “I wouldn’t put it past you if you did.  You’re right.  Popuri is my friend and I can’t do that to her.  I won’t.  I’m horrible for even thinking it.  I could see if there’s someone in the Valley…”

Claire gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know if replacing Rick as soon as possible is the best idea.”

Karen peeked out from behind her hands, hiccoughing. “But… I… I don’t want to be alone, Claire!”  Her voice rose into a cry once more and she moved her hands back up, sobbing.

This wasn’t the strong, proud Karen she was used to seeing. There were so many times that Karen stood up for her and listened to her cry.  She wanted to be the same source of comfort for Karen.  Claire hugged her around the shoulders.  “But you’re not alone – you have me.”

She was met with a scoff. “A sweet sentiment, but I hardly think you want to take me to a nice dinner and make out afterwards in the woods.”  Karen let out a bitter laugh.  “Maybe you should just go.”

_Go be with someone who makes you happy, like Cliff. Not me._

Claire felt her heart drop. “B-but…”

“I hate having you see me like this. I just need some time to sort it out.”

“I can help you sort it out!”

Karen shook her head. “Maybe I do want to be alone after all.”  She gave her friend’s hand a squeeze as she brushed away her tears with her free hand.  “I’m sorry I’m such a mess.  I’m not mad at you, Claire.”

“If you’re not mad at me, then don’t shut me out!” Her breath hitched as she recalled the last time she had used that phrase.  “I’ve… I’ve had to deal with that enough already.”  Her voice softened.

“I don’t really feel like talking about it anymore. Wanna watch some _My Dear Princess_?”  She gave her friend an apologetic look as Claire got up.  “I just feel like zoning out, but… it wouldn’t be so bad if you were by my side.”

Claire had already retrieved the remote control to the television.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I’m back! It feels like ages between these updates. I hope it doesn’t feel that way for y’all. :( Some days are better than others, that’s for sure. And a lot of days it can be difficult to write, even if it is my therapy. I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for a rough portion of this story in the future. A particular event in the game at the beginning of winter, if you recall… I can promise it will be very emotional, and I can imagine a lot of you are eager to finally learn why Cliff left his home.
> 
> I really appreciate everyone’s feedback and I’m so glad you’re reading along. I’m really grateful for it. As someone who needs constant validation, your reviews do so much for me, and I really am grateful.
> 
> I wanted to announce that I have a Deviant Art account under the same username where I’ve posted some non- fan fiction work, along with some poetry. I’ve got some fan fiction on there, too. Feel free to give it a look.
> 
> And to answer a request that I’ve been getting for a long time from multiple people – yes, I have written a LEMON. I wrote it a couple of months ago and I posted it on Archive of Our Own (I have the same username on there). It’s an explicit short story that involves “Shy Newcomer” Claire and Cliff a couple of years into their marriage (OMG SPOILER ALERT! Haha). The story is called “Let Me Love You”. It’s my first explicit work, so I’d love to hear your opinions on it.
> 
> Thanks again! :)


	96. Fragments of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duke realizes he never asked any background information before hiring Cliff...

It was apparent by the first commercial break that Karen wasn’t as keen on “zoning out” as she thought she was. She ignored the breakfast cereal jingle on the screen and turned toward her friend.

“Claire, do you think I should dump him?”

She hesitated. For as long as Claire knew Karen, she could tell that the young woman had been interested in Rick.  Things change, she supposed, but she also didn’t feel right telling them to break up.  “I think… you should do what makes _you_ happy, Karen.”

The brunette lowered her eyes, but Claire could see her eyelashes fluttering rapidly as she blinked away the mistiness from her eyes. “I’m sorry…  I shouldn’t have asked you that.  I know this is a decision I need to make myself.  I’m… not a kid anymore.  I need to start acting more like a grown adult.”

Claire had a hard time blocking out the commercial for a talking stuffed animal singing in the background. “I think I do, too,” she admitted.  She thought of all the disappointment she had brought her parents with an uncomfortable twinge in her stomach.  “Maybe it’s something we can work on together.”

Her words surprised Karen. She had half-expected Claire to deflect what she had claimed, telling Karen she was a capable adult already.  She felt a bit of disappointment and brushed it away.

_This is exactly why I’m so immature. I expect and demand things from people when I don’t tell them what I want._

“Maybe I’ll give him one more try… His birthday is coming up,” Karen explained.  “I’m going to make it super romantic.  Instead of telling him what I’d want him to do for me, I’m going to show him.  Candlelit dinner, wine under the stars…”  Her face lit up.  “I’m going to show up at his doorstep with a dozen roses!  There’s no way he won’t find this interesting!”  Her posture immediately straightened up and Claire smiled at the stars in her eyes.  “I’m gonna get to walk along the beach with him!  We can just get lost in the moment…”  She let out a happy sigh.  “He’ll finally understand what it is I want…”  Karen gave her friend a playful wink as the show came back on.  “Maybe I’ve found my Demon Lord already and he just needs a little taming, eh?”

0o0o0o0

“Working hard or hardly working?” Duke took a spot at the trellis beside his new employee and chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows playfully.

“Working hard! Always!” the young man replied emphatically.  He sped up his pace, eager to show his boss what he could do.  Cluster after cluster of grapes fell into the basket heavily, his hands moving naturally with the clippers as if he had handled them his entire life.

Duke saw the full baskets surrounding Cliff. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed, but he knew all too well that no one could maintain that pace forever.  “You keep up at that pace and you’ll burn yourself out, son.”  He carefully began clipping some grapes himself.

Cliff flinched at the term of endearment. The last time he had been called that, his mother had been following him through the house, choking on her tears. 

“We can talk this over, son…”

He could still remember the way his heart had twisted up in ugly anger and impatience. Cliff had haphazardly thrown his bag over his shoulder, his father’s bow loudly clattering against the doorframe as he moved.

“There’s nothing left to say! I can’t stand it anymore!  I don’t know how you could never see that!” Cliff’s voice cracked.  He wondered if she had ever really cared at all…

Her toned arm reached for his, her hand clenching his wrist tightly as her beaded jewelry jingled. “Cliff, _everything_ I’ve done was for you!”

Her hold wasn’t a loving one; it was possessive. He wrenched his arm away, ignoring the way her nails had accidentally scratched him in the process.  He hated the way his decorated tunic made the same jingle; he hated the way the feathers weaved into his hair moved along with him, tickling his shoulders.  “No, it was for _you_!  It always was!  And now it’s time I did something for myself!”

“Please don’t do this! I can’t lose you, too!”

_I’ll never know if I can become something if I never try…_

Cliff blinked, staring into the face of his employer as he reentered reality. Duke had his head slightly cocked in a questioning manner, and a slight air of concern could be seen on his features.

“N-no, I’m fine, really! I’m… I’m _really_ grateful for this job!”  Cliff hated that his stutter had come back in his nervousness.  Did he sound insincere to Duke?

The middle-aged man smiled. Cliff’s dedication to his new job couldn’t be questioned.  It could be argued that he was putting up an over-enthusiastic front as a new employee, but the sheer relief and joy in his eyes were too genuine for him to be pretending.  It reminded Duke much of himself and Manna in their early years of running the winery together, eager to see what each day brought.  Perhaps he was drawn to Cliff as he sought to relive those feelings.

However, as much as Duke liked his new employee, he couldn’t help but notice that the young man hadn’t said a single thing about himself since the grape harvest. Duke had been hoping for more childhood anecdotes and laughter among the grapevines.  What he had found instead was a cheerful, but very serious worker.  Cliff had been much chattier when he was harvesting with Claire.  Now that they were working together, he wanted Cliff to feel comfortable around him as well.

Duke gave him a smile as he turned back to the grape vines. “So… where are you originally from, Cliff?  I haven’t heard anything about your hometown.”

The young man almost dropped his clippers as his blood ran cold. He bit his lip; he was foolish for thinking a question like this would never come up.  Here it was, a direct query, and so soon into his employment…  “Uh… i-it’s really far away from here…” he replied evasively.

Duke laughed. “Your mountain accent gave that away ages ago.  Northeastern, right?”

“Yes… Very far out there…”  Cliff continued with his work, and Duke noticed he had sped up a little.

He could tell that he was anxious. “Sasha had relatives out that way, you know.  I’ve seen you and Karen around together occasionally.  A bit fiery, but she’s a sweet girl.  Her parents and I have been friends for a very long time.  Met when we were teenagers...”  He let out a nostalgic chuckle.  “Jeff and I were close and he got swept away by Sasha when she came to Mineral Town…  Now that I that I’m older, I realize how young she was, moving here all by herself…  She said she wanted to start out fresh when she came here.  ”

Cliff hadn’t meant to reply aloud, but the words slipped out before he could stop them. “Ah, I-I can understand that feeling,” he chuckled nervously, rifling through the grape vines; his hands were beginning to shake.

Duke noticed the young man’s uneasy behavior. “You’re pretty young yourself, Cliff.”  He quickly realized he hadn’t checked anything about his new employee’s background before hiring him.  He had just assumed that Cliff was old enough to work at a winery, but he had never seen him drinking at the bar.

“Not that young. I’m twenty-four already.”  Cliff was shaking his head.

He was met with laughter. “Twenty-four?  You’re still practically a child.  How long have you been on your own?”

Cliff was uncomfortable with all of the questions, but didn’t want to displease his boss. He was afraid to meet Duke’s gaze.  “It’s going on… seven years.”  He picked back up on his pace, eager to focus on anything else.

Duke’s face fell.

_Seventeen. He was only seventeen when he moved out…_

“You know, we named this winery in honor our daughter,” Duke said quietly. He paused.  “It’s been quite a few years now…”

Cliff looked up from his work and the color drained from his face, a little unsure of what to say.  “Duke… I’m so sorry…”

He shook his head. “Ah, I made it sound like she passed away, huh?  She’s still alive…  Off to some city somewhere.  I talk to her on the phone regularly…”  He hoped he sounded more cheerful than he felt.

The look on Cliff’s face wasn’t reassuring. “Oh…”

Duke could see that Cliff was struggling to get a feel for the situation. “She’ll talk to me more than she will with her mother, but… she refuses to come home.”  Despite the number of times he explained what had happened, a lump still managed to form in his throat.  “She ran away when she was just eighteen…  Eighteen is _so young_ ; she was practically a child…”  He shook his head.  “She _was_ a child…”  Duke gave him a meaningful look.

Cliff grew paler, but he didn’t say anything. He had a sneaking suspicion this comment wasn’t only about Aja’s age.

“She says that she’s happier now, but I can hear the sadness in her voice,” Duke continued, tucking the clippers into his pocket. He didn’t feel like working anymore.

“Uh…” Cliff froze.  He didn’t know if he should continue working or not.  The situation had caught him off guard and he was unsure of how to react.  He stared at the ground.  “H-have you asked her why… she… left?”  He wasn’t sure if the question was appropriate.

Duke had a sad smile on his face as he let out a sigh and wiped his forehead, looking up at the cloudy sky. “She was unhappy with us…  She just got up one morning and decided to leave.  She called us a week later and gave us a phone number we couldn’t track, and she refused to give her location.  We want to respect her wishes, but it’s hard.  And it really hurts us as parents, knowing our child doesn’t want to be with us anymore…”

_“I can’t stand it anymore!”_

He had really been eager to leave his remaining parent, hadn’t he?

“Oh…” Cliff’s stomach tied itself in knots.

Duke cleared his throat and the way he straightened his posture made Cliff aware he was trying to think of how to word what he wanted to say. “Hey… please don’t be offended, but… as a parent, I _have_ to ask…”

Cliff gulped.

“Are you a runaway, too, Cliff?”

_Yes._

The young man’s head was spinning and he felt faint. “I-I… uh… I-It’s complicated,” he stammered.

Apparently this was the wrong answer. “C-complicated?!  It’s a yes or no question!” Duke roared.  “How am I supposed to feel about an answer like that?  Am I keeping a couple of parents from finding their child?!”

Cliff dropped his shears in shock, nearly missing his feet. He was too stunned to pick them back up.  Saying the wrong thing could cause him to lose his job and then he really might have to leave Mineral Town. 

_I promised I’d stay at Claire’s side… That this could be home…_

“I-It’s not like that at all…” Cliff struggled to keep the emotion out of his voice.  He couldn’t think of anything worse than losing his cool in front of his boss.

Duke misread the tone in Cliff’s reply and took it as a curt retort. “I’m surprised at you!” he scolded.  “Do you want your parents to feel the way Manna and I do?  It’s been, what did you say, seven years now?”

_I messed up._

_I should have lied._

_I lost my job._

_Claire… I’ve let you down already._

The very thought of losing everything was too much for Cliff to take; he had shut down and put up his wall. He stared at the ground emotionlessly as Duke’s admonishing words blended together in his ears.

“Give them a call at least and let them know that you’re here in town and you’re safe… Please tell me you’ve done that much…  I’m wondering if I’m really doing you more harm than good by employing you…”

This final comment snapped Cliff back to his senses.

_I have to fight for this. I can’t give up._

“Please… Duke… I… don’t have a family to go back to…”  He struggled to breathe as his voice trembled.  It was only a matter of time before Duke told him to leave…  “I _need_ this job…”

Duke looked at the quivering boy and frowned. He was just a scared kid that didn’t need his hasty judgments.  The man gave him an apologetic look before noisily slapping his forehead with his open palm.  “Goddess, I’m an idiot…  I shouldn’t have presumed…”  He had been so caught up in his grief over Aja that he simply accepted that Cliff was in an identical situation.  Duke looked over at Cliff and saw that he was swiftly choking back down the pain which had overwhelmed him a moment ago.  His behavior suggested that he never got the chance to properly mourn, and that he didn’t know how to at this point.  “Cliff…  I’m sorry…”

The young man swallowed the lump in his throat and looked up at his boss.

_Everything’s alright. He’s not mad anymore.  Turn it off.  Be pleasant for your boss._

“It’s okay; I’m fine.” Cliff gave him a cheerful smile and picked his clippers off of the ground. He looked as if the conversation had never happened.

Duke was a little disturbed at how quickly Cliff recovered; it wasn’t natural. He still felt guilty for his accusations.  “Why don’t you take the afternoon off?  My treat – I’ll pay you…”

“Oh, I couldn’t!” Cliff stammered and laughed nervously, getting back to the grapes. The last thing he wanted to do was spend the afternoon stewing over their conversation. 

_Don’t think. Just keep moving._

“Don’t give it another thought. We’ve got wine to make!”

Duke still wasn’t satisfied. “Well…  If you insist on working, then I have another job for you to do.”

“Of course.” Eager to be of service, Cliff sheathed his clippers and awaited his order.

“We have a batch of chardonnay in the cellar that has just ripened. Why don’t we give it a try?” He gave him a grin.

It felt like Duke was offering a reward. That was hardly necessary.  “Oh!  But-”

“We need to know if it’s a good batch, right?” Duke winked.  “Come on.  Why don’t you head down to the farm and see if your cute lady friend wants to sample some, too?”  It was the least he could do for him…

Was their relationship already that obvious to everyone? Cliff wasn’t sure what to make of it.  He chuckled nervously.  His eyes unconsciously drifted toward Mystic Acres and Duke found himself smirking; he had caught Cliff looking in that direction from time to time as he carried the baskets of grapes. 

“Uh… I’m s-sure she’s busy…” Cliff wrung his hands, and his boss noticed his face was flushed.

Duke chuckled softly. It seemed Cliff was still like a child in a few ways – perhaps his father never got the chance to talk to him about women…  If Manna were out here, she would likely be scolding him for teasing Cliff.  “Okay, okay, I know when enough is enough.  Go downstairs and fill a bottle from the cask of Chardonnay and bring it to the shop in five minutes; that’s an order.”

“Of course…” Cliff hoisted one of the full baskets at his feet to take down to the wine cellar with him.

Duke laughed. “Just bring the bottle; the grapes can wait.”

“… I’ll bring this one downstairs with me when I get the bottle,” Cliff replied.

Duke knew he wasn’t going to win this one. “Suit yourself.  I’ll see you inside.”

0o0o0o0

_Relaxing, cozy, dreamy…_

Claire sniffed the bundles of bergamot in the basket she was carrying. She was grateful she was able to remember some of the places Cliff had pointed out long ago to her.

_I wonder if he thought of that outing as a date…_

Claire shook her head with a grin, sniffing the wildflowers. There was no need to flatter herself – they had only just met a few weeks before at that point and she was obnoxiously infatuated with Gray at the time.  They had both come such a long way from that day.  She could remember a time when Cliff scarcely spoke at all and most of their talking was in the form of recitations of prayers.  She recalled everyone’s reaction to them speaking together at the supermarket.

_Now people comment on how talkative he’s gotten…_

She entered the doors of the clinic with a smile. Elli bounced up from her seat and greeted Claire.

“Wow, I’m so glad you could find so much! You must’ve gone deeper into the woods than I allow Stu to go.”

Claire gave her a nod as the nurse accepted the basket and eagerly began weighing the plants on the scale behind her.

“Doctor Trent is in right now with his colleague.”

Claire sniffed the air. “I smell roasted chicken.”  She realized at once how hungry she was.

Elli let out a soft chuckle. “I have some chicken and vegetables going in a slow cooker up in my apartment upstairs.  I guess we could’ve taken everyone to Doug’s, but we thought it would be easier to talk shop in a nice quiet place like this.  And just between you and me, I’ve been wanting to give this recipe a try.  Trent can be hard to please, as he only really eats low fat things, but I wanted to make something that tasted rich but still was healthy…”

The doorknob to the doctor’s office rattled and Elli went rather pink, quickly finishing to her weighing of the bergamot and fishing some money out of the drawer to pay for it. “This is perfect!  Thank you so much!  Doctor Trent and Doctor Lovett will be so happy to have more of these for their project.”

“Doctor Lovett…?” Claire’s eyes blinked in surprise.

A familiar tall man with sandy brown hair was shaking Doctor Trent’s hand. Claire’s jaw dropped as the man’s wife followed them out of the office.

She had blonde hair cut into a chin-length bob, painted lips, and a smart business jacket. The woman looked at Claire and they paused for a moment, taking each other in.  It had been years, after all.  Claire’s heart jumped into her throat and her sapphire eyes widened as she caught her in a deep embrace.

“It’s been too long, little Claire. You’ve gotten skinny.”

Her jumble of emotions left her feeling weak. “S-Simone…?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you so much for reading along. I’m eager to start busting all of this Cliff back story I’ve been dying to share. I’d love to hear what you think!


	97. Two Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire's older sister has come to Mineral Town...
> 
> But why?

Claire stood in numbness as her sister fussed over her, straightening her shirt collar and dusting a few bergamot leaves from her clothing and hair.

Simone looked at the pilling on Claire’s flannel and the dirt stains on her knees. This was a far cry from the straight-laced, prim and proper little girl she remembered growing up with.  She followed her younger sister’s eyes and discovered that she was staring blankly at the wall.

“Perhaps you can give me a little tour of your home while Jean is working.” She looked over at her husband and Trent, who were already back into a deep conversation about their work.  She shook her head and reached over to get Jean’s attention.  “Honey, Claire and I are going to her place.  I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Elli was watching the sisters with great interest. “I’ll have dinner ready by six o’clock.”

“Thank you, Elli. Trent is lucky to have an assistant like you.”

The nurse went pink, burying her face in her clipboard as she followed the doctors. Claire hadn’t moved an inch, and Simone stifled a sigh.  It seemed she was the only person in the room who was fully present.  She interlocked her arm with Claire’s and led the way out the door.  The young woman stumbled a bit before following, still acting a bit like she was in a trance.

“I bet you’re surprised to see me, huh?”

She was given a silent nod in return.

They stood in front of the clinic. Simone gave her sister a frown.  She didn’t want to be blunt…

“Well, Claire, you know your way home better than I do.”

She snapped to attention.

“R-right!” Stiffening her posture, she continued along the cobblestone walkway and Simone could feel her trembling.

Unease settled in Simone’s stomach. She wasn’t quite sure what to say, but it seemed obvious the walk home would be silent unless she did something about it.  “It’s been quite a while.  I can probably count our visits on my hands since I got married.  It’ll be nine years.  Ah, I can still remember you in that junior bridesmaid dress.”  She could see the peach chiffon draped over her petite adolescent frame and flowers in her hair.  “Cute as a button…”

Claire said nothing.

Simone’s eyes followed the inn she would be staying at that night. Rows of grapevines caught her eye.  “Oh, wow!  A vineyard in a cute little town like this?  This place sure does have a lot of charm!”  She stopped to lean on the fence and look out at the trellises of grapes.  She grinned at the fruit weighing down the vines.  “Maybe I should buy a bottle of wine as a souvenir…  Ah, it looks like there are a couple of people working out there-”

She was surprised when Claire roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her along. “Home is this way.”  Her voice was curt and her eyes were narrowed as she looked ahead.

Simone took a few larger steps to catch up to her sister – her legs were longer so it wasn’t much of a task.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she attempted to take in Claire’s farm. Rows of tidy sweet potatoes dotted the land and a homemade pen covered with netting housed a few clucking hens.  Her jaw dropped.  When did Claire become an adult?  She still saw Claire as the nervous girl who cried over burnt puddings and small rips and scuffs on her play clothes, constantly reaching for hers or Collette’s hand as her eyes remained wide, filling with tears.  Simone opened her mouth to speak, but Claire led the way to the small farmhouse, urging her inside.

The house was a little less impressive, as it wasn’t very spacious. It was a far cry from her two-story house in the city, but this was fine for a single person.  She nodded at the kitchen area, which looked as if it was newly remodeled, but she couldn’t help but notice the outhouse before they had come inside.

Claire closed the door, placing her hands on her hips. Despite her stance, Simone could see that her younger sister was trembling.

“What did they tell you?” Claire demanded. Her confidence immediately deflated and her gaze faltered before focusing on the wall behind her sister.  She clenched her fists.

“Who are you talking about?” Simone furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

“Who else? Mum and Dad!”  She hurried to her nightstand and retrieved a folded piece of paper from it.  She thrust it into Simone’s hands.  “They were mad when I left!  They don’t think I should be out here!  Did they send you to check and make sure I haven’t starved to death?”  The corners of her eyes were dusted with tears.  “They’re disappointed in me!  They told you I was a failure, didn’t they?  That I can’t succeed at anything on my own…”

Despite the recent date at the top of the letter, the paper was well-handled and she could see that it had been folded and refolded many times. Simone didn’t bother reading beyond the name of the addressee.  She stepped forward and caught her sister in a hug.  “Claire, no one sent me here.  Jean has been in contact with the doctor from this town and I thought the coincidence was too great to not come and visit you when he finally came to meet in person.”

A lump formed in Claire’s throat. “B-but… Mum and D-Dad…”  She surprised herself more than anyone when she burst into tears, heavily sobbing into Simone’s shoulder.

Simone’s eyes turned back toward the creased paper. She read in silence as she put an arm around Claire, rubbing her on the back.

“Typical Mum and Dad,” she murmured as she finished, clicking her tongue and shaking her head. She smirked at the final line.  “Claire… are _you_ happy here?”

She pulled her face from Simone’s jacket, apologetically trying to wipe the tears from the fabric. “I-I’d be happier… i-if they were…”  Her face screwed up once more, and she hiccoughed, choking on a sob.

“That’s not what I asked. Are _you_ happy?  Are you happy living in Mineral Town, running this farm?”

Claire blinked. No one had asked her that before.  She thought of her fields of sprouts that first spring, watering them and watching with excitement every day as they grew taller and stronger.  She recalled laughing with Karen in the supermarket as she selected groceries, the joy of cooking in her kitchen for the very first time.  She could feel Cliff’s arm brushing against hers as they worked side by side in her fields, the sweet feeling of his lips on hers as he bid her goodbye in her doorway.  She thought of chasing Koro and Tucker in the pasture, laughing at how those two had a mischievous streak to them while they played.  She remembered the comfort her lumpy cotton mattress provided when, at the end of the day, she collapsed in bed, exhausted from the hard work that had been finished.  Her adventures and discoveries for the day blended into whimsical dreams – the experience was a far cry from her nightly stress dreams in the city.

“Yes. I love living here.”

Simone was retrieving a handkerchief from her pocket and handing it over to her. “Then that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?”

Claire wiped her eyes, noting how much softer the fabric was from her own cheap handkerchiefs. “No.  You’re missing the whole point.  If Mum and Dad don’t approve…”  Her voice trailed off.

Simone raised her eyebrows. “Then what?”

“Then it’s no good!” she replied with a whine. “Why do I have to explain this all to you?”

Her sister walked into the kitchen, filling the electric kettle and turning it on before sitting at the table. Claire shifted the floor pillow beside her, noticing with a blush that the cushions were still pushed together from her date with Cliff.

“Take a seat.”

This was unnecessary to say, as Claire was already halfway down to settling in.

They were silent for a couple of minutes, and as time passed, Claire felt the tension in the room slowly grow. Simone rested her elbows on the table, weaving her fingers together.  Claire stared at her sister’s hands, admiring the French tips on her manicure.  She jammed her own hands into her pockets, ashamed of the green bergamot residue that was lingering under her nails.  Her sister finally let out a tiny sigh.

“Claire, I’m going to say something very important that I want you to listen to.” Simone rested her chin on her hands. 

Claire wiped the remnants of her tears, clenching her jaw. Did she really come off as that bad of a listener?

“You can’t revolve your life around appeasing someone else. You are not a wind-up doll that exists to fulfill each and every one of Mum and Dad’s whims.  You’ve always been like this – terrified of their disapproval.  Afraid of getting anything below an A-minus, working as an accountant just like Mum did when she started out…”

“There’s nothing wrong with trying to be a good daughter,” Claire replied defensively.

“I agree.” Simone’s voice was calm.  “But you are also an adult who has the right and responsibility to make their own decisions.  It’s fine to ask for input, but ultimately, you should make your own choices in your life.”

A lump formed in her throat. “How can you say that with a straight face?  Our parents thought you could do no wrong!”  The kettle rose in temperature and screamed as Claire raised her voice.  “You have _no_ idea what it is like, struggling to keep them happy!”

To Claire’s surprise, Simone let out a bitter chuckle as she stood up to turn off the kettle. Furious, Claire sat in silence as she watched her sister check the cupboards for something to put their beverages in.  A tiny voice told her that she was being a terrible hostess and she averted her eyes in shame. 

_Guests shouldn’t be making the tea…_

“The mugs are in the left cupboard beside the sugar.”

Simone retrieved the necessary items. “You think I really don’t know what it’s like living with them?” she replied coolly.  “They didn’t want me to get married to Jean because he doesn’t want children.”

Claire fell silent as she watched her sister calmly prepare the Darjeeling, dropping a few spoons of sugar into each cup. She reached into the refrigerator.

“They said that they couldn’t trust a man who didn’t want to experience ‘the joy of fatherhood.’” She rolled her eyes.

A large dollop of milk was added to each mug and she gave them a thoughtful stir. She returned to the table with the tea.

Claire remembered holidays as a teen with Jean talking with her father in the living room over a sports broadcast on the television and laughing at a joke her mother told during a game of cards. “But Mum and Dad love Jean…”  Her voice trailed off as she wrapped her fingers around her mug.  She took a cautious sip.  It tasted like after school snacks.  Tea and a particular brand of toasty butter crackers her mother would buy at the supermarket.  She could practically see Simone pacing in the kitchen, phone cord wrapped around her waist as she chattered on the phone.  The tea, as always, was far too sweet and had a little too much milk for her tastes… Claire couldn’t help but smile.

“They like him _now_ ,” Simone pointed out.  She took a sip from her own mug.  “It took time for them to respect my decision to marry Jean.  They don’t agree with our choice not to have children, but they have learned to live with it and still give him a chance.”

Claire stared at her tea, a little unsure of what to say. She had always thought that her parents accepted Jean right away.  She couldn’t help but ask.  “But… what did they say about me moving out here?”

“You’re missing the whole point, Claire. In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter what they said?”

Claire shot her sister a sour look. “It matters to _me_ …”

Simone carefully chose her words. “I think that if you command respect from them, you will get it.  Don’t expect it overnight, though.”

Claire’s shoulders slouched. “And how do you suggest I do that?”  She wished she had half the confidence her sister did.  “ _Believe in myself?_ ”  She let out a sigh into her tea.

“Yeah, actually. I know it’s easier said than done, and it’s especially hard when you are trying to rewire yourself.  You have to remind yourself why you do what it is you want to do.  I would remind myself of all the ways Jean makes me happy and tell myself that it’s okay to let myself love him despite what others think.  They don’t know him the way that I do.”  She gave her sister a sad smile.  “You probably don’t know this, but that wedding almost didn’t happen.  I sure am grateful that it did, though.  I won’t get mushy on you here, but I would choose him all over again.  You have to decide if that’s how you feel about this farm.”

Pensively taking another drink of tea, Claire gave a silent nod.

A smirk played at the corner of Simone’s mouth. “Speaking of romance… who is Cliff?”

Claire choked on her tea and was met with laughter as her sister patted her back.

“Don’t keel over on me, now. Does my little sister have a sweetheart?”

Claire hated how she could feel the redness in her cheeks. “You must’ve seen his name on the letter, then…”

Simone wasn’t sure if stating that the name had come up in conversation with their parents was very wise. It wouldn’t do well for Claire to know that her parents were concerned about their daughter seeing someone who was having trouble supporting himself.

“He’s a close friend of mine. We… had our first date the other night.  Nothing’s really official with us, but… I really like him.”  Her voice lowered to a whisper as she shyly returned to her tea.  Her eyes suddenly grew large as she set down her mug.  “Ah, I never asked how you and Jean are doing.  I’m sorry!  I’ve been so wrapped up in my own mind-”

This was dismissed with the wave of a hand. “Things are going well.  We are busy as usual with work, but we always make time for each other.  We’re planning a vacation before too long.  It’ll be winter before we know it.  I’m thinking it would be nice to go up in the mountains…  Hot springs, skiing…”

Both sisters unknowingly let out a collective sigh at the very idea.

“Hot chocolate…” Simone’s eyes were starry.

Claire bit back a smirk. _I’m sure you’ll add too much sugar and cream to that, too…_

0o0o0o0

After their tea was finished, Claire was surprised at her own eagerness to show her sister around the farm. Simone gingerly tiptoed through the dirt in her loafers, constantly checking to make sure she wasn’t stepping in something.  Claire had gently teased her, but the joke was on her as she narrowly avoided a large pile of horse manure.

“I’ve never ridden a horse,” Simone confessed, gently stroking the animal’s neck. “Tucker’s not big enough yet, is he?”

Claire shook her head. “There’s someone who helps out at the livestock farm on occasion.  I’m thinking about asking him to help me with him again.”  Her eyes flew toward the farm.  “The owner of that farm is going to hire me to help shear sheep.  He’s going to teach me how.”

Simone couldn’t stifle her chuckle at the thought of uptight Claire wrangling sheep. “I love it!  Have you considered raising sheep on your farm?”

She got a perky nod in reply. “Sheep and cows!  I already have a name picked out for my cow: Mochi!”  Her smile drooped a bit.  “Honestly, they probably won’t bring in much money, though.  It’s the same with my chickens.  I’d need to devote my whole farm to them, and my neighbors are already better prepared and more experienced.”

“Then what about your chickens?”

Claire gave the outdoor pen a look. “They lay eggs most days, but it would probably take me over a week to fill a carton of a dozen.  They don’t cost much to upkeep, but eggs are really _cheep_.”  She led the way toward the enclosure.  “I keep the netting on top to keep out predators and they seem a lot happier being out here.”

Simone was shaking her head. “Wait, wait.  Just a moment.  Did you really just say that eggs are _cheep_?”

Claire blinked, her eyes wide. “Yeah.  I’d have to fill a pretty big _bawks_ to make them worth selling, really,” she deadpanned.

Her sister laughed, pulling her into a hug. Despite Claire’s uptightness, she always had a fondness for plays on words.  It clashed with what one would expect of her, but Simone always enjoyed it despite groaning about it during her teenage years.

“You’re awful. I love you, Claire.”

The young woman rested against her sister. Simone still stood a few inches taller than her, but in that moment, she didn’t seem to tower over her like she used to when they were younger.  “I love you, too.”

Simone looked over her sister’s shoulder. “Speaking of _bawks_ , Claire, there’s a guy over there messing around with your wooden crate…  Is that normal?”

She whirled around to see Cliff on the other side of the farm placing some bundles of herbs in her shipping bin. He gave her a sheepish look as he noisily dumped the contents of his bag into one of her baskets, his eyes wide as the chestnuts loudly clattered together.  “Ah, I wasn’t trying to interrupt y’all… Duke let me out early and I found some stuff this morning I wanted to make sure got shipped out today.”  He gave Claire an apologetic look.  “Those herbs don’t have much time left on them, and at this point in the season, I figured the fresher the better.”

Simone’s eyes curiously followed him. His cheeks were rosy and there was an unmistakable sparkle in his eye as he looked at Claire.  She could already tell who he was by the endearing tone in his folksy lilt.  She hadn’t pictured Cliff clad in animal hides and looking in the need of a hearty meal, but his gentle aura left an interested smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

“Who knows how much longer we’re going to be able to forage for fresh herbs,” he continued, closing the case and handing her a slip of paper listing his items. “Again, I’m really sorry…”

“Cliff, this is my sister, Simone. Simone, this is my… uh…”  She choked on her words.  “Friend” felt too casual.  _Ah, everyone’s waiting! Forget titles, just get the name out!_   “Cliff.”  Quickly realizing she had introduced him as “my Cliff”, her face heated up and she stared at the ground shyly as the two shook hands.

“Pleased to meet you.” Simone gave him a polite nod. “I’ve heard you’ve been taking good care of my little sister.” 

He went scarlet at her comment. He was already flustered at the way Claire had introduced them. _She thinks of me as hers…_ “I-It’s an honor to finally meet another Dumont!  Ah, I’d say it’s likely she’s helped me out much more.  Claire’s always been very kind and has always watched out for me.”  His lips turned upward as he flashed Claire a thankful smile.  His posture immediately straightened as he shyly wrung his hands.  Claire was surely busy with her relative visiting and he was taking up their precious time.  “W-well, I didn’t mean to interrupt…  I’ll see you around, okay, Claire?”

He was shocked when a hand rested on his arm that wasn’t Claire’s.

“Stay with us. We’d love to have you stick around for a while.”

There was a blaze in Simone’s eyes he couldn’t decipher.

Cliff gulped. “Uh, y-yeah, sure…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you for reading, as always!
> 
> Honestly, I was a little nervous posting something with an original character in it. I really hope Simone is meshing well with the story and providing Claire with a more solid foundation. I kind of imagine her as a shrewder, more mature Karen. Huh, I guess that’s why Karen and Claire get along so well. Only Simone and Claire weren’t terribly close because of their age difference… Age gaps close up a lot as people get older. I remember when being 3 ½ years older than my sister felt like we were living in different worlds. Now we’re really close, but I can remember a time where we had a really hard time relating to one another. Ah, teen years, haha.
> 
> I would love to hear feedback on what you guys think of Simone. I appreciate the reviews more than y’all could ever know.
> 
> We’re getting close to the big 100 in chapters! I plan on posting a special Chapter 100, so please look forward to it!


	98. I'm Not a Baby!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire and her friends meet up with Simone and her husband at the inn.

“So, tell me about yourself.”

Cliff blinked. Throughout the years, he had grown rather skilled at carefully choosing his words so that he never really had to say anything about his background or interests.  His instinct was to recoil at the question, but at seeing Simone’s questioning sapphire eyes that looked so much like Claire’s, he found that he wanted to answer.

He felt the need to impress her. After all, if he wanted to be part of Claire’s life, he’d need to get along with her family…

_Especially if I want to be a member someday._

He felt his blush creep all the way down his neck at the very thought. He struggled to find words.  “I moved to Mineral Town just a c-couple of months before Claire did…  I, uh…  S-she recently helped me find a job at the winery in town…”

He was aware she could see him floundering. He was surprised when she gave him a small smile.  “We walked past it on the way here.  It looks very nice.  I’m thinking of stopping by tomorrow to their gift shop.”

“Oh, that’s g-great! We have a lot of different varieties and the owners are trying to come up with something new.”  He gave an awkward chuckle; it was likely he sounded like a walking advertisement for his place of employment.

“Your vineyard is a cute place. My husband and I have gone on a couple of winery tours back at home.  He’s working with the doctor here in town on a project,” Simone explained.

“Oh! Are you a doctor, too, then?”

She shook her head. “No, I manage a boutique in the city.”

His eyes traced her tailored pants and stylish navy blue jacket. Her hair was pristinely trimmed and she carried herself with an air of confidence.  She was very pretty, and Cliff supposed that she looked so put together because of her job.  He resisted running his fingers through his ponytail; he had been trimming some of the grape vines today and it was possible he had remnants of plants in his hair.  He was not in any hurry to show off how sloppy he was, especially in front of someone so tidy and elegant.

“I thought it would be nice to pay my little sister a visit since my husband had to come to Mineral Town anyway. She’s showing me around her place.  Isn’t her farm adorable?”

Cliff’s face lit up, his messy hair forgotten. “It’s pretty amazing!”

Claire felt a glow in her cheeks. “Well, maybe someday it will be.”

She was startled when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. “It is _now_ , Claire.”  Simone gave her a knowing look.

The farmer felt a lump begin to form in her throat as she thought of the letter from her parents. She grappled with the urge to deflect their compliments.

The struggle was evident on her face. “She’s right, you know.”  The light behind Cliff’s eyes caused her breath to hitch.  “Look at all those sweet potatoes you have growing now.  Back in the city would you have thought you were capable of accomplishing this?  You have a right to be proud.  Think of all the people you’re going to feed.”

Claire felt a rush at his words. She led the way to her patches of crops, unaware of the bounce that had appeared in her step. “I hope people around here are hungry for sweet potatoes.  That’s mostly what I grew.”  She pointed to the rows of vines growing along the ground.  “There’s a buyer that comes and gives me payment based on the market.  He takes them away in his truck and sells them to supermarkets in the area,” she explained to her sister.  “I just finished harvesting some spinach.  I’ll probably have some more ready by the end of the season.  I did a lot of tomatoes and corn in the summer.”  She pointed to a section of withered cornstalks.  “I have some corn I’m drying out to use as feed.  My hens are going to be so happy this winter!”

Simone smiled at the delight on Cliff’s face at seeing Claire so excited. Her eyes moved back toward the pen of chickens.  “They sure are cute.  Why don’t you show them to me tomorrow?  I’ll find a time when Jean’s available, too.”  As Claire nodded in agreement, Simone checked her watch as it chimed at her.  “I’ve got to go back to the clinic for dinner.”

“I’ll walk you back!” Claire and Cliff volunteered in unison.

A smile was given to each of them. “Sounds good.  How about you both meet us in my room at the inn later tonight?  I’ll order us some room service and we can just hang out.  Why don’t you bring Karen, too?”

Claire couldn’t help but feel a bit star struck. Simone had always been so much older and so much more mature than her.  She was tickled that her older sister wasn’t treating her like a child, but a small part of her remained cautious.  After all, she had seen Claire’s regular meltdowns as a child.  She didn’t throw tantrums like her younger brothers, but she had unofficially been dubbed the crybaby of the family.  Why was Simone being so accommodating?

As she led the way with Cliff back to the clinic, Claire couldn’t help but wonder if some sort of test awaited her.

0o0o0o0

Gray looked up from his book as the door to his room opened and closed that evening.

He gave his roommate a nod as he returned to his war drama novel. He found it hard to focus, however, as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye; Cliff was pacing and nervously digging though his clothing, running fingers along the stitching on his tunic and fingering his leather bracers with a concerned look.

“Date tonight?”

Cliff tried and failed to mask his facial expressions, realizing it must have been easy to tell he was stressed. “Claire’s sister is in town.  She’s staying in the room next door and they invited me and Claire over to spend some time together and order room service.”

“Heh, well I think they’re going to see Doug’s Inn doesn’t exactly have ritzy, big-city amenities.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s enjoying the change of pace,” Cliff replied, staring at his clothing options. He finally frowned, taking off the shirt he was wearing.  He never cared much about what he looked like, but he couldn’t help but feel like he needed to impress Claire’s family.  He let out a small sigh as he looked at the worn clothes on his bed.

_I’ll never impress them with these…_

He almost thought about asking Gray if he had any formal clothing he could borrow, but he had a feeling that would just make things more awkward, showing up dressed as someone else. That, and he had a good feeling that any of Gray’s nicer clothes had likely been balled up and stored under his bed; they hadn’t been seen since the dance last summer.

“So, spending the evening with Claire’s family… Things must be official, then.”

Cliff turned a bright shade of pink. “Karen will be there, too.  Besides, I… I haven’t asked her yet.”  He walked over to his nightstand and picked up the stone pendant, running his thumb along the etchings.  “I guess part of me is still kind of scared.”

Gray put down his book. “Scared of what?”

To his surprise, Cliff rolled his eyes. “You expect me to believe you weren’t nervous before asking Mary to be yours?”

“I was terrified,” Gray admitted honestly. “I was afraid I had messed things up with her beyond repair.  Then I had the nerve to ask her to be my girlfriend despite everything…  I’m still kinda surprised she accepted.”  He let out a small sigh, his eyes traveling over the spines of the books Mary had hand-selected for him.  “I really don’t deserve her.”

He looked up and Cliff was gazing at the pendant with a sad smile. “I know how you feel.”  His voice was barely above a whisper.  “I really don’t deserve Claire, either.  I can’t help but wonder if my coming into her life will only cause misery…”

“Hey…” Gray tugged on the bill of his cap.  “If we had never met…  Well, let’s just say I’d be even more of a mess than I am right now.”  He watched as Cliff distractedly untied his hair and brushed it out.  “You have plenty to offer her.  I mean, I’ve seen her laugh at those stupid jokes of yours.”

A smile cracked across Cliff’s face as he untangled his hair with the brush. “At least she appreciates them.”  His smile faded.  Surely there was something other than the occasional laugh he could give her.  He closed his eyes and thought of her dancing blue eyes, her flushed pink cheeks, her rosy lips…

Her mouth was moving slowly in prayer. Even in her hushed tones, her strong city accent was apparent.  She had been a source of strength for him in those times.

She had sat beside him on the dock and watched the sunset with him on Ivy’s last birthday.

His stomach turned.

_Something else – anything else…_

Another memory – Claire’s hand was rubbing soft circles along his back as he stared blankly into his bowl of cream stew. They were at Ruby’s Inn and he was numb with fear and anxiety.  His wounded arms had throbbed in pain.  She had pushed her cotton mattress against his that evening, listening to his worries and fears without complaint, accepting the role of his rock without a moment’s hesitation.

He tied back his hair solemnly. “She’s done so much for me…”

_Too much._

_Far more than I deserve._

“Hey.”

Gray’s voice pulled Cliff from his thoughts.

“Y’know… when Claire first moved here, she was really unhappy. You could just see it on her face.  And she lost weight _really_ fast.  She was pretty small to begin with.  I don’t really think she was eating…  If you never taught her about foraging…” Gray said slowly, “she might have given up and gone back to the city to be with her parents or something.”  He folded his arms across his chest thoughtfully.  “You might not realize it, but you taught her a lot about independence.  Not to get mushy or anything, but I could see her transform when she’d come up to our room to talk to us.  She’d just light up to see you and she was excited to talk about her farm again.  You changed her for the better, man.  It’s okay to acknowledge that.”

Cliff knew Gray was just trying to be kind. Claire had been busy trying to get his roommate’s attention during her first months in Mineral Town. 

_Surely, her interest in me is only very recent…_

Despite this, Cliff felt a warm glow in his heart as he selected and pulled on his nicest tunic. The fabric grazed his skin and he inspected his healed injuries from earlier that season.  The wounds on his arms had closed and pink scars had formed, but they blended in alright with the other bumps and scrapes he had acquired throughout the years.  He no longer had to cover them up.  Perhaps time had healed more than just his arms…

“Is that all your clothes? You need to buy some more…”

His thoughts drifted back to the lovely young woman who was kind, strong, determined, clever, and adorable. Cliff’s heart pounded with determination.

_There’s something far more important that I need to save my money for._

0o0o0o0

“I’m pretty excited to meet your sister. I wonder how alike you two are.”

Karen got a weak smile in response. “We’re really different.  She’s confident and beautiful…”

The brunette gave Claire a frown as she watched the way she was wringing her hands. “You really think you can get away with saying something like that around me?” 

Claire gave her an apologetic smile and looked back down at her hands. She stared down at the cobblestone path they were walking on.

“Hey… you look nervous.” Her posture stiffened as her eyes narrowed.  “Did she say something to you?”

“No, no… Everything’s fine,” Claire admitted.  She let out a tiny sigh.  “Almost… too fine.  She’s been so supportive and kind to me.  It’s not like she terrorized me as a kid or anything, but… we were never close…  I just don’t know why she is being so nice.”

Karen looked at the burning streetlights as they moved past them and buried her hands into her pockets. “Maybe because you’re the best friend ever and deserve to have happy and good things happen to you?”

Claire bit her lip as she followed her along, unsure of how to respond.

“Are you worried she’s going to play twenty questions with Cliff?”

Claire kept her voice low as they made their way to the inn, looking around them before speaking. “She didn’t mention much about it while she was visiting earlier, but I can’t help but wonder if this is some kind of set up.”

Karen pushed the door to the inn open with her shoulder, a concerned expression on her features. “Has she done things like this before with you?”

Claire shook her head. “Well, no…”  Her eyes reflected sorrow.  “Mum and Dad… they aren’t crazy about the way I’m living right now.  Simone’s actually really supportive.  She told me a lot of things about her own issues with Mum and Dad…”

“Sounds like she’s on your side, then.” Karen led the way up the stairs.

“I’m just not sure why,” Claire confessed, unable to shake her unease. She thought of her overgrown tomatoes, her shabby house, her months wasted fawning over a man who never thought of her as more than an acquaintance…

_I have screwed up a lot since coming here… If this is some kind of intervention, maybe I deserve it._

She gave the door a hesitant knock, embarrassed at how her fist was shaking.

“Hey, don’t give it any more thought. I’ll be right beside you,” Karen reminded her.  “Besides, Cliff’s going to be here, too.  We’ve always got your back.”

Karen fell silent as the door swung open. Her eyes widened as they traveled between the two siblings, marveling in how similar they looked.

“You must be Karen.” Simone ushered them inside and gestured toward a tall man sitting at the table, helping himself to some sparkling juice.  “This is my husband, Jean.  And as you probably know, I’m Simone, Claire’s older sister.”

Karen sat down right beside Jean. “Pleased to meet you.  I heard you are working with Doctor Trent?”

Jean gave a hearty nod. “Yes, we’re studying infections.  We’re working with bergamot and enhancing some compounds with it.”

Simone flashed her husband a grateful smile. It wasn’t often he kept his talks about work in simple terms.

“Did you guys know that the farm Claire has been abandoned for almost twenty-five years before she took it over? She had to do a complete overhaul on the whole thing.”

Claire’s cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“She had the largest tomato harvest in the region, too. She provided a lot of food for our local Harvest Festival recently.”

Claire sunk into her seat. Surely her relatives thought that she had pressured Karen into bragging about her…

“My parents run the local supermarket and we sell a lot of her produce. She buys the seeds from us.  Then she grows them again and we buy them back.  It’s kind of like a big circle.”

“Crop circles,” Claire instinctively murmured under her breath.

Karen laughed at the pun and Claire couldn’t help but wonder if it was louder than usual. Her worries eased a bit and a smile played at Claire’s lips as she saw Jean choke on his drink a bit, snorting with laughter.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Simone opened the door to a nervous Cliff, who introduced himself with a stammer and was grateful to take the seat beside Claire.

“I ordered us some snacks, and I was told they’d be up before too long,” Jean stated. “I don’t think I’ve ever ordered food straight from the cook like that.  It was kind of nice.”

“It’s a charming town, huh, hon?” Simone gave him a cheerful nod.

“Yeah. It’s small but seems really friendly.  Claire, how are you liking it here?” he asked.

She thought of the quaint cobblestone streets, the small shops that greeted her by name, the wilderness surrounding them. “It’s a lot different from the city, but the longer I stay here, the more I realize it’s exactly what I need.”  She saw her friends in her peripheral vision and the corners of her lips upturned.

“Well, I’m happy that you’re happy.” Jean gave her a kind smile, relaxing in his chair.  “I’ve been corresponding with Doctor Trent for a while and I had no idea of how beautiful it was out here.  He was really talking up the natural hot springs around here.  Simone and I will need to check those out before we leave.”

“They’re the best!” Karen chimed in.

Cliff gave an approving nod. “Go at night so you can watch the stars.”

Simone raised her eyebrows. “That does sound pretty romantic.”  Her eyes flicked toward her sister with curiosity, her eyebrows slightly raised and a slight smirk on her mouth.  It was almost as if she was silently asking Claire if the reason for Cliff’s recommendation was because it was something they had done together.

Relaxing in the hot springs did sound rather nice, but everyone in town knew it was used as an outdoor bath more than anything else…

Claire suddenly felt as if the thermostat was turned up a little too high. She tugged at the sleeves of her turtleneck sweater.

“The spring nearby is one of my favorite places. There’s also the beach.  I could stare at the waves for days.”  Karen let out a dreamy sigh, a longing wistfulness in her expression.

“And where is your favorite place, Claire?” her brother-in-law asked.

She hadn’t really given much thought to the how many scenic places existed in such a small vicinity since she read the advertisement in the newspaper for Mineral Town. There was a clearing in the mountains that was beautiful and could be chosen as a favorite spot.  She recalled a warm day in late spring: kneeling in the tall grass collecting herbs and watching a shy Cliff pass her a sprig of rosemary for her to smell.  She hadn’t realized until that moment that she thought of it as theirs.

There was an unassuming corner at the inn on the right side of the bar. It was secluded enough to allow her to eat in peace if need be, but it was close enough to allow her to speak to Ann while she put away clean glasses under the bar. 

There was a cozy bench located just outside of the supermarket. Claire had seen Karen and Rick spend countless mornings talking to each other before work, and she had spent many an afternoon with her best friend, sharing a quick snack and a word before she brought her groceries back home.

Despite all of those special locations, there was one that was more precious.

“There are a lot of nice places to go around here,” Claire confessed. “Would it be cheesy if I said my farm was my favorite?”

“Home is where the heart is, after all.”

Karen was giving her a bright smile and Claire felt her own fade a bit. She nervously looked over at her sister’s reaction.  Simone didn’t have much of an expression on her face at all.

“I like hanging out at your place, too.” Karen gave her a wink.  “What about you, Cliff?”

He gave a small nod, his cheeks flushing a bit as he shyly ducked his head.

“We come over a lot,” Karen bragged.

Claire was surprised when she heard a snicker from her sister’s direction.

“Gee, Claire,” Simone laughed, “between Cliff and Karen, it’s a wonder you get any work done.”

The room fell silent and the smile immediately wiped off of her face as she realized what she had said.

Claire could see Karen’s posture become rigid while Cliff hung his head as if deeply reprimanded. Jean’s gaze turned to the tabletop while Simone slouched back in her seat, a little embarrassed the words had passed her lips.

Claire gulped. “They help and support me.”  She thought of her friends working out in her fields while she was recovering from heat exhaustion.  She remembered Karen’s caring shoulder to cry on, Cliff’s arm hands squeezing hers…  They were more than just her good friends.  “I…  I wouldn’t have it any other way!  I work very hard so that I have time to spend with both of them.”

Simone gave her sister an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.  It’s important for you to live the life you want and be happy doing it…”  She looked back at Jean who gave her a small nod of encouragement.  “Look.  I need to be honest with you.  I did come here because I was kind of worried about you after Mum and Dad said you had moved out to the boonies to run a farm of all things.  They told me about the last time they saw you.”

Claire’s heart stopped. She braced herself for blunt language.

“I get it,” Simone continued. “I know what it’s like for them not to understand.  They have their way of ‘meaning well’.”  She gave her sister a knowing look.  “But I guess despite that, deep down I was kind of worried.  My baby sister out here, all alone in a strange town…”

Her words struck a nerve. She folded her arms across her chest indignantly.  “I’m _not_ a baby!  And why do you care _now_?  We were never close, admit it.”  Claire hated the bitter tone in her own words, but it didn’t stop them from coming out.

“We weren’t.” There was a sad smile on Simone’s face.  “And I’m sorry that never bothered me until now.  You’ve… always seemed like such a lonely girl, Claire.”  She swallowed the lump in her throat.  “I’m really glad that you have good friends that you can depend on here.”  She blinked away a dusting of tears.  “I guess I just feel kind of feel bad that I never did that for you when we were young.  I was more of a lazy babysitter than an actual sister, so focused in my own little bubble that I couldn’t take the time to learn more about you.  I didn’t fully realize that until this afternoon.”

Claire’s anger faded. “We have that time now.  To be sisters, I mean.”

She was surprised when Simone stood up and walked over to her. “I’d really like that.”  She held out her arms to her and Claire stood up, reacquainting herself with her sister’s embrace.

They finally parted and Simone let out a little chuckle, brushing away the last of the mistiness in her eyes. She turned toward Karen and Cliff.  “Sorry to put you two in the middle of family drama.”

Karen dismissed this with the wave of a hand. “We’re practically family anyway.”

There was a soft knock at the door and Jean answered it, bringing in a plate of cookies, cheeses, sausage, and crackers. “Ann, was it?  Her cookies smell amazing.”

“Make sure you try a sugar cookie.” Karen pulled her attention from the sisters for a moment.

Simone gave Claire’s hair a playful ruffle as she accepted a cookie from Jean. She gave her little sister one last squeeze, looking curiously at the chairs.

“Please,” Cliff volunteered, standing up to offer his seat.

“Thank you.” Simone almost said she could see why Claire saw him as such a sweetheart, but she decided against it.  Surely she had embarrassed her enough already today.  As the group gathered their snacks, she sat down in the chair beside Claire.  Karen said something to her, and Simone smiled as she watched the tension leave her sister’s face.  Claire laughed, and Simone couldn’t remember such mirth from her, even as children.  It was open, free, and unapologetic – overall refreshing.

Cliff returned to Claire with a plate of snacks for her. The corners of her mouth curled up and Simone watched a hint of a blush form on her cheeks as she thanked him.  He took his seat on the other side of the room, but Simone noted that his eyes still fondly trailed to her from time to time. 

Simone decided that Mineral Town was cute and pleasant, and so were the residents. It had been uncharacteristic for Claire to disagree with their parents, but Simone could see that a there was a reason why she favored her property in her new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Wow, I really struggled with this one. There were so many days I would only add a single sentence or paragraph to this, just staring at it. I was trying to create some awkwardness between the characters, trying to make small talk. I always feel like I struggle writing larger groups of people because I feel like everyone’s obligated to say a line. I did make some characters talk more than others, because I feel like that’s just the way group conversations go sometimes.
> 
> The big 100 is coming up. I had plans to get it out by Christmas, but I think New Year’s is a more reasonable goal. I do have a lot of chapter 100 drafted, but I haven’t even started on 99 yet. Yikes!
> 
> As always, I greatly appreciate you reading along, favoriting, reviewing, and following. Have a great day! :D


	99. It's All Relative

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire learns something new about Cliff's family.

“It’s too bad we’ve got to go back home already,” Simone lamented, pulling her sister into a hug. “It was nice seeing you again.  I enjoyed getting to bond with you a little.”

Despite the short amount of time she had spent there, Claire knew that something had changed between her and her sister. It filled her with hope for the future.  Claire adjusted her stance, the floorboards of the pier creaking beneath her weight.  “You are always welcome to come back.  It doesn’t have to be just for work.”

“Likewise,” Jean reminded her. “You are always welcome to come and visit us if you need a little break from the farm work.”

The farmer let out a short laugh. “I don’t really get days off, but maybe someday someone will be able to watch the farm if I go out.”  She realized with a strange detached feeling that turning off of work sometimes might not be the worst idea.

As they hugged goodbye and she watched the boat take off from the dock, Claire felt an unexpected lump form in her throat. She blinked her misty eyes and waved, a cheesy grin covering her features.  Determined to see them off with a smile, she battled with the bittersweet quality of the situation.

She would be missing her sister for the first real time in her life.

0o0o0o0

Claire had just stepped inside, finished from admiring her vast fields of sweet potatoes. It wouldn’t be long now.  Zack had been happy to take the first early sweet potatoes off of her hands, and she hoped he was as excited about the upcoming harvest as she was.

Winter would be coming along before she knew it; the very thought made Claire a little nervous. Gotz had suggested some quick temporary fixes to her chicken coop, and there were things that needed to be put away and prepared for the winter ahead. 

Despite the looming work with the changing season, the thing that had Claire most concerned was income. She knew that three chickens would not produce enough eggs to even be worth selling, and based on what Rick had told her, the hens would naturally slow down egg production as the colder months came.

That left Claire staring at her sweet potato fields with a bit of anxiety. They would need to come out of the ground soon.  No inclement weather had been forecasted, but she was terrified that if something happened to her precious crop, she would be in a lot of trouble for the lean winter months.  As it stood, she didn’t have enough to cover her mortgage just yet.  Her plans of raising a cow and a sheep took a lower priority at the moment.  She was sure once money started rolling in from her crops, she would be in a more comfortable position for investing further into her property.

She was skimming a book on cold weather safety she had borrowed from the library when she heard a knock at the door. Claire answered it to reveal Mary and a fidgety Gray.

“Good afternoon.”

“Ah, so she still is here,” Gray commented to no one in particular.

“Hi, Claire. We were wondering if you’d like to join us.  We’re headed to the horse races.  Gray seemed pretty concerned that you weren’t going to go.”

The young man tugged at the bill of his cap. “I just thought that it would be good for you to see what a properly trained horse is capable of.  Not that you were really planning on turning Tucker into a racing horse or anything.”

“I was planning on going.” Claire pulled on her shoes.

She quickly learned that Gray was rather eager for the event. He didn’t say much about the event itself, but his brisk walking pace told Claire plenty.  The racetrack was on a patch of land between Forget-Me-Not Valley and Mineral Town, and Mary explained that Thomas had set aside some town funds for Zack to provide hayrides to the races via his shipping cart.

Claire took a seat on a bale of hay, immediately dreaming of hayrides in her earlier years. They were often accompanied with cider and doughnuts during her childhood visits to the orchard.  Elli was sitting beside them with May and Stu, telling them that if they behaved themselves, they would be allowed pocket money to spend at the snack stalls.

Mary gave her friend a sympathetic look. It wasn’t often that Elli was able to go out on social outings without being the designated babysitter.  The young woman’s spirits didn’t seem too dampened, though.  She turned toward Mary with a wink.

“How much are you betting?” She handed her friend a battered copy of the racing form.

Mary let out a soft laugh, but still took the paper from her, scanning the list of names. “Oh, I’m not sure if I’m going to bet this year.”

Elli gave her friend a sly smile. “Then how am I going to know the winning horses this year?”

“Miss Mary always picks the winning horses!” Stu bounced up and down in his seat.

They were so busy chattering that they hadn’t noticed that May had slowly shifted toward the front of the trailer, watching the driver with fond eyes.

“Hello, Mister Zack!” she called out. “Grandpa told me to tell you to drive safe!”

It was all he could do to keep from rolling his eyes. “Can do, Little Missy.  Tell your grandpa I say hello.”

She gave an emphatic nod and nestled between Elli and Mary. “Grandpa says when I’m older he’ll teach me how to pick the winners.”  She gave Mary a grin.  “But I think I’ll just copy you instead.”

“I don’t know how you do it each year, Mary, but… I’m kind of impressed.” A hint of a blush formed on Gray’s cheeks.

0o0o0o0

They arrived at the racetrack and Claire’s eyes widened at the sheer number of people. She watched a young woman with a blonde ponytail near them chatter along with her auburn-haired companion.  The twang was unmistakable from her voice, even from a bit of a distance.  They disappeared into a crowd of spectators and racers.

“Turnout seems bigger this year,” Elli commented, firmly taking each child’s hand in hers. “What are the rules, kids?”

“Stay with the group,” Stu recited.

May chimed in. “Don’t talk to strangers.”

The boy’s dark eyes glinted mischievously. “Stu and May get their own cotton candy.”

“Oooh, I like that rule.”

A smirk formed in the corner of Elli’s mouth. “We’ll see about that one.”

The children let out groans in unison.

“Everyone knows that the best part of the horse races is all of the snacks to choose from!” Stu said with a slight sulk.

Elli could feel her willpower crumbling already. It was going to be a long day if she was already struggling.  “Oh, alright, let’s go get some cotton candy.  That actually sounds really good right now.”

Both kids cheered and Stu hugged her around the waist. “You’re the best sister ever!”

Claire gave them a smile, wondering if her relationship with Simone was similar to theirs in more than a couple of ways when they were younger. Her smile drooped a little as she realized she kind of wished that Simone was still by her side.

As she followed Mary and Gray, she made a mental note to purchase more stationery at her next trip to the supermarket.

0o0o0o0

Cliff stared at the racing form in his hands and quickly folded it up, stashing it away in his pocket. He had accepted it out of politeness as he entered the gate to the racetrack.

While he didn’t have spare money to bet with, he had been given a day off of work to enjoy the races. He had left Duke and Manna’s company shortly after entering the gates, as each of them were eager to bet on the horses.  He had quickly learned that the races were quite the social event, and he wondered if he should have asked some of his friends to join him.

He was pulled from his daydreams at Karen’s fierce sales pitch at her parents’ snack stall.

“Hey, Cliff! Come on and try one!  Corn muffins!  My mom’s been makin’ ‘em forever!  It’s a Rigby family recipe!”

_Rigby…_

He blinked.

_Now I_ know _this can’t be coincidence anymore…_

Cliff eagerly fished a few coins out of his pocket and handed them to Karen with shaking fingers.

She gave him a corn muffin in return. “Ha, I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist!  They’re just a little sweet because of the-”

“Maple syrup,” he finished, staring at the muffin as if it were a treasure.

“I was just going to say ‘the secret ingredient’!” Karen gave him a suspicious look.  “You’re right.  Don’t go blabbing it, though!  Mom doesn’t give that recipe out freely, you know…”

There were a few things about Karen that he had been pondering for the past few months, and he figured now was the time to stop beating around the bush.

“This is Grandma Eve’s recipe, isn’t it?” He bit into it, a little surprised at the emotional effect it had on him.  He was at home with his family, curled up under a blanket in front of the fire with a bowl of stew.  His mother was fussing with his ponytail that had come loose…  He chewed and swallowed, blinking the mistiness from his eyes.

“You know it!” Her smile faded.  “Is everything alright?  There’s nothing wrong with the food, is there?”

Cliff fought the lump in his throat, shaking his head. “Ma made the same ones every year for Winter Thanksgiving…  Grandma’s recipe…”

Karen’s breath hitched. “Goddess, Cliff… are you saying…?”

He gave her a nod. “We have the same grandmother because our mothers were sisters…  We’re cousins.”

“We’re related?!” Karen threw her arms around him and wasn’t quite sure why she felt like crying.  “You’ve had family here in Mineral Town all along!”  She gave him a rough squeeze.  “Ah, I’m so glad we didn’t let you leave without a fight…”  She began bouncing around with excitement.  “I’ll have to introduce you to our other cousin, Celia sometime!  She’s over in Forget-Me-Not Valley.  Hey, Mom!”

Sasha finished giving her customer a sack of muffins and gave her daughter a stern look. “Save your yelling for the actual race.  What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s _wrong_!  I just found out that Cliff’s grandma is Grandma Eve, too!”

Sasha stood silently for a moment, the shock written clearly on her face. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed as her lips turned into a frown, her overall expression almost concerned.  “You must be… Katrina’s child, then…”

“Yes. Katrina and Flint Yamamoto.”

Worry lines appeared on her forehead and it seemed like an eternity before she spoke. “I’m glad to know this, I really am, Cliff…  I just…  You have to understand that my sister and I disagreed about a lot of things, especially after our brother, Jake, passed so suddenly.”

He still remembered the sad way Katrina spoke of her departed brother. “Hunting accident at fourteen… I’m aware.”  Cliff’s voice was soft.

Karen couldn’t help but feel panic traveling through her veins. “You’re not going to shut Cliff out because of something that happened long ago that doesn’t even involve him, are you?”  As far as she was concerned, Cliff struggled with fitting in enough as it was.

There was a hurt look on Sasha’s face. “Of course not…  I must ask you this, though – was… Katrina _happy_?”

Cliff’s face fell and he gulped. “I… wasn’t with her when she passed, but… in most of my childhood memories, Ma was smiling.  She loved my father and Akiyama Village very much.”

She gave him a pained look and closed her eyes, gulping as she struggled to maintain a straight face in public. “At least I know that her child didn’t let himself remain trapped in a place like that…”

“What the _hell_ , Mom?”  Karen’s voice cracked as she gave her a dirty look.  “Why are you behaving like this?  I thought this would make everyone happy.”

Cliff spoke up. “I left Akiyama because I felt trapped.  I think… that Ma…”  He paused and frowned, a wave of depression creeping back up on him.  “I don’t think she ever recovered from losing my father.”

Tears were now tumbling down Sasha’s cheeks and she grabbed a napkin to stop them. “I knew she should have stayed in town…”

“Are you saying Cliff never should have been born?! How selfish can you be, Mom?”  Karen protectively grabbed Cliff’s arm as she stamped her foot.  “And here I was, thinking that you were the adult here!”

Sasha just shook her head as more tears fell. She hurried back towards the gate with a napkin concealing her face.

“She’s kidding, right?!” Karen reached into the till, returning Cliff’s coins.  “Well, I’m not about to charge family for refreshments…”  She turned toward her father, who was busy helping customers.  “Look… I’m really sorry about all of that. _I’m_ happy that we’re related.”

Cliff let out a small sigh as he stared at the half-eaten muffin in his hand, nearly dropping the change she had given him.

_I really do bring misery to those around me…_

A voice shook him from his thoughts. “Three, please.”

“Oh, you don’t have to treat me, Gray,” Claire insisted, shaking her head.

Cliff’s ears perked up and he looked over to see Claire accompanying Gray and Mary.

“It’s no big deal.”

“Well, we appreciate it anyway.” Mary smiled at him fondly.

Jeff accepted the money and turned to Karen. “Where did your mother go?”

She gritted her teeth. “Good question.  I think she went home.  Looks like I’m gonna be your assistant now.”  She gave her father a glum look as she put on some gloves to distribute the muffins.  “Claire, take Cliff with you.  He needs someone kind today.”

He straightened his posture, trying his best to shake off the situation. “I’m alright.”

There was a knowing look in her eyes, and he couldn’t tell if he was comforted or distressed by this. “I’d still be happy to have your company.”  Her voice was sweet and soothing.

Karen handed them some extra napkins. “And I feel the same way, Cliff.  Seriously.”

The corners of his lips tilted upward ever so slightly. “Thank you.”  He was taken by surprise when Claire looped her arm around his as they walked along.  It was such a familiar gesture between the two of them, but now that they had gone on a date together, he wondered if more was implied by it.  Claire adjusted her hold on his arm.  Perhaps she was being friendly because Karen had implied he was having a rough time…

He couldn’t get Sasha’s words out of his head:

_“At least I know that her child didn’t let himself remain trapped in a place like that…”_

Perhaps she knew more about Akiyama’s culture than she let on. Cliff wondered if he told her about everything he did, she’d understand, and even support his decisions...

_Don’t kid yourself. If anything, she’d hate your guts.  It’s plain to see she loved her sister._

“Honestly, I think if I actually betted, I might just pick the horse with the most entertaining name,” Claire was saying. “That’s got to count for something, doesn’t it?”

She almost jumped when Gray very emphatically told her that it most certainly did not count for anything and that there were several things to look for in picking a winning horse. Mary watched them with amusement; she had already placed money on a horse named Little Gray Cloud, much to Gray’s chagrin.

Cliff was paying attention to none of this as he stared blankly forward, his surroundings becoming an irritating buzz.

“… li… liff… Cliff.”

He blinked, snapping to attention as everything around him suddenly shot into focus. The chatter, cheering, and laughter of the crowd suddenly felt far too loud and he resisted the urge to cover his ears.  He nearly dropped the crumbling corn muffin in his hand.

There was concern in Claire’s eyes as she shifted her weight against him with her shoulder to support him. She didn’t call attention to his lack of awareness.  “There was something special I wanted to show you.  We’ll catch up with you two later.”  She gave friendly nods to Mary and Gray as they continued along.

She brought him to a secluded area beyond the trees lining the race track. Cliff gave her a confused frown as she sat under a tree and motioned for him to join her.

“What was it you wanted to show me?”

She gave him a knowing look, but her eyes remained friendly and caring. “I wanted to show you this place.  It’s kind of hectic out there.”

He thought of the smiles Gray and Mary had earned from her as they bought their refreshments. “You mean it’s hectic out there for someone like me.”

He hadn’t countered her attempts to cheer him up in such an outright manner since their friendship was still fairly new. Still, her voice remained steady and patient.  “I was referring to myself, but I wondered if you were feeling the same way.”  She spread a napkin and set her snack upon it, inviting him to do the same. 

He figured she had plenty of experience dealing with her younger brothers’ tantrums and that was why she was remaining so amiable. It was a long time before Cliff spoke.  Claire watched him as he leaned back, studying the clouds.

“I told Karen something I’ve had a hunch about for a while… We’re related.”

Claire’s mind drifted to their similar brown and gold hair, the way their voices meshed together as they sang the same tune. Still, they seemed to be from opposite ends of the Earth…

“Really?”

He gave a single nod. “Our mothers were sisters.  Sasha… took the news as best as she could, I suppose…”

She had a feeling that it was quite possible Karen’s mother could have taken the news better, as she could still see the worried look on her friend’s face.

“It’s not a big deal, though… I just kind of wish I had kept my mouth shut.”  He rubbed his arm and looked away.

Claire frowned. “I don’t understand why having family nearby is a bad thing.”

“Her mother and mine had a bit of a falling out when they were in their late teens,” he explained. “Grandma Eve grew up in a small town and ended up marrying a local farmer.  Her grandfather was always trying to talk her into coming to live in the mountains with him, and she was constantly trying to ask him to move into town.”

“Sounds like they both wanted to be together but they didn’t want to give up what they had.” Claire reached over and started on her muffin once more, waiting for him to continue.

“It can be hard to change your way of life just for someone else… even if it is someone you care about a lot.” Cliff gave her a sad smile.  “Uncle Jake, who was on my mother’s side, became fascinated from hearing all the stories about Great Grandpa Terry.  He went camping, determined to go on his first hunting trip by himself…  He didn’t make it back.  He was only fourteen years old.”

Claire blinked in surprise. She tried to remember her own life at the age of fourteen, studying for exams in high school and beginning to take on more duties to help around the house.  “That must have come as a shock, especially with him being so young.”

Cliff nodded. “My mother and Sasha had very different ways of dealing with it.  Ma wanted to honor him by learning more about the outdoors and living a life more closely with nature.  She heard about a small village in the mountains called Akiyama and decided to travel there.  I can only assume that Sasha was against the idea, especially when she found out it was a rural hunting village and essentially all of the men there are raised to hunt.”  A small but pained smile appeared on his lips.  “Ma visited and fell in love with the culture.  They accepted her as one of them, and she used the singing and dancing she learned from her mother to help conduct festivals.  Ah, that’s one thing I forgot to mention.  Grandma Eve worked at a bar, and she would sing and dance for the customers while her friend played along on the piano.”

Claire thought of Karen’s voice at the Music festival as it blended with the instruments. “It sounds nice.”

“She… had the prettiest voice.” Cliff’s voice was husky.  “I… I don’t know if I can remember exactly how it sounded…”

His words made her heart break. His eyes were shrouded by his bangs, and she granted him privacy by averting her eyes.  Claire covered his hand with hers.  “I’m sorry.”

They sat in silence, watching the fall breeze cause a few leaves to tumble from the branches above them. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze, the pain fading from his facial expressions a bit.  He couldn’t keep falling into these gloomy states around her.  Sooner or later, she would surely tire from it all and find more upbeat people to spend her time with.  “I’m sorry for rambling like that.  You asked a simple question and I wouldn’t stop talking.”

_Besides, if she knows too much, she really won’t like me…_

She shook her head. This instance was the most he had actually volunteered to tell her about his family.  “I’m happy to learn more about you and your loved ones.”

“I’m not sure why.” The words slipped out and he nearly slapped his hands over his mouth.  Cliff grimaced at his choice of words, ducking his head in embarrassment.  “D-didn’t you want to bet on a horse today?”  Couldn’t she see how much time and effort she was wasting on him?

Claire shrugged her shoulders. “There’s time.  I was more interested in just looking at all the horses more than anything else.  And Cliff…”  She looked at him, her eyes widening as she squeezed his hand.  “I… I like learning about you because I care about you.”  She lifted his hand to her lips and shyly looked around them before pressing a small kiss against his knuckles, closing her eyes as a blush crept across her cheeks.

His mouth fell open at the gesture and she gave him a sincere smile, squeezing his hand one last time.

“I mean it,” she whispered.

Cliff’s hand instinctively reached for his pocket and he felt frustration bubble within him as remembered it was stuffed with the racing form and not the stone pendant he had been meaning to give her. He had left it at the inn because that day was bound to be busy enough as it was.

He wished he deserved her kindness. Still, part of him felt irritated that her kind eyes were causing his mood to improve.

_I’ll never be able to stand on my own…_

He looked at her bright blue eyes and his heart gave a loud thump.

_Maybe I’m not meant to._

“When you’re ready, we can go to the stalls and meet the horses. There was a really pretty Appaloosa I saw earlier.  I wonder if the owners will let us pet them…”

He grinned. He thoroughly enjoyed watching Claire interact with animals.  “Well, just be sure you have permission.  It’s not like they are here to just horse around.”

Claire gave him a stern look, but the smile forming on her mouth was unmistakable. “I’m not even going to entertain that hoof-hearted attempt at a joke right there.”

A laugh escaped his mouth as his worries crumbled apart. Cliff felt his hunger return to him and he turned to his half-finished muffin as they stood up. 

The corn muffin still tasted like home…

He made sure to savor it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Merry Christmas! I hope you’re enjoying your day and hopefully spending it with loved ones!
> 
> I’ve been hinting at Cliff and Karen being cousins for a very long time now. How many of you pieced it together already? :)
> 
> I took a different approach to my regular festival chapters. I wanted to make interactions between the characters be more of the driving force instead of the event itself. I’d love to hear what you think of it.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading along. Your reviews, favorites, kudos, and follows really mean a lot to me.
> 
> Next chapter is the Big 100~!


	100. Isn't It Lovely?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cliff has an important question to ask Claire.

“Well, the weather is supposed to be nice. Tomorrow will be the day,” Claire declared to Koro the next afternoon.

Her dog looked up at her and tilted his head curiously, his ears flopping a bit.

“Sweet potatoes!” she exclaimed excitedly. “I’m going to dig these all up and ship them off!  How would you feel about some boiled sweet potatoes?”

Koro gave her a blank stare.

Claire let out a laugh. “I guess I won’t save you any if you don’t seem too excited.  I’ll just sell them all to Zack.”  Her smile brightened as she thought about what she could do with the surplus money.  “How would you like a new friend?  A little sheep, or how about a cow?”

Koro barked excitedly, as if in agreement.

“That’s the spirit! Gray said my pitchfork should be properly sharpened by tomorrow, so it will be a busy day!”

She knew that he didn’t understand a word he said, but she could tell he was picking up on her enthusiasm. It had felt like ages since she let herself get excited about her farming work, and it was a refreshing change.  Rolling up her sleeves, Claire dumped the remainder of her watering can on a patch of spinach and looked up at the fast-moving clouds in the sky.  It was a fairly breezy day; she watched a leaf fall from her tree and land in the stream lining her farm.  It landed delicately on top of the deep blue water and glided out of sight.  She focused on the color of the stream, a smile playing at her lips.

_Such a pretty blue… I want to see Cliff’s eyes…_

A blush rose to her cheeks. It was a selfish request, but it didn’t stop her from wanting it.  She found that she had missed him working side by side with her on the farm.  As she glanced at the fields of sweet potatoes, she found herself half-wishing they were tomatoes instead…

Perhaps a walk through town would clear her mind. There was nothing more she could do to prepare for the sweet potato harvest tomorrow, as she was still waiting on her pitch fork to be honed.  She looked at the field with a nod.  Tomorrow, she would be a harvesting machine.  Today, she would rest up and take it easy in preparation.

0o0o0o0

Claire was hardly surprised when she found herself turning the corner on the cobblestone streets to stare at the local vineyard. Cracked green and white paint along with a few spots of moss adorned the worn sign to Aja Winery.  It was a charming place now that it had a bit of significance to her, and a little part of her felt a little embarrassed at not appreciating it before. 

Her eyes traveled to the trellises of grapes and her heart gave a leap as she saw a chocolate brown head of hair bouncing between the rows of produce. It seemed that there would only be one more real harvest of grapes left before winter hit.  She heard the hint of a song and realized with delight that Cliff was humming as he worked.  She recognized the melody instantly - it was the same song he had played for her a lifetime ago on his pan flute by the Goddess Spring.  She leaned on the fence a bit and listened to the upbeat melody.  Cliff had seemed to be in much better spirits after their discussion at the horse races the day before.  It was almost as if he had accepted something and was more at peace.

Cliff’s song was cut short as he hoisted the heavy basket and stabilized his breathing. Claire flashed him a smile and tucked her hands into her pockets, continuing on her way.  There was no need to bother him while he was obviously working hard.  It had been nice to watch him enjoying his job.  Perhaps she could stop by later while the winery was closing and she could walk him home…  Maybe offer him some dinner, not that she really had any meals planned…

_That wouldn’t be too forward, would it?_

She was startled from her thoughts as Duke’s voice bellowed across the vineyard.

“Cliff!”

Claire stopped in her tracks; she was startled at the volume of the man’s voice. Had Cliff done something to upset his boss?

The young man whirled around, setting down the basket with a huff. “Wh-what’s wrong?”

There was a look of concern on Duke’s features. He looked down at the heaping basket, shaking his head.  “I could’ve sworn I told you that you could take a break!  What are you still doing out here?”

“I didn’t need to rest,” he replied, shrugging. “I’m fine.”

Duke folded his arms across his chest and his frown grew. “Manna… she mentioned she was worried about you, too.”

Cliff’s eyes widened. “Worried?”

He was given a nod in reply. “You need to pace yourself.  I know you’re young, but it’s not good for you to be working nonstop like this.  You worked right through lunch again, didn’t you?”

The young man couldn’t hide the incredulous look on his face. “I thought harvesting was a priority right now.  I thought if anything, you’d be glad I got so much done,” he murmured.

Claire was surprised at his candidness with his employer. She held her breath as she watched Duke’s posture relax.  “I am glad that you’re willing to put in a hard day’s work, but we don’t want you keeling over on the job.”

His words seemed to have struck a nerve. Claire watched his eyebrows furrow for a moment as his mouth became but a tight line.

Cliff’s facial expressions didn’t go unnoticed. “Look, I know you told me you’ve done harvesting work at Mystic Acres, too, but as your boss…”  He cleared his throat.  “No, as one person to another, I want you to take care of yourself.  No one will think less of you, I promise.”

Cliff bowed his head. “Duke…”

“You know… you remind me a bit of Aja: hardworking and dedicated, but stubborn as they come.” He gave Cliff a wink.  “Although, just between the two of us, I think my daughter inherited that from her old lady…”

A smile played at Cliff’s mouth.

“How about you take a breather right now? These grapes aren’t going anywhere.”

Worry lines appeared on Cliff’s forehead. “B-but my job is not-”

“Claire wouldn’t mind spending some time with you, I’m sure.”

Cliff turned to look at her, surprised she had been standing on the other side of the fence. The young woman’s jaw dropped as she froze in place, her pulse pounding in her ears as she realized at once how rude she had been.  “I, uh… I d-didn’t mean to eavesdrop!  I-I was just going for a walk-”

A warm smile spread across Duke’s face, but there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Then I’m sure you’d be happy to accompany him on his break.”

Cliff had turned a violent shade of pink. “B-but…”

“You can finish that basket in a little bit.” Duke looked over at Claire.  “Why don’t you two go to Mother’s Hill?  I can take it from here.  It’s a great time of year in the mountains, and I’m sure you’ll have a beautiful view.”  The smirk on his face was unmistakable.

Cliff had more than just a slight suspicion that the view his boss was referring to was standing right on the other side of the fence. He turned redder and stared at the ground, staring back at his full basket of grapes.  Spending some time with Claire was certainly inviting, but…  “Still, I-I can’t let you take over… It’s my job…”

Claire couldn’t help but feel her heart drop a bit at his comment.

“You know, it might be a nice gesture to thank her for finding you this job.”

The young woman felt a wave of embarrassment. She shook her head.  “H-he’s been very grateful to me-”

“You’re right, Duke. I’ll take her.” Cliff’s hand moved to his pocket and a solemn look could be seen on his face.  His heart thumped in his throat.

“Good, then, it’s settled! Off you go!” Duke laughed, clapping him on the back and shoving him a little towards the exit of the vineyard.

As Cliff stepped out from behind the fence, Claire wrung her hands, looking nervously at the ground. She felt the need to explain her reasoning for being there.  The words bounced around in her head like a tangled jumble; nothing sounded right and she was absolutely mortified that she had been caught watching him.  Did he think that she was stalking him?

Her thoughts fell silent as she looked up at him and realized he was shyly offering her his arm. She accepted it with a gulp and walked with him along the cobblestone streets.  Their feet fell in step together as she relaxed and they walked along, quietly taking in the late autumn scenery.  The hue of the grass was just beginning to mute a little, and there were still quite a few colorful leaves left on the trees.  The changes from summer were much more noticeable as they began their trek up the mountain trail.  Claire noticed the briskness in the air, and between the scent of wild things growing and a whiff of ozone, it smelled of autumn.

They had gone up to the mountain countless times together, but it had always been related to foraging or fishing – almost always work. The journey used to leave her out of breath and panting.  They were walking at a leisurely pace, but the stamina she had gained was noticeable.

_I walked up this mountain with Cliff, Gray, and Saibara…_

She watched the young man beside her. He was looking ahead, focused on the trail.  He was much thinner than that day in summer, but there was still a healthy glow about on his face.  It was such a stark difference from the worried Cliff she knew back in summer with worry lines almost constantly decorating his forehead.  He looked more vibrant, younger even.  With a bit of time and some nourishing food, his weight would likely go back up to a healthier amount.  The difference was not only physical – Cliff seemed like a different person than he was that day.

Claire shook her head as she recalled him standing his ground and twisting out of Gray’s grip, determined not to strike back. Not different – more open, perhaps – more like himself.

She hoped that she was, too.

“I’m sorry about Duke…” Cliff’s voice was soft.  “I wasn’t expecting him to rope you into all of this.”  Despite his words, a hint of a smile played at his mouth.

“I don’t mind,” she replied.

Claire looked out over the peak. Duke was right; the view was beautiful.  A gorgeous palette of fall trees was spread before them.  To one side, she could see the vast eggplant fields of Vesta’s farm accompanied with the wind turbines that dotted her property.  On the other side of her vision was Mineral Town – cute houses in tidy rows and the various shades of green dotting the vineyard in the center of town.  She could just barely see the top of Duke’s silver head among the vines.  The wind played with her hair and she watched a few leaves dance through the breeze.

Claire looked over to see Cliff gazing at her with a warm glow in his eyes. “I’m glad, because…  I’m finding that I don’t mind too much, either.”  He paused and they shared a smile.  He took her hands in his and gave them a squeeze.  “Duke’s right, though…  I need to show my gratitude to you more.”

She shook her head, flustered as her face felt warm. “It’s fine, really…”

A kiss on her knuckles silenced her. “Even if that’s how you feel, I really am grateful for what you have done for me, Claire,” he said softly.  “I don’t even know if I could ever thank you enough…  It’s about more than just a job.  I was… honestly, I was so afraid I was going to lose everything I had finally allowed myself to care about again…”

“Cliff…” She held his hands fast as she recalled that awful afternoon in his room when he confessed he didn’t feel he deserved a home.  It almost felt like a lifetime ago.  “I don’t ever want you to have to feel that way again, like you don’t deserve to be here or that you need to leave.”  She kept her misty eyes lowered to their feet; Claire knew that if she looked at him she would start to cry. 

His thumbs stroked the backs of her hands. “I’m not going anywhere now.  I’m here to stay, remember?”

Claire looked at him; he was smiling at her warmly. He wrapped his arms around her and she could feel a lump form in her throat. 

“I’m glad,” she murmured, burying her face into his shoulder.

“So… today I was carrying a bushel of grapes for Duke and he said, ‘Good work. I’ll meet you down in the cellar in a few minutes, son.’  I wasn’t really sure how to feel about him calling me that.  I figured he was probably just using that term casually, but he must have seen the look on my face…  He apologized to me later this morning and asked if he had made me uncomfortable.  But… when I really think about it…”  Cliff shook his head.  “Something about it… felt _really_ nice.”  Nice barely began to cover it.  It had caused a warm glow that he thought had been stamped out forever from his life.  “I know I haven’t worked for them that long, but having him talk to me like we were so familiar with each other…  It’s just been so long since I’ve been in a place where I feel comfortable with others like that.”

Claire gave him a smile. The sheer joy in his eyes made her happy as well.

“I mean, it’s not like I think of him like my father, and I don’t think he really sees me as a son, but…” He nervously rubbed the crook of his neck and put his hand back in hers.  “If, someday… he and I got closer… w-well…  I’d _really_ like that.”  He looked at the ground, a little embarrassed.  “I’m not sure how pathetic that is, but-”

“I think it’s lovely,” she interrupted.

He fell silent, his eyes asking her if she was telling the truth. She gave him a sincere nod and his inhibitions fell away.

“I-isn’t it, though? Isn’t it lovely?”  He let out a delighted chuckle.  “I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.  I’m finally starting to see myself as having a future in this town.  Are you happy with your life at the farm?”

Simone had asked her that not too long ago. Claire realized with surprise how little that question was asked of her since she had taken on such a different lifestyle.  “Yes, I love it very much.  It’s very rewarding,” she replied.  “I never thought I would be able to wake up and spend the day growing food that people I care about will enjoy.” 

It was dirty work, and she had been at the mercy of the weather at times. She had made foolish mistakes, and she was still learning as she went.  However, she still found that this new life was more rewarding than she ever could have imagined.  She could still remember the time Ann showed off her plate of French fries during the cooking festival using her potatoes.  It was the first time that she truly realized her crops were a staple for the town, and people were using them every day.

“I love it,” she whispered.

Cliff held her out at arm’s length and beamed at her. “I think… I love my job, too.  The grapes that I harvest become wine, and someday people will enjoy it together…”  His eyes were positively sparkling as he squeezed her hands.  “I’m finally contributing to Mineral Town…  I can finally be a part of it.”  Claire could see mistiness forming in the corners of his eyes.  “That’s all I’ve wanted for so long…”

“I’m really happy for you,” she murmured, giving him a hug.

“I don’t know if I ever told you this, but… Ever since I was traveling and saw Mother’s Hill, I knew that this area needed to be home.  I was terrified of ruining it or having things go wrong.  That’s all my life’s ever felt like – one mistake after another.  The thought of screwing up again and having to leave here was so intimidating that I almost didn’t book that room at Doug’s…  I’m glad I took that chance.”

“I’m glad, too.”

“Claire… I think…” He took a deep breath and she could feel his hands shaking.  “I need to take another chance.  I-I need… t-to ask you something.”

His eyes locked onto hers and her breath hitched at the expression on his face. He looked terrified and worried, but also very serious.

“This… you and me…”

Her heart jumped into her throat.

“I… I…”  He nervously rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the ground.  “I can’t explain how much it means to me, but…”

Claire struggled for air.

_But what?_

He frowned at the worried look on her face, oblivious to his own. “I’m serious about you, Claire.  I… I _really_ like you.”  His face turned a bright shade of scarlet as he struggled to remember the words he had planned on saying.  “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head ever since I met you.”  He silently cursed himself for being so candid.  “Th-that’s not saying I’m a creep or something…  I just want to _be more_ with you.”

_Am I making things worse?_

He forced himself to meet her eyes, gulping. “I mean, I want to be more than a friend you go on dates with.  I’ve never really done this before, so I’m sorry I don’t quite know how to word it…”

Claire’s heart swelled. “Something more committed?”  The hopefulness in her gaze made him a little dizzy.

His eyes widened in his eagerness. “Y-yeah!  If you’ll have me, of course.  I know I d-don’t have the most to offer you and there are a lot of things I need to improve on…”

Claire silenced him with the squeeze of his hands. “You have so much more to offer than you think, and everyone has things they want to get better at.”  Her heart was fluttering as she rested her hands on his shoulders.  “I-I wanna be yours, Cliff.”

His hand cupped her cheek and when she looked up at him, the affection in his eyes paralyzing her. “Then be mine.  And I’ll be yours.”

His lips ghosted over hers and his warm breath on her mouth caused a wave of goose bumps across her skin. Unable to stand it anymore, he leaned in, kissing her.  The wind played with the falling leaves and caused their hair to tangle together, but they didn’t care.  They were lost in their own beautiful dream together among kisses, hitched breaths, and intertwined fingers.  They came up for air and Claire pressed her lips against his again, pulling him back into their world.

Cliff couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this comfortable with anyone before. He relaxed in her embrace and allowed himself to just be.  His heart was hammering in his ribcage so loudly he wondered if she could hear it.

He drunkenly realized he didn’t care.

She was his, and he was hers. They were lovers now, he realized hazily.  He could still remember sitting on the windowsill and watching curiously across the room as a beautiful stranger struggled to speak to Gray.  He recalled the kindness in her words, her clumsy hand gestures, the gleam in her sapphire eyes.  Despite Cliff’s fear of talking to anyone but Carter at the time, he had found that he wanted to learn more about her. 

He caught her in glimpses – swinging her hoe in the fields, her loose blonde locks flying about her. Giggling with her young colt as she rubbed his nose.  Her eyes smiling as Karen chuckled at her side.  Her cheeks flooding with color as she stuttered in front of Gray.

There was something about her that Cliff instinctively wanted in his life – warmth.

A hint of a smile, a fond gaze. Fingers twisted around blonde strands of hair, lip slightly bitten.

Such foreign feelings and curious emotions watching her had induced. He found himself thinking about her before falling asleep, wondering how his name would sound on her lips and what a smile directed at him would feel like.

And now he knew how wonderful those experiences had been as her soft lips were joined with his, the faint scent of her lavender oil mixing with the musky fall leaves around them.

Claire leaned into him comfortably and her eyes popped open for a moment in surprise as her partner deepened the kiss. Cliff was timid but gentle, just as he had been through many experiences they had together.  Claire could recall a time when getting him to say more than a simple hello had been a struggle for him.  She had never thought of him as very talkative, but speaking to him had become much easier with time, and the subjects they were comfortable with were constantly expanding.  He no longer stuttered in front of her, and their conversations weren’t all punctuated with awkward silences.  They joked now, and they cried together.  She never thought she had needed that so much.  An awkward brush across the arm paired with deep blushing had evolved to casual contact and contentedly linked arms and now loving embraces, she realized with satisfaction.

This was all rather new to her as well – caring so deeply for someone and having those feelings returned.

He broke off the kiss and blushed as he watched the strand of saliva between them break, quickly wiping the excess dampness from his lips. “Ah, I-I’m sorry…  I’ve n-never…”  He trailed off, chuckling to both deflect his embarrassment and partly because he was in awe that he had the bravery to venture beyond their standard dry kisses.  “Uh… I mean…”

She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. “You were wonderful.”  A little clumsy, perhaps, but who wasn’t when they were learning something new?  He was sincere, and that was all that mattered to her.

“I think you are, too…” She could feel his posture stiffen suddenly.  “Claire, there’s something I want you to have.”  He quickly fished through his pockets, his blush fading a bit as his brows turned to a more serious expression.  “It’s… actually something I’ve wanted to give you for a while…  I-I made it myself,” he stammered, pulling the pendant from his pocket.

He held out a necklace. It was simple, but gorgeous – a smooth grayish blue stone on a leather cord.  She blinked at the distinctive size and color of the rock.  “This looks so familiar.”

He gave her a shy smile. “Remember when we were skipping rocks on the beach last summer?  It was one of our finds.”

She ran her fingertip along the smooth surface, admiring the careful design. Calling it pretty was an understatement.  “Such pretty engravings...”  She studied the etchings in a careful pattern.  “Ah, the whole thing is a rosette…  So cute…”

She was now aware that his hand was trembling. “Thank you, I uh…  I carved the whole design.  I actually started working on it the night we found that stone.”  He quickly cleared his throat.  “Gray showed me how.  I tried my best.  I know it’s not perfect or anything… I mean, I cut a little too deeply-”

“It’s perfect.” Her hand rested on top of his, sandwiching the pendant.  Cliff had wanted to make this for her since the middle of summer?  Her head felt like it was spinning.  “I love it.”  Their eyes met and he fell silent.  She could feel her entire body humming as she removed her hand from his, fighting the blush on her cheeks.  “I want you to put it on me,” she requested softly, gathering her hair in her hand and resting it on one shoulder.

His fingers were shaking as they grazed her collarbone. She felt him hold his breath for a moment as he gently put it over her head.  Cliff laughed nervously, allowing himself to breathe again.  “Almost…  There you go.”

Claire pulled her hair through the necklace and didn’t notice the way the he was admiring how it shone in the afternoon sunlight. Claire looked down at the stone and stroked it.  “It really is pretty…”

“I’m glad you like it.” He smiled at her.  “Please keep it as a thank you for helping me get my life back together.”  He lifted her hand to his lips.  “A-and… I hope you think of me when you wear it.” 

Claire’s heart gave a jump. “I’ll always cherish it…”

She felt like her heart was floating as they walked down the mountain together. She hazily realized that they had been holding hands when they entered her property.

“This is your home now, Cliff,” she murmured. “I want you to enjoy it.”

He immediately flushed pink in response.

Her eyes widened as she realized it sounded like she was referring to Mystic Acres. “M-Mineral Town, I mean!”  Flustered, Claire laughed a little too loudly as she anxiously twisted a blonde lock around her fingers.  “I’m glad you chose Mineral Town.”

A leaf fluttered down on top of her head and he carefully removed it from her hair, giving her an affectionate smile. “Me, too.  I think… as long as I’m here and have you, I’ll be more than content.”

Her heart swelled as she shyly drew her lips up to his. “I’m glad we both feel the same way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Woo, finally got another heart event in! While I think it’s absolutely precious that Cliff gives the main character a handmade flower necklace, I think a lot of people interpreted it to be a daisy chain. In MFoMT, it simply says mountain flower necklace, and for some reason, I always kinda imagined it made out of stone, fashioned to look like the flowers in the mountains. I wanted him to give her something that would last, too, so I took some creative liberties, haha. I designed the pendant off of a handmade one I’ve been gawking at for over a year online. This Christmas, my husband gifted me the very pendant. It was such a sweet gesture. I’ve been wearing it every single day. :)
> 
> I never would have imagined I would reach 100 chapters in this story, let alone have so much more of the tale to tell! If you’ve been reading for this long, I want to let you know how genuinely touched I am. It means a lot that you have made it this far into this massive story that started out as a desperate attempt to find joy in my life once again. We’ve experienced so much together – styles and changes in my writing, along with watching Claire grow from, well, a shy newcomer into someone who is a little more confident of herself. 
> 
> I’ve gone through a lot of changes in my life as well. I know my writing is not perfect, but every day I try to improve a little, and I’ve allowed myself to entertain my childhood dreams of becoming a published writer once more. I know I can’t publish fan fiction for money, but I feel my experiences in writing this will translate to my original works. That being said, I do have some original works on my Deviant Art account of the same username. I’d be honored if you took a look at them.
> 
> Writing has continually brought me joy, even though sometimes I feel I push myself a little too hard and make it into a chore. I battle with insecurities over my writing on a near-daily basis, but overall, I continue to try to be a better person and writer.
> 
> It seems like I just hit a milestone not too long ago with the ten-year anniversary of this story. I am still shocked that ten years later this story is what it is now, and now it’s 100 chapters. I’ve considered breaking this up into different pieces, as I think of this work as an anthology of sorts. I’ve always kept it under one title for fear of readers losing track. Therefore, the title is still what it is, despite Claire being a little less shy and more seasoned, haha.
> 
> I have been slowly letting the story become less driven by the in-game calendar and events and have been doing more mental role play and allowing the characters to do what they please. I have been trying to add more structure to the plot as well. I hope you enjoy the subtle changes I’ve been making.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading along. I’m honored to share this with you. ;)


	101. I Have to Try

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire is met with unexpected hardship when Zack comes to pick up her harvest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Just a quick heads up that there are brief mentions of past sexual assault in this chapter.

Claire was blinking the sweat from her eyes as she heard the sound of Zack’s tractor pulling up with the cart. She wiped her brow with a dirty arm, leaving a streak across her forehead.  Despite her fatigue, a happy grin spread across her face as she rested her pitchfork across her shoulders and walked over to meet him.

Her eyes darted toward her overflowing shipping bin. She had been working since early that morning, only taking breaks for food and water.  It had been her busiest day this season, and she was reminded of her hectic summer.  She had learned the hard way to take care of her body as she worked; the long, grueling summer days of tomato harvests had taught her that pushing herself too much wasn’t worth it in the long run.  She looked at the dirty sweet potatoes with a tired smile.  Maybe she could have done more, but she had done it herself, and she was ready to do some more tomorrow.

“I’m really glad to see you,” Claire said with a laugh. “I hope you’re in the mood for sweet potatoes.”

At her final words, she saw the smile drop from his face. Zack’s eyebrows furrowed and he gave her a concerned look.  “Ah, you got anything else in there?  The boy from Forget-Me-Not just shipped out a ton yesterday.  The market’s flooded right now.  The most I could give ya is five gold per kilo, and I can’t guarantee I’ll even be able to sell them.”

The young woman blinked, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy. She removed the pitchfork from her shoulders and poked it into the soft earth beneath her, leaning on it a bit to brace herself.

“B-but this never happened with my tomatoes…”

“You have to understand. When Pete goes all out on something, he’s in a class of his own.  Folks in the Valley joke that he has godlike powers with the soil…  The boy’s a genius.”

Claire felt her heart drop.

Zack realized his words may have belittled her own farm. “Well, the way Lillia was goin’ on about the spinach of yours she bought off of Jeff… I assumed you were going to focus on that for the season,” he supplied.

_He would gush about Lillia, wouldn’t he? Doesn’t he have any idea how I feel?_

Claire stared out at her fields, her blood boiling. She clenched her jaw.  “Does… it look like I’m growing a bunch of spinach out there?”  Her voice was dangerously quiet.

There were a few plots among the bell peppers, but it was nothing compared to the sweet potatoes that were yet to be harvested. “I suppose not.”  His voice was apologetic.  “You might want to collaborate with the farms in the area next time.  Everyone knows Vesta does a large eggplant crop every season.  Pick something you want to specialize in and let them know so something like this doesn’t happen.”

Ashamed at her blunt words, Claire hung her head, frustrated that a couple of fat tears tumbled out of her eyes. “Wh-what would you suggest I do from here?”  She tried to keep her voice level, a bit afraid she had scared him away from advising her further.

He scratched his chin, averting his eyes out of politeness. “You, uh…. you could see if someone in town has a use for some sweet potatoes…”

_Go door-to-door selling sweet potatoes?_

She bit her tongue.

“You could try selling some to Doug or Jeff and Sasha directly. You should be able to get a better price than what I can give you right now.”

Claire looked at her fields. If they agreed to buy, it would probably only take care of a fraction of the sweet potatoes she had grown.  She knew that her crops were regularly shipped to different towns.  If Pete had already provided for everyone else, where did that leave her?  While Zack’s idea was better than nothing, panic began to settle in her heart.

_Winter is coming and I am not ready. How am I supposed to support myself now?  Heating bills, food, supplies for next season…_

“I-I was planning on selling these to pay my m-mortgage…” Her voice quavered as her eyes moved to the ground.  “I’ll...”  She froze and swallowed the lump in her throat.  It wasn’t as if she was the first person to come upon hardship.  She thought of Cliff, selling withered blueberries and washing dishes at Ann’s.  This was no time to be giving up.  Letting out a small breath, she continued.  “I’ll need to be creative, I suppose…  I’m…  I’m sorry for snapping at you, Zack.  I appreciate the suggestions.”

He shook his head, awkwardly rubbing the crook of his neck. “S’alright.  I understand it can be frustrating.  You’re still a beginner, after all.  The people in this town have a way of looking after each other.  I’m sure if you tell Doug, Sasha, and Jeff what’s going on, they’d be more than happy to buy some of your produce.”

_He’s right – some, not all… I need to sell all of it in order to pay my bills and live through the winter…_

_Stop it, Claire! He’s trying to help!  This isn’t his fault; stop acting like it is!_

“Y-yeah… I’ll have a small batch of bell peppers and spinach ready before the season’s over…”

“I can take those off of your hands with no problem.”

She gave a slight nod, frustrated at the lump forming in her throat. “I think I’ll hold off on giving you these sweet potatoes, then.  I’ll see what I can do with them.”

He gave her a sympathetic look. “Keep your chin up.  Things will work out.  If I find any leads, I’ll let you know.”

She knew it wasn’t his problem and part of her worried if she had guilted him into offering. “Thank you, Zack.  I just need to stay positive.”

As she waved goodbye to him and watched his cart drive off, she set her pitchfork against the side of the house and removed her dirty work gloves before entering.

She stumbled inside, not bothering to take off her boots. Surprisingly, tears refused to come.  She sunk onto her bed with a heavy sigh, her mind buzzing with thoughts.

_Am I in danger of losing this house? What will happen if I can’t make my payments?  I’ll have taxes to pay this winter, too…  I was foolish, not even considering what everyone else is growing.  Pete’s really that much better than me…  He can flood a market…  My sweet potatoes probably look like a tiny pile compared to his…  No one ever asked me what I’m growing…  I guess I’m not much competition…  Who am I kidding, anyway?  What gave me the thought I could farm?  Maybe this was all just a big mistake…_

She could still hear Cliff’s warm voice as they stood on her property the day before. His arms were around her and the happiness on his face made her heart throb.

_“I think… as long as I’m here and have you, I’ll be more than content.”_

_That’s right… I have a partner now.  A lover…_

It still surprised her a bit, but the notion provided her with a bit of comfort and a bit of a thrill. It was a nice momentary distraction.  She could still feel his warm hands in hers, his tight embrace…  Her cheeks warmed as she reached for the pendant around her neck.  Her fingers slid across the stone, tracing the etchings.  The thought that he had carved them himself still caused her heart to swell.  It wasn’t a dream – her romantic feelings for him were returned.

Determined not to fly into a panic attack, she allowed herself to think about him for a while. She got lost in a daydream of their previous day together, her hands gravitating over her heart as she relived his affection.  He wasn’t the only one who thought of her fondly, she realized hazily.  She remembered Karen’s fierce pride in her at the Harvest Festival and her protective manner as they walked through the crowd.

Claire sat up, a frown on her lips. She wasn’t alone; she never had been.  There were always people who were looking out for her and cheering for her to succeed.

Ann raved about the fresher produce she got to cook with. Thomas beamed with pride when he presented her to the crowd at the Harvest Festival.  Popuri and Rick admired what she had been able to accomplish on her own.  It wasn’t just them – the whole town seemed to be rooting for her, whether she realized it or not.

“I… I _have_ to try.”  Her voice was scarcely above a whisper.

0o0o0o0

Claire stared at her reflection in concentration as she tied her hair back in a ponytail.

_You’re not going to make them pity you. They don’t need to know about your mortgage sob story._

She pulled her sweatshirt over her head.

_They’re going to buy from you because they want what you grew – plain and simple._

Her eyes traveled to the assorted library books she had been researching that afternoon.

_They will have a use for them. It’s not charity._

Her sale earlier that day to Sasha and Jeff had been semi-encouraging. While they were eager to purchase her sweet potatoes directly and they paid her decently by the kilogram, they didn’t buy as much as she had originally hoped.  Still, she learned that by cutting out Zack, who acted as a middleman, she was able to get more for her produce than she normally would have.  As an added bonus, Sasha and Jeff got their stock for a lower price than Zack offered.

“You don’t have to promise you will do this every season,” Jeff told her with a knowing smile. “There’s no need to bring us weekly shipments if you get overwhelmed in future seasons.”

They had arranged to purchase sweet potatoes for as long as she had them. Although that would not take care of her entire supply that she had harvested and that still remained, it was a start.

She walked down the cobblestone path with her posture straightened, determined to give an air of confidence. Enough salespeople had visited her office enough in the city for her to know that looking capable was one of the biggest parts of making an impression.  Her confident gait was short-lived, however; upon arriving at Barley’s she saw the old man and his granddaughter playing with a baby lamb in front of the farmhouse.  A smile crept across her mouth as he caught sight of her and gestured for her to join them.

“Remember Marshmallow?” May was petting the lamb’s soft fleece.  “Grandpa gave her a checkup today.  It was like a trip to see the doctor!”

“That’s right. Little lambs and little girls both need to take care of themselves.”  Barley gave her a smile and a welcoming nod to Claire.

May turned toward the farmer. “She did A-okay!”  The little girl gave her a thumbs-up and attempted to wink, blinking very hard instead.  “Someday I might be a doctor for the sheep.  Or maybe I’ll drive Mr. Zack’s cart around instead!  He let me ride with him yesterday!  We went alllll the way to the Valley,” she sang, twirling in a circle.

Claire saw Barley’s strained smile in the corner of her vision. “Grandpa’s glad you two had a good time, May.”

She wasn’t ready to stop talking about her experience. “He picked up a bunch of fruits from the farm over there and he gave me a shiny red apple…”

Claire felt her stomach sink.

_Pete’s got an orchard, too? How am I supposed to compete?_

“It was really tasty and he let me honk the horn on the way home!” May looked over at Claire.  “You know what?  I think he would make a good father.”  She gave a very authoritative nod that reminded Claire of something Sasha or Anna would do.

The facial expressions Barley made were hard to ignore. His smile was very sad as he hastily brushed away a couple of tears.  He let out a soft chuckle that held no humor.  “I think…”  He adjusted the glasses on his nose and forced a smile on his face.  “I think Claire has something she’d like to talk to us about.”

She gulped, remembering to straighten her posture. “I, uh, actually was coming for a business call.”

His eyes lit up. “Lookin’ to add a new cow or sheep to your farm?”

She laughed nervously. “Ah, not exactly.  I grew some sweet potatoes on my farm.  Zack told me the market was flooded and suggested I try seeing if anyone around has a use for them.”

His bushy white eyebrows furrowed. “That’s… mighty swell of him actually…”

“Yes,” she agreed. “It’s not in his best interest to turn away business like that, but he was very kind to me when I panicked and wasn’t sure what to do.”  She gave him a nod.  Claire licked her lips, realizing that her entire mouth felt dry.  She wiped her sweaty palms off on her jeans.  “But, I came to you today because I was doing some research and saw that cows can eat sweet potatoes.  Would you consider buying some as feed?”

He gave her a sympathetic look. If she really was offering her prized sweet potatoes that should be on grocery shelves as animal feed, she surely must be in a bind financially.  “Did he send you my way?” he asked curiously.

She shook her head. “I-I just thought that they might be useful to you,” she replied lamely, quickly wondering if her choice to call on his farm was a bit too far-fetched.

The old man looked out at his cows in the pasture. Winter would be arriving soon, and the time to graze was coming to an end.  “A change of feed might be nice for them,” he considered, scratching his chin.  “But, it’s really something I’d use more sparingly.  You see, the sugar in them can be bad for their teeth if I feed them too much…”  He saw her lips tighten into a thin line as she held onto his every word.  He lightened up his expression.  “Let’s go inside and talk business numbers, shall we?”

A wave of relief spread over her as he put the lamb in the pen and led the way to the house, May skipping behind as she provided entertainment in the form of a song about sweet potato pie.

Barley offered Claire a seat at his table when May piped up, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Grandpa, if we get sweet potatoes, can we make a pie together?”  It hadn’t been hard to tell what was on her mind.

“Of course. Why don’t you go draw me a picture of what it will look like?”

Her eyes lit up as she bounced upstairs in excitement, continuing her song. Claire watched her with a smile and a slight giggle.

“May seems especially happy lately.”

She could see the worry lines on Barley’s forehead. After mentioning his situation to the local priest, Carter had suggested that Barley find someone he could talk openly and honestly about the situation.  Claire was not his original choice, but someone so young and new to Mineral Town might be less quick to judge, and something about her desperate air regarding the sweet potatoes made him feel that he could lean on her as well.  He didn’t have time to contemplate what to say, as the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them.  “I can’t help but wonder if it’s because she is seeing her father more often now.”

Claire thought of May’s stories about riding Zack’s cart. “Her father…”

Tears were streaming down the old man’s face and he fished a handkerchief from his pocket. Regret hit him and suddenly the idea of telling her his predicament felt like too much too soon.  “Forgive me, Claire.  It’s not fair for me to drag you into something like this…”  Ideally, he would have liked to open up to his good friend Saibara about this, but he would more than likely be given unsolicited advice, something he didn’t feel quite ready for just yet.  Still, he looked beyond his handkerchief, waiting for some kind of response from his companion.

Memories of a tearful May came to mind as Claire tried to become more comfortable in her seat. The little girl had seemed heartbroken that her mother wouldn’t come home.  She could still remember May’s meltdown, sobbing that if she had been a better daughter this wouldn’t be happening.  Claire was grateful to hear that a father was now in the picture.

“I thought that you were raising May all by yourself,” she commented quietly, averting her eyes out of politeness as he finished wiping his eyes.

Barley saw the kindness in her expression and relaxed a bit, his embarrassment fading. “I have been.  The news of Zack being her father is relatively new.  There are… a lot of details to hammer out, but for now, I suppose the idea of them getting used to being around each other is a good start.”  While he loved his granddaughter, raising her alone had been very difficult, and he was growing tired.  If Zack could prove himself…

“Does May know yet?”

The old man shook his head. “I’m not trying to hide it from her forever, but I’m trying to let her slowly adjust to the idea of seeing Zack more often.  He sounds like he genuinely wants to be a part of her life, but he seems a little unsure how.”  He let out a sigh.  “This whole thing has just been one big mess.”  He neatly folded his handkerchief into a tidy square.  The weight that had lifted from his heart in just saying the situation aloud…  Carter was right, sharing helped. 

“I can imagine it’s not easy.” Her gaze was sympathetic.

He gave a small chuckle, shaking his head. “It really isn’t.  Even people that mean well sometimes cause more harm than good by trying to rush things.”  He sat pensively, staring up at the ceiling.  “Family matters…  They’re often complicated and need to be handled with care.  One wrong move, and it can undo everything.”

Claire gave a small hum of agreement as vague thoughts of leaving her parents’ house bounced around in her head.

_I don’t think I’ve undone everything… Maybe I’m wrong…_

Barley reminded himself that she hadn’t asked to be dragged into his affairs. He straightened his posture.  “Well, it’s really just a matter of reading his intentions at this point and going from there.  It would certainly be easier if my daughter would come back home.”

Claire snapped back to attention. “Is she traveling?”

He shook his head. “Joanna is very adamant about not coming back here.  She… she went through something no one should ever have to.  I guess I can’t blame her, in a way.”  An old anger rose back within him as he recalled the incident.  It hadn’t faded with time.  “She was assaulted on her way home from Doug’s.”  His eyes welled with angry tears as he could still see her sobbing in the doorway, her clothing in shreds and her spirit broken.  He had held her through the night as they both sobbed, answering a young Officer Harris’s questions and impatiently waiting for Doctor Harvey to come and make an emergency visit for them…  “Officer Harris still blames himself for being unable to track down her attacker, who they figured was just passing through.  They were close friends, but even his presence wasn’t enough.  She… she said she didn’t feel safe here anymore.”

_I wasn’t able to keep her safe._

“… And Aja had already left at that point… They were best friends…” Barley trailed off halfheartedly.  “The whole situation isn’t something the residents of Mineral Town really brag about.”

Claire was quickly learning that Aja was quite a popular young woman in the village and seemed to be the cornerstone of a few relationships. Her throat tightened as she reflected on the old man’s words.  “I am so sorry for what happened to your family.  I… I hope she feels safer now.”

Barley swallowed the lump in his throat. He hadn’t meditated on the situation that way.  Mineral Town was a place of safety and happiness to him, but he hadn’t given much thought to the fact that it had stopped being that for his daughter.  He thought of her alone on that ship with Zack with nothing but the dark sky and waves to soothe her.

_She’s just been looking for some sort of peace. Can… Zack give that to her?  She sought comfort in him once…_

_Maybe…_

_Maybe she will never feel safe here._

_Can I accept that?_

He blinked the mistiness out of his eyes. This was too much right now.  Here he was, laying out all of his problems and worries in front of an acquaintance.  At what point had that become acceptable for him?  Still, if the stories he’d heard about the boy that Duke had hired were even half true, the young farmer seemed to have a talent for getting people to open up.

“Maybe…” Claire’s voice was soft.  “Maybe, someday… when I’ve gotten used to taking care of sheep and cows, I can come over and watch over your flock and herd while you and May go to visit Joanna sometime.”

_Maybe she’s right. Maybe I really can see her again…  There’s just never been someone available…_

He looked up at her with a slight gasp and she gave him an apologetic look, shrinking back.

“I-I’m sorry if that’s too forward…” She looked down at her folded hands, wringing them a bit.

“Are you available for more shearing this afternoon?”

A smile hinted at the corners of her mouth. “Yes, I can do that.”

Barley cleared his throat, blinking the last of his tears away. “Excellent.  Now let’s talk sweet potatoes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: Thank you all for reading to 100 chapters. It means a lot that you are still here and reading along! :)
> 
> Pete’s godlike powers and insane farming abilities are a nod to Harvest Moon DS. It is ridiculously easy to have a huge farm right off the get go in that game, and you get stupid rich really fast. Alas, Claire has a normal, everyday rucksack so she has the abilities of a mere mortal. 
> 
> I hesitated a bit with adding Joanna’s back story here. I didn’t want it to be dark for the sake of edginess, but I wanted to give a legitimate reason why Joanna doesn’t want to come to Mineral Town and why she isn’t the one taking care of May. Sexual assault is a very real problem and it the after effects can really ruin lives. A lot of people make Joanna out to be a bit of a deadbeat, but I wanted to give her more than just an “I’m too busy with my job in the city”. Trauma can really affect one’s ability to take on more responsibilities, such as being the mother of an unexpected child. I guess I was looking to flesh her out a bit more and add a bit to the history for Mineral Town. Cute as the town is, I don’t imagine everything being perfect.


	102. An Unexpected Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire meets a semi-familiar face after the Sheep Festival.

“Did you get the last check I sent you?” Barley’s eyes focused on the worn dial of the phone, imagining her sitting there instead of hearing her slightly crackly voice on the other end of the line.

“I’m going to deposit it tomorrow,” she replied. Her voice was flatter than usual.

“Is something wrong, Joanna?”

He heard a deep sigh on the other end. “I’m just so tired of messing everything up.”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to,” he replied.

“Dad… be honest… I’m nothing but trouble to you.”

He thought of the monthly checks he had sent her way to help pay for her medical bills. Her frustrated cries when she would leave yet another job out of aggravation, the stress becoming too much for her.  She had been a nervous child and he had thought she had outgrown it by the time she grew up.  He could still remember the brief shining moment in her young adulthood where she had felt confident in herself and had conquered her anxiety.

He couldn’t count the number of times he wished he could relive it.

It had been shattered in one evening, and years later, she was still struggling to pick up the pieces. It was a never ending cycle.

The raised eyebrows they had received when he recounted the events of what had transpired… There were times he wanted to leave Mineral Town, too.  It wasn’t exactly simple to leave a livestock farm and begin life anew at the age of seventy-eight.  There were sheep to look after and bills to pay.

“And I’m trouble for May, too. I honestly don’t know why she wants anything to do with me.  I’ve done nothing but fail her.”

“She loves you, Joanna, and so do I.”

He could hear the tears in her voice. “ _Why_ , though? _You’re_ her legal guardian, not _me_!  I can’t even take care of myself, let alone a child!”  Her voice rose into a shriek.

“Do you love her?”

“What?” Joanna choked on a sob.

“Do you love May?”

“Of course I do,” she sniffed.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Then that is enough for right now.”  Whether others would view his actions as indulgent, he didn’t care.  He wanted to see that sparkle in her eye again, hear that song in her voice.  “I had some news I wanted to share with you…  There may be someone in the future who can watch over the farm so we can visit…”

He heard nothing in reply, only sniffing. His throat tightened.  “Take care of yourself, Joanna.”

“Yeah. You, too.”

He let out a soft sigh as he hung up the phone. The bar was empty and it had been the prime opportunity to share with her that Zack knew he was May’s father.  He shook his head; he had known the moment he heard her voice today that he wasn’t going to tell her.  He looked at his granddaughter who was sitting at a table with Ann, giggling.  Ann was adding whipped cream to the top of May’s waffle with a flourish and the young girl’s eyes were wide with delight.

_That girl really deserves more than we are giving her…_

Barley stood up, grunting as his joints creaked. He made his way over to them with a smile on his face.

“Two eyes and a nose!” May dropped a couple of chocolate chips and a cherry on the pile of whipped cream.  “Beautiful!”

“Beautiful!” Ann repeated with a laugh. “I’m glad you like my attempts at making a sheep.”  It was more of a shapeless mound than anything else.

“Look, Grandpa! It’s Marshmallow!”

“Ah, more sugar,” he laughed, sitting down in his chair.

May stuck out her tongue. “It’s special!  Today’s a special day, after all!”

“Oh, and why is that?” he teased.

“It’s the Sheep Festival, silly!”

0o0o0o0

There was a knock on Claire’s door that morning as she was preparing to visit the festival. Cliff stood in the doorway, his cheeks glowing and his eyes wide.  She could see the affection in his gaze, and it was a treat to behold.  She vaguely wondered how long it had been there and if she had been too preoccupied to notice.

“Good morning, Claire.”

He was delighted when she gave him a soft hug in greeting. Her lips curled up into a smile as she leaned against him.  “Good morning.”  She soaked in the feeling of his arms around her and the contrast of the brisk autumn air around her.  It was familiar, but there was something new about it this morning.  Whatever it was, it promised new beginnings, adventures, and sweet company.  Her heart swelled as she took in his scent of patchouli and leather, listening to the birds in her apple tree nearby.

_This is nice._

She felt a light kiss on her brow and looked up with a light gasp and parted lips. Cliff was blushing down to his neck, but his eyes were doting as they remained glued on her, his arms wrapped around her tightly.  He searched for a smile on her face and gave her one in response.  “I uh… I came by because today is the Sheep Festival.  I’ve got some things to finish up at the winery this afternoon, but maybe I’ll see you in the square later?”  He stated it as a question, a little afraid of pressuring her into going if she didn’t have plans to.

She gave a nod and he let go. Her heart warmed at the thought of seeing him that afternoon.  She was already looking forward to the festival, and now she had something else to enjoy.  “Sounds fun.  I’d love to see you there.”

His eyes lit up as a goofy grin spread across his mouth. His decision to spend time with her quickly overwrote his original plans to get some fishing in on his afternoon off, and he was delighted she wanted to be by his side as well.  “I’m looking forward to spending some time with you.”

A smile formed on her lips. “Me, too.”

“Well… I was just stopping by to ask… I’ve got to go into work now…”  Despite his words, she could see that he was lingering.  The subtle way his shoulder leaned against her doorframe, his unhurried posture – it almost looked like he was asking her to tell him to stay.

His company was nice, but she knew he had things to get done and he’d regret it if he made himself late. “This afternoon will be nice,” she said, her eyes meeting his.

He gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Yeah.”  Tearing his gaze from her, he let out a soft chuckle.  “Back to it then, I suppose.”

As Claire waved goodbye to him and watched his retreating form disappear through the gates to Mineral Town, she looked out at her field, turning her focus to work. She had toyed with the idea of asking some of the participating farmers if they’d be interested in purchasing some sweet potato foliage and greens for sheep feed.  Gazing at her rows of sweet potatoes now, she was disappointed to find that the plants she had finished with were already withered for the season.

She pushed down her worries about her crop for the moment.

_There’s nothing wrong with attending the festival and using it as a learning experience._

She gulped, grappling with this new idea. Between her chickens, Koro and Tucker, along with herself, perhaps the concept of another mouth to feed was out of the equation for now.  She could gather information today and make a decision based on what she had learned.  Perhaps this was only a minor delay, she told herself.  Maybe she was closer to a sheep than she originally thought. 

The young woman looked out at her abandoned barn, feeling a small well of hope rise within her chest. There was no need to rule out anything just yet.

0o0o0o0

Claire took a deep breath and approached the familiar blonde man leaning against the brick partition in the square that afternoon. He was giving Popuri a casual wave goodbye before returning his arms to their designated space folded across his chest.  His sheep looked up at her and gave a cheery bleat.

“H-hello.” She focused her attention on the animal to soothe her nerves.

He looked down at her, a hint of a smirk decorating his face. “Ah, Rio’s twin.  Welcome.”

She kept her focus on the curly fleece of the sheep – it was much easier than gazing directly into his startling scarlet eyes.

She gathered her courage. She was here to learn, and she was determined for the festival to be at least somewhat productive for her.  “So…  Mr. Neil…  You’ve been raising and dealing with livestock for a while now...”

He gave a grunt of affirmation.

“Do you… do you have any tips for someone who is looking to get started? I have a few chickens, and I’ve considered getting a sheep or cow this winter…”  Her voice trailed off as she rubbed the wool.

She was surprised when he spoke up right away. “Well, I’ll tell you one thing.  If you’re just beginning, you don’t want to expand in the winter.  You want to make the transition for the animal as smooth as possible.  There’s nothing to graze in the winter.  You want to offer your best to a newcomer.”

She thought of her dilapidated old barn and her overgrown weeds. “Offer your best…” she repeated under her breath.  When would she get at that point when she’d be able to?

Neil adjusted his posture. “Yeah, I mean, unless you’re sitting on a pile of high quality feed, you probably don’t want to make that first addition in the winter.  Sunlight and fresh air make happier animals, and you can’t provide that to them as much when the weather’s bad.  You want them to already be comfortable with you by that point.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” she reasoned, removing her eyes from the sheep.

“There’s no need to rush these kinds of things,” he told her with a nod. “Whether you’re farming for business or pleasure, a happier animal is going to be what you’re aiming for.  There’s no need for unnecessary stress, for you or for the animal.”  He saw the genuine interest in her eyes and continued.  “If you live right here in Mineral Town, you should ask Mr. Kuga for some pointers.  He might be able to give you some experience with the animals you are interested in.”

Claire gave a nod. “I’m going to be working with Barley shearing his flock.  He needed a little extra help as the seasons change and he was willing to make me under his wing.”

Neil’s eyes softened. “That’s good.  I’ve always kind of looked up to him as a sort of mentor.”  His gaze flicked to Mayor Thomas, who was approaching him with Barley, both carrying clipboards in their hands.  “Ah, speak of the devil…  Looks like it’s show time, Buttercup.”  He looked down at his sheep.

Claire took this as her cue to leave. “Thank you for the advice.”

“No problem, Rio- lookalike.”

She blinked. “It’s Claire.”

His cheeks slightly flushed as he realized his rudeness. “Claire.”  He repeated her name, confirming it to memory.  “Take your time to learn today.”

She gave him an emphatic nod. “Thank you.”

As she headed back out to the crowd in the square, she slowly realized there was going to be much more to learn than any of the books in the library could teach her. She looked back once more to see Neil uncharacteristically smiling as he spoke to Barley.  It didn’t need to be a frightening ordeal.  It was the same as she had been doing ever since she moved to Mineral Town – learning something new and implementing it into her farm.

It wasn’t long until her eyes were on another sheep. One of the farmers from the Cow Festival waved at her, his cheeks pink, excitement highlighted on his face.

“Claire! So good to see you!”  Ash was oblivious to his little sister stamping her feet and gritting her teeth.

She gave the pair a quick wave. “Hello!”

“Come on over, the sheep don’t bite!” he encouraged her.

The animal was just as sweet as Neil’s, looking up at Claire with wide eyes. She found herself drawn to the creature, her hands immediately attracted to the fluffy wool.

“She’s beautiful,” Claire cooed, stroking the soft fleece of the ewe before her.

The farmer let out a good-natured chuckle. “I hope that’s what the judges say.”

Claire was happy to see someone she recognized. “I saw you at the cow festival.  Do you raise other animals, too?”

“We raise quite a few things, actually.” Ash straightened his cap and slid his thumbs behind his suspenders, a smile playing at his lips.  “We have a fair share of alpacas, too.  If you’re ever in Bluebell, I’d be happy to show you around.”  He ignored the sour look his little sister was giving him.

“It’ll probably be a while before I can tear myself away from my farm,” Claire confessed. She looked out at the square, which was populated with sheep, farmers, and spectators.

“That’s for the best. Lazy farmers have rough winters.”  The little girl folded her arms across her chest, her eyes piercing into Claire’s.

The young woman felt uneasy, remembering why spending time with Ash before made her uncomfortable. She let out a nervous laugh.  “I suppose that could make things hard.”  Perhaps it was time to move on…

Ash was giving her an apologetic look when a familiar arm meaningfully brushed against hers. Upon Cliff’s arrival, Ash immediately took a small step back and straightened his posture, looking at the cobblestones as if they were fascinating. 

“Hello.” Cliff’s ears immediately turned pink as he realized with a bit of disbelief that he had the courage to purposefully interrupt them.  After seeing Claire’s unease he found impossible not to.  His eyes traced from Ash to Claire and his cheeks flushed.  “I-I’m sorry…  I was just passing through and…”  His voice trailed off.  What if he was wrong?  What if he had misread her facial expressions?  He had seen the way Ash leaned in when he spoke to her and he was ashamed at the jolt of jealousy he had felt.  Was he already becoming a possessive lover?

Cheryl of all people broke the awkward silence.

“Hiya!” Her tone was surprisingly friendly as she held out a tiny hand to shake.  “I’m Cheryl and this is my big brother, Ash.  We’re going to win the Sheep Festival,” she said very matter-of-factly.

Cliff forced a small smile on his face. “Is that so?  Looks like you’ll have to try pretty hard.  There’s a lot of competition.”

Claire was startled by his frankness with the little girl, but Cheryl took it in stride.

“We have it in the bag.”

“I see.”

“You haven’t introduced yourself,” she pointed out.

His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Ah, yes.  S-sorry.  I’m Cliff.” 

Claire watched the color rise in his face with an interested look. Her arm weaved its way around his; she wondered if he was slightly intimidated by the young girl as well.

Unsure of what to do, he awkwardly held out his hand for the little girl to shake. Flattered by the respectful gesture, she shook his hand with much gusto, a grin spreading across her face.  Cheryl’s eyes approvingly traveled over the couple.  “You check out alright, Cliff.  Enjoy the festival with your lady friend.”

Ash’s face blanched as he gave them a halfhearted wave as they left.

Cliff said nothing as they walked along. His mouth was a thin line as he led her by the hand to an empty clearing just outside the square.  His face was a bit pale as he began to wring his hands.

“I-it’s really nice to see you.” He was nearly breathless and his voice was low as his eyes avoided hers.

She gave him a small frown. “I’m glad to see you, too.  Is everything alright?”

He let out a tiny sigh as he ran a hand through his bangs, disheveling them a bit. He hung his head, ashamed.  “I-I’m really sorry, Claire.  You wanted me to step in for you, right?  … Y-you looked uncomfortable, but I just wanted to make sure I didn’t overstep my boundaries...”

She looked up at him, bewildered. “That little girl was pretty hostile…  I don’t think she meant any harm.  I remember her being like that last time I saw her.”

“I was referring to the man flirting with you.” He turned his head away, embarrassed he needed to spell it out for her.

She blinked in surprise as she recalled her interactions with Ash earlier. “I didn’t realize…”  He had seemed friendly enough, but she thought he was just trying to be overly polite to counteract his sister’s rude behavior.

“I just want you to be comfortable.”

Claire looked at the unease on his face and took his hands in hers, giving them a squeeze. “I am when you’re around.”

His eyes hesitantly met hers. “R-really?”

A smile played at the corners of her mouth. “Yeah.”

His facial features relaxed, but the worry lines on his forehead remained. “I’m sorry…  I promise I’ll get better at this whole… _couple_ thing.”  Cliff gulped as he said the word aloud; it still felt like a dream to him.

“I think you’re doing just fine,” she replied softly, giving him a warm smile.

He offered her his arm and they made their way back into the crowd. She froze as she immediately felt a pair of eyes on her.  A familiar woman with dark blue hair was watching them closely, her hand missing the sheep she was attempting to pet.  Claire’s eyes caught the woman’s warm brown ones and she blinked in surprise.  The woman gave her a gentle smile and wave, and Claire found herself returning the gesture.

Cliff was watching their interaction carefully. “Is that someone you know?”

She shook her head, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “I think she caught me staring and was trying to be polite…”  Still, she had felt those eyes were almost trying to tell her something…

They continued to walk once more and Claire struggled to snap back into reality, accidentally jostling people as they walked along.

_Do I know her from somewhere? Why was she watching us so intently?_

The walkways were narrow and Claire’s thoughts were torn from her as she bumped into a familiar face.

“Claire! Good to see you!”  Pete gave her a hearty thump on the shoulder.  “I’ll have you know that my sheep was much easier to bring to Mineral Town than my cow was!”  He let out a good-natured laugh.  Upon seeing her companion, a grin spread across his face and he stared at him with wide, excited eyes.  “Cliff!  Cliff the hunter!  How have you been?  It feels like it’s been forever!”

Claire’s eyes curiously traveled between the two. Cliff had mentioned living in Forget-Me-Not Valley for a time, but she never would have assumed the two young men knew each other.

“I’m doing pretty well.” A smile curled on Cliff’s lips.

“Yeah? I remember you were telling me that you were traveling out east.  I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.  Did you ever find a place to settle down?”

Cliff’s eyes warmly flicked toward Claire before he spoke. “Yeah.  I ended up here in Mineral Town.  I’ve got a room booked at the inn, and Claire helped me get a steady job at the winery.”

The smiles on both of their faces were unmistakable. Pete realized why the knotted packages in Claire’s basket looked so familiar – he had purchased parcels of meat with the same distinctive knotting from the hunter.

“I’m… glad you two are so happy.” He gave them a genuine smile, adding a pat on Cliff’s shoulder for good measure.  “I was on my way to get a good spot to watch the results.  Want to join me?”

They both nodded in response, and as they walked along, Claire gathered the courage to ask him a few questions about the feed he used for his sheep. He was more than happy to supply answers to her, and she was grateful for the little notepad she had decided to carry in her pocket that day.  When she added his advice along with Neil’s, she looked down at the paper in satisfaction as she realized the new knowledge and insider tricks she had acquired.  Cliff even managed to ask a few questions about the care of sheep, although Claire found that she had already read most of the answers to his inquiries in books she had read at the library.  She still listened carefully to Pete’s answers, jotting down little details she hadn’t heard before.

She was hardly surprised when the announcer named Pete the winner of the sheep festival. As she gave him a quick hug before he went up to the podium, a small part of her wondered if she was ever going to get to his level.  Such thoughts caused her heart to drop a bit.

“Do you know how long he has been farming?” Cliff asked her.

“I want to say it’s been seven years,” she remembered. As she said the words, she felt a little bit of relief about her own skills.  She still didn’t have an entire year in, but there were things she had accomplished.  Perhaps with time, she would be standing on that podium someday.  She looked up at Pete with a smile and cheered along with the crowd for him.

0o0o0o0

Claire waved goodbye to Cliff as she fondly watched him leave through the gate. It had been an eventful afternoon, and she was grateful that she could spend it at his side.  She was about to turn back into her house when a woman with dark blue hair walked through her gate, approaching Claire.

“Excuse me, Miss Dumont.” Her voice was sweet and smooth as she gave her a bow in greeting.  It was the same woman she had seen at the festival.  If memory served right, she was the daughter of one of the mayors in the area and seemed to be friends with Thomas’s family.

She stepped over to Claire. “I didn’t mean to startle you, but I’ve wanted to contact you for some time.  My name is Maria Linden-Yamamoto.  I run a library over in Flower Bud Village.”

Her eyebrows rose at the last name. “H-hello…”

“I’d really like to get the chance to talk to you,” Maria said cordially, lacing her fingers together. “I don’t mean to be forward, but may I come inside?”

Claire felt jittery. “O-of course.”  She unlocked the door and ushered her inside of the farmhouse.

Maria carefully removed her shoes at the door and Claire offered her a seat at the table.

“W-would you care for some tea?”

Claire realized the nervousness must have been obvious on her face, as Maria shook her head with a slight smile and chuckle. “That’s not necessary.  A very kind offer, though.”  She sat down at the table and folded her hands in her lap politely.  “I’ll get right to the point.  That boy accompanying you today…  I really don’t mean to intrude, but that must have been Cliff, am I correct?  Cliff Yamamoto?”

Claire wasn’t sure why she was terrified to answer. “… Yes.”

Maria sensed the unease lingering within Claire, and her own expressions relaxed. “Ah, what a relief!  He’s an absolute dead ringer for his uncle, who is my husband.  Ray had told me that Cliff was traveling out west.”  A smile formed upon her lips.  “I wanted to make certain it was him before I tried to contact him.”

Claire felt unsure of whether or not to tell Maria he had a room at the inn.

The woman let out a soft sigh. “I noticed him at the Fireworks Festival and I just got the feeling that it had to be him.  I haven’t told Ray anything about my hunches that Cliff was living out here.  I didn’t want to get his hopes up…  Ray… was really devastated when Cliff ran away.”  She lowered her eyes, frowning a bit.

Claire blinked. Cliff had always seemed uncomfortable when his home was mentioned, and he had wanted to leave…  She felt a little embarrassed that she had never put the obvious pieces together.  “Ran away?  So people are looking for him…”  Her voice was low.

Maria’s eyes grew large. “I’m sorry.  I assumed he had told you everything.”  She placed a finger on her lips, deep in thought.  “It would probably be best to hear it from him.  Ray always did mention that Cliff internalizes his problems.”  She turned toward Claire, giving an apologetic bow.  “Ah, I didn’t mean to speak disrespectfully of your beau.”

Claire fought a losing battle against the blush on her cheeks. “I understand.  I know he’s not perfect.”

Resting her folded hands on the table, Maria continued in a businesslike tone. “I wanted to make contact with him in the form of this letter.”  She slid a white envelope across the table to Claire.  “I’m so afraid of scaring him away.  That’s why… I thought it would be good for someone he knows and trusts to deliver him this letter.”

Claire held the envelope in her hands, looking to Maria for instruction.

“Please, go ahead and read it.”

Heart throbbing in her ears, Claire’s clammy hands carefully unfastened the envelope and she unfolded a crisp white paper covered in careful handwriting.

_Dear Cliff,_

_Perhaps I should start by introducing myself. My name is Maria.  You don’t know this, but I am your Aunt.  Ray was traveling through Flowerbud Village, my hometown, and decided to stay and start a life together with me here._

_Ray is well. He continues his fisherman’s work and provides a lot of food for the village.  He speaks of the old days with a warm nostalgia.  He talks a lot about you and your sister.  As I understand, throughout the years, your family has been scattered across the land.  Ray’s dream has been to see his loved ones once more.  I know that it would make him really happy again, and I think it would bring you joy as well._

_This is by no means a demand for you to travel to and settle down in Flower Bud Village, but the invitation is open if you haven’t found a permanent home yet. My wish is for you two to be in contact once more.  My first reason for this is because I know it would ease my husband’s heart to know that you are safe and well._

_As for the second reason…_

_Well, Ivy has been looking for you._

_She’s been traveling for the past year or so, really. Searching, traveling, searching, traveling – she sends us regular correspondence when she moves around.  Her letters bring us ease of mind._

_We promise we won’t inform Ivy of your location unless you are comfortable with sharing that, but if I recall correctly, you were traveling to find her as well. With your permission, I’d love to do everything in my power to bring my husband’s family – no, my family – back together again._

_Enclosed is our address and phone number. We miss you._

_Love,_

_Maria_

Claire finished reading the letter, a lump forming in her throat. She idly stared at the second piece of paper providing contact information.

_What if Cliff chooses Flowerbud Village over Mineral town?_

Her cheeks flushed as she hung her head, ashamed.

_That’s not what this is about! It’s about what is in Cliff’s best interest!  He needs to be free to make his own choices! Besides… he… he said he wasn’t going anywhere.  I have to trust him on that…_

_But maybe this would be better for him…_

Her eyes welled up with tears. She didn’t look up as she set the letter down on the table’s surface.

“I can see he’s very precious to you,” Maria murmured.

Claire gave a slight nod, too embarrassed to look up at her.

The woman frowned, her eyes traveling to her own tidy penmanship. “This letter will likely make him upset,” she supplied.

Another slight nod was automatically given as Claire grew numb.

“I realize it’s a lot to ask of you. Perhaps it would ease your mind a bit for me to request that you don’t give him the letter unless he specifically mentions wanting to get into contact with his family again.  There’s no need rushing into this and adding unnecessary stress.”

A slight weight lifted from Claire’s heart. She looked up at Maria, gulping.

She had watched over the pair since the fireworks festival. His doting eyes and gentle laughter had told her more than enough about the way he felt about his new life here.  “I see the way he looks at you, Claire.  Whatever decision he makes, I’m certain he will keep your best interests at heart as well.”

Her fingers traveled to the pendant around her neck. His feelings for her were obvious to a bystander?  She fought back her blush.  “He’s… a really good person.”

Maria gave her a warm smile. “I’m certain it runs in the family.”  She stood up and walked across the table, placing a soft hand upon Claire’s.  “Would you be willing to pass that message along for me when the time is right?”

_He’s going to leave. He’s going to choose his family over me.  Why wouldn’t he?  I’m just some person he met when he moved here; he’s known them his entire life…_

_But he did run away… Maybe he doesn’t want anything to do with them._

_How could he not? Maria has been nothing but kind and friendly._

_He doesn’t know Maria._

_He doesn’t ever have to know Maria if I don’t send the letter._

_Yeah, if I’m a complete monster... I can’t believe you even thought that!_

_I didn’t mean it…_

_At least I don’t think I did…_

A soft patting on her hand jolted Claire back to reality. The young woman gave a small jump as her inner thoughts buzzed through her mind like radio static.  She blinked for a moment, allowing the noise to settle a bit.  Realizing that Maria was waiting for a response to her request, her posture stiffened.

“I’ll do my best.” The words came out automatically.

She got a polite bow in response as Maria’s hands traveled over her heart. “I’m really grateful.  It seems you’re a really good person, too, Claire.”

_No, I’m not…_

Claire felt a pang of guilt for her mental dialogue.

“You’re far too kind. I try,” she replied honestly.

Maria gave her a kind smile. “I really appreciate this.  I pray that good will come of it.”

After bidding her goodbye, Claire sat back down, staring at the letter given to her. She waited for her mind to go into a flurry again with fears and worries, but instead she just got garbled discomfort.  Her mind traveled to the other day as she saw Barley sitting at his own table, brushing the tears from his face.

_“Even people that mean well sometimes cause more harm than good by trying to rush things… Family matters…  They’re often complicated and need to be handled with care.  One wrong move, and it can undo everything.”_

Standing up, she folded the letter up and carefully placed it back in the envelope, tucking it into her nightstand drawer.

_When the time is right…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: It feels like it’s been forever since I updated this. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that I got a new job! A medical biller position just kind of fell into my lap and I went for it despite my uncertainties. So far, it’s been really nice and the environment is much better than my previous job.
> 
> The second reason is that I wrote a big chunk of this chapter and accidentally deleted it. I was pretty upset about it for a while, and everything I wrote to replace the missing content didn’t feel right. It feels good to get this chapter out now. That being said, I really hope you enjoyed it. We’ll be getting into the winter chapters before we know it. As always, I really appreciate your favorites, reviews, kudos, and follows. Have a great day!


	103. Everything Will Turn Out in the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen and Cliff both have some pretty big announcements...

“So if you don’t add enough sugar, you starve the yeast and it stops fermenting,” Cliff explained, scratching down some numbers in his notebook.

“… Which is bad,” Claire finished for him.  She looked at the rows of barrels lining the walls.  They gave off a sweet, fruity smell that mixed with the cozy scent of wood.  The controlled temperature was a bit brisk, but it felt comfortable at the same time.  She could quickly see why despite still being a new employee, he looked very at home in the wine cellar of Aja Winery.

Cliff’s laugh was a bit delayed as his pencil moved across the paper.  “Yes.”

She wondered for a brief moment if she was disturbing him from his work, but she saw the corner of his mouth curl up at her words.  The fact that he was enjoying her company was encouraging enough.  She felt the warmth come into her cheeks.  “Well, can you ferment honey instead of sugar?”

“Sure, but then it will be mead instead of wine.”  He gestured toward a shelf of bottles filled with golden liquid. 

_Someday we’ll have some together…_

He swiftly returned to his note taking, moving from cask to cask.

“So, what does this thing do?” Claire pointed to a twisted contraption on top of one of the fermenting barrels.

His eyes moved up from the pages.  “Oh, that’s an airlock.  It keeps pressure stable and… well, it keeps the air out,” he explained lamely with a chuckle.

He was given a grin in return as she studied the shelves of instruments and empty bottles.  While she could relate to grape harvesting, the production of the wine itself was a very different line of work than her own.  “It’s kind of like a science experiment, huh?”

Cliff nodded, thoughtfully looking around his workstation.  “I guess so.  It’s all about keeping everything in balance.  I still have so much to learn…”  He walked past her to check the gauges and brushed against her arm as he did so, causing her cheeks to go pinker.  He froze for a moment, forgetting about his note taking as their eyes locked.  “Hey… would you…”  Cliff’s heart was hammering in his ears.  “Well, Karen mentioned your birthday is next week, and I was wondering if you had any plans.”

She shook her head.  “It would be nice to see my friends that day, but I don’t have anything set.”

He took a deep breath.  “Well, there will be a crescent moon…  Would you want to go out and watch it on the top of Mother’s Hill with me?  We can have our own little Moon Festival.”

Her eyebrows furrowed; she could still remember her heart shattering when she had asked him to watch the moon with her and he refused.

He wasn’t blind to the look in her eyes.  “I’m _really_ sorry about before.  Let me make it up to you.”

She gave him a nod, her eyes becoming shiny as she swallowed the lump in her throat.  He had asked her before, and her feelings were the same.  “All I’ve wanted was to spend it with you.  I wanna go.  I wanna go with you.”

He took her hand in his and gave it a comforting squeeze.

“Then let’s.”

Determined to see a smile on her face once more, he shyly leaned in toward her but he froze as he heard the wooden stairs above them creak when Duke walked down them.  “Cliff, I meant to ask if you could check on the…”  His voice trailed off as he saw they had company.  “Good morning, Claire.  I’m surprised to see you indoors on a nice day like today.”

“Oh, I just was taking a break from my chores and thought I’d just stop in to say hello.”  She gave him a polite nod of the head in greeting.  “Duke, I want to thank you again for hiring Cliff.”

She was given a shake of the head.  “No thanks needed; he’s a great worker and learns quickly.  Thank you for bringing him to us.”

Hearing his boss speak so candidly and positively about his performance caught Cliff by surprise and made his heart swell.  He said nothing but shyly ducked his head as he stuck his face back into his notes.

Duke laughed in response; he had heard Claire chattering before he came down and he noticed his employee talked a lot more when she was around.  He didn’t mind having her company for a while.

Claire had other ideas.  Seeing the unusual implements in Duke’s hands, she didn’t want to keep them from their work any longer.  She wasn’t blind to the fact that Cliff was busy.  Just because she was on break didn’t mean that the rest of the world was, too.

“Well, I actually stopped by because I brought you something for lunch, Cliff.”  Duke caught the color in her cheeks as she reached in her pack.  She produced a plastic container and a set of chopsticks.  “It’s… mostly pan-fried sweet potatoes with rosemary,” she confessed sheepishly, “but I made a rolled omelette, too.”

“Y-you didn’t have to-!” Cliff stammered as he accepted the container.

Her hand brushed against his in the exchange.  “Trust me, I have more than enough sweet potatoes to go around.”  Explaining her current crop problem didn’t feel right at the time.  She turned toward Duke, retrieving a large eggplant from her bag.  “And this is a thank you gift.  I know it’s not much…”

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder.  When she looked up, Duke was beaming at her.  “Really, Claire, no thanks are needed.  That being said,” he replied with a chuckle as he accepted the eggplant, “I’m not about to pass up the opportunity for some homemade eggplant parmesan!”

Claire gave them both one last look.  “Well, I had better head back to the farm; I don’t want to keep either of you.  See you later.”  She waved goodbye to them and walked up the creaky stairs.

“What a woman, huh?  And they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch!  It must be nice having a friend who is so sweet.” Duke grinned, giving the container of Cliff’s food a quick glance before marveling at the quality of the eggplant in his hands.

Cliff gave a quick nod and got back to work, his cheeks blazing.  He buried his face in his notebook to hide the goofy grin that was spreading across his face.  He wasn’t keen on being questioned for his facial expressions which were becoming increasingly harder to hold back.  The very thought that she cared for him the same way he did for her and that she still wanted to sit with him on the top of Mother’s Hill to watch the moon and stars…

He’d quickly be in dreamland if he didn’t force himself to focus on his work.

Duke looked at him curiously.  “Well, what are you in such a hurry for?  Why don’t you at least enjoy your lunch while it’s still hot?”

Cliff’s eyes moved toward the clock.  “I guess I can eat and work,” he replied, tucking his pencil behind his ear.

“Take a break; let’s have lunch together.”

He shook his head in reply.  The last thing he wanted was to look like a slacker in front of his boss.  “But I just took a break.”

“I only saw you working the whole time Claire was here.”

Cliff knew Duke was stretching the truth, and the wink he was given cemented his suspicions.  Still, when he actually looked at his notes, he was surprised.  Duke had been right to some degree, at least; Cliff had actually finished checking the pressure gauges in record time.

Duke grinned.  “Come on, let’s eat outside.  I’ll meet you in the vineyard.”  He clapped his hand on the young man’s shoulder and hurried up the stairs, eggplant tucked under his arm.

The unexpected gift leaving him in a jovial mood, Duke hummed as he entered the door to his house, twirling his wife, who was standing at the sink.  Manna let out a shriek of surprise and poked him in the arm hard.

“What was that for?!  I could have been using a knife over here and you didn’t even check first!  One of us could have gotten hurt!”

“Look what I got!” Duke shoved the vegetable under her nose.

“You stopped at the store?  You didn’t run up another huge bill, did you?” Manna scolded, snatching the eggplant.  She turned it over in her hands, taking note of its shine and deep purple color.  “This is a very nice one…  I usually don’t trust you to pick good produce… So, what do you plan on me making?” she giggled, forgetting her accusing words.

“It was a gift!” Duke replied defensively, briefly forgetting of his beloved eggplant parmesan.  “A thank you gift from our dear employee’s little girlfriend.”

Manna’s eyes softened as she smiled at the thoughtful gift.  “Aw, how sweet of her to think of us…”  She cradled the vegetable in her arm as if it was a child before pausing, a look of horror spreading across her features.  “You better not have called her that to her face, though!  People can get sensitive about those kinds of things.  Tell me you didn’t say that!”

“I didn’t!” her husband insisted.

“Let them figure it out themselves; they’re adults, after all…”

Duke was surprised to hear that response from his wife, but he kept his mouth shut.  “Whatever.  I’m gonna have some lunch outside.”  He rummaged through the refrigerator and grabbed a block of cheese and some grapes.

“Not a word on it!” Manna reminded him with a stern look, her eyebrows furrowed.  “I won’t have you upsetting that boy!”

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he gave her a nod, heading out to the vineyard.  There was no way that he would do anything to intentionally upset Cliff, because, as he was swiftly learning, he had grown fond of him just as his wife had.

_It’s still a shame he doesn’t talk all that much…_

His employee was already sitting outside with his lunch in his lap.  He was seated beneath one of the trellises and was staring up at the clear blue sky dreamily.

“Got something on your mind, Son?”

Cliff was thoughtfully looking down at his sweet potatoes when he gave a slight nod.  “Just sorting something out,” he confessed.  A twitching smile crept on the corner of his mouth.  “I think… everything’s going to turn out for the best, though.”

Duke popped a grape into his mouth as he took a seat beside him, letting out a grunt as he did so.  “That’s one thing I’ve learned throughout the years.  Things work out one way or another.”

He saw Cliff’s shoulders visibly sink down as he looked at him cautiously.  “Y-you really think so, too?”  He almost sounded afraid to believe him despite his own words on the matter.

“I know so.  It’s the only sure thing we’ve got in this crazy world.”

_After all, I still have my phone calls with Aja…_

“I guess you’re right.”  Cliff’s words were soft but laced with determination.

0o0o0o0

Claire listened to the cereal jingle playing in the background on her television as Karen popped a small handful of shredded cheese into her mouth.

“The toppings are officially ready.  Can I do the sauce?”

Claire looked at the arrangement of chopped toppings her friend had prepared.  With careful guidance, the bits of vegetables, cheese, and cooked sausage looked fairly uniform.  She gave a nod as she passed along the jar of sauce with a spoon.

“I want to stretch out the dough just a little more…”  She could feel Karen’s eager eyes on her as she pulled the pizza dough to the corners of the pan.  Smiling at her handiwork, Claire nudged the pan toward her friend, scratching an itch on her face with her floury hand.

Karen saw the flour on the bridge of Claire’s nose and grinned, deciding not to call attention to her little mishap.  Claire was often very serious when she tried to show her how to cook, and Karen was in the mood for a lighter atmosphere.  The television playing in the background, the heat from the oven near them…  It was cozy.  It was comfortable.

“I feel… strangely happy.”  Karen slapped a spoonful of messy red sauce in the middle of the uncooked pizza crust.  At the messy splatter, she was grateful for the aprons her mother had insisted she bring Claire’s house. 

_Lighthearted company and good food…  This is what I need right now._

“It’s honestly like a large weight has been lifted,” she continued, amateurly spreading the sauce with the back of the spoon.  Her motions were clumsy, but the joy in her body language was easy to pick up on.

“Well, I’m glad you’re feeling well.” Claire gave her a smile.  She dusted the flour off of her hands and watched Karen work.

“I took Rick out for his birthday last night.  I showed up at his door with a bouquet of roses.  We had a candlelit steak dinner at Doug’s.  We sat on the pier and watched the sunset with a bottle of wine…”  There was a faraway look in her eyes as her eyebrows slightly furrowed.  She pensively stuck the spoon back into the jar of sauce, moving her eyes up to the ceiling.

“So things went well.  That’s always a good thing.”

Karen’s smile faltered.  “W-well… things… ended up for the best.”  She let out a deep sigh as she blinked her shiny eyes.  A couple of fat tears tumbled down her cheeks and she let out a breathy chuckle, brushing them away with the backs of her hands.  “He… didn’t seem to enjoy anything I did for him.  He just kind of sat there nervously and kept bringing up work.  I… dumped him,” she finally admitted with a sniff, unceremoniously placing another dollop of sauce down on the crust with a splat.

“Oh…”  Claire was caught by surprise.  “Karen… I’m so sorry.”

The brunette shook her head, setting down the spoon and wiping the last of her tears.  “It’s fine.  It… needed to happen, really.”  She thought of the night before, standing by his front door.  She could still see the shock in his eyes as she calmly told him how she was feeling and the way his posture stiffened when she gave him a platonic wave goodbye.

She looked over and could see Claire clenching her fists.  “Didn’t he see that you were trying your hardest?  You went out of your way to do all of those things for him and he didn’t even seem to care…” 

Karen’s friend didn’t look very intimidating with flour on her nose.  The brunette let out another sigh.  “It’s… okay…  I think.”

“No!  No, it’s not!”  Claire was surprised when a wave of frustration flooded her heart.  She gritted her teeth, whirling around angrily.  Her elbow knocked into the bowl of shredded cheese sitting beside them.  It flew into the air in slow motion and the pair watched in horror as it rained down on the kitchen floor.  Koro let out a happy bark and pushed his way into the kitchen, his tail excitedly wagging as he attempted to get as much cheese as possible.

Karen said nothing as they crouched down on the floor to clean the mess in silence, but there was an understanding look in her green eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” Claire sputtered, going red-faced as she crouched down to pick up the cheese.  She wasn’t sure if she was apologizing for her clumsiness or her outburst that had caused it in the first place.  Either way, Karen didn’t call out Claire on her immature behavior, which she appreciated.  Claire attempted to shoo her dog away, but he quickly squirmed his way back between the women, licking up the shreds of cheese he could reach with his long pink tongue.  Claire pushed him out of the way and he gave her an indignant look.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Karen replied, tossing the cheese into the bowl between them.  “Things happen for a reason.”

“But…”  Claire could still see a blushing Karen at the cooking festival, eager to catch Rick’s attention.  Was this really the way things were going to end between the two childhood friends?

Claire tossed another handful of cheese into the bowl and sighed when she saw Koro’s snout resting on the edge of the bowl, gobbling up the cheese they were putting back in.

“That’s enough, Koro!  You’re going to get a stomachache!”  She scooped up the small dog and deposited him outside, closing the door behind him.  His ears perked up as he spun around, pawing on the door to be let back in.

Tossing the remnants of the cheese from the bowl into the garbage bin, Claire let out a sigh.  “Well, looks like we’re either having a pizza without cheese or we need to go buy some more.”

Karen had already removed her apron and was pulling on her boots.  “I think… some fresh air might feel nice.”

Claire’s facial expressions softened as she joined her, lacing up her work boots.  “Groceries it is, then.”  Her hand touched the doorknob when Karen leaned in, brushing the bridge of Claire’s nose with a napkin.  The blonde jumped in surprise and was met with a laugh.

“You had flour on your nose.”  She felt a little regretful about the change in atmosphere.

“Ah, thanks.”

They stepped outside together and Koro stood up, twirling in circles around their feet as he brushed his muzzle against their legs, tail wagging.

“I think your little goof is trying to apologize,” Karen laughed.

Claire gave Koro a pat on the head, grinning.  “Yeah, but I don’t think he’s exactly sure what he’s apologizing for.”

They shared a smile as they left the gates of Mystic Acres.

“Thank you for listening to all my whining and complaining…”  Karen brushed her hair out of her face as they headed out toward the supermarket.

The cobblestone streets were dusted with fallen leaves and they crunched through them as they continued along.  Claire noticed that her friend was purposefully walking through them and noisily kicking them up in the air a bit.  A smile played at the corner of the brunette’s mouth at seeing the browned leaves fall around her.  She took a deep breath before she began speaking again.

“Me and Rick…  We have so much history together…  I’m not really sure if he’s going to want to remain friends or what.”  She gave Claire a sad smile.  “I guess all I can do is give us some time and see what happens…”  She let out a sigh.  “In some ways, I felt like this was destined to happen, but in others, I…”  She stopped walking and Claire could see her shoulders shaking as she attempted to contain herself.  “I’m afraid I ruined something that had the potential to be amazing.”

Claire wrapped her arm around Karen’s and nuzzled her head against her shoulder.  “But… you were unhappy and you deserve better.”

She was met with a quiet but bitter laugh in response.  “I’m not sure about all of that.  When it all boils down to it, isn’t it really about what our roles are in this monotonous town?  My parents had implied a couple of times that I needed to start thinking about getting used to the idea of living on the poultry farm – almost as if they were expecting me and Rick to get married.”

It felt like a lifetime ago when Karen had admitted with frustration she didn’t have what it took to be a “good wife” shortly after they had met in the spring.  So much had changed since then…  “How… did that make you feel?” she asked curiously.

Karen shook her head.  “If things had actually been going well, it might have made me happy, but instead, it just made me feel trapped.  Rick and I… we were never really on the same page, and that’s why I let him go.  He was too wrapped up in work and the stresses of his family.  I…  I just wanted... t-to be a relief from all that, y’know?”  Her voice cracked as she wiped a lone tear from her eye.  “Someone to hug and kiss…  Someone whose presence would make all your worries just fade away…  He just kept fighting it, so obviously I failed at being that for him.”

“I’m sorry,” Claire murmured as they approached Karen’s house.

“Don’t be.  I wanted to make a change, and I did.”

Claire’s frown disappeared.  “Yeah...  You’re right.”

They both fell silent as the supermarket door creaked open and Cliff stepped outside, fastening his bag, his face glowing and his eyes starry.  His gaze fell on his friends standing outside and his cheeks immediately turned burgundy.

“Cl-Claire!  Ah, and Karen!  Hello!  What are you two up to?”  He was unaware of the fact that he was nearly shouting.

Karen curiously looked between her two friends, quickly forgetting about her own troubles.  “Just hanging out.  Claire’s going to do some grocery shopping so we don’t have a cheese-less pizza.”

“Ah, our timing wasn’t quite right to go in there together,” Claire gave him a wistful smile.

Cliff looked down at his bag and tucked it under his arm protectively.  “Yeah… maybe some other time.  It’s alright, though.”

Karen’s eyes flicked back toward the door he just walked out of and a hint of a smile curled at the corners of her mouth as she carefully studied his expression. 

As they waved goodbye to him, the two watched him head off in the direction of the church.  It was in that moment that Claire could feel Karen’s eyes on her.

“He finally asked you, didn’t he?  To be his?”

Claire’s heart gave a loud thump and she could feel the color rushing to her face.  “I-I wasn’t trying to keep it from you-!”  With Karen’s unhappiness with Rick, bringing up the subject just hadn’t felt appropriate.

Her friend shook her head with a smile.  “Really, it’s fine.  I knew there was something different about you the moment we started talking today.”  Karen cleared her throat and straightened her posture.  “You seem… happier.  More free.”  She thought of Cliff’s mannerisms moments ago.  It was endearing, really, and the two were constantly bringing smiles to one another’s faces.  “I…  I truly hope you two bring each other joy.” 

Her eyes drifted toward the pendant around Claire’s neck.  Claire had said nothing about the piece, but it had been obvious to her the moment they met up that day.  She had no doubt that the piece of jewelry was Cliff’s handiwork and that it was a token of his affection.  Seeing such a rustic necklace on a woman that was raised in the city warmed her heart.  Cliff and Claire seemed to have come from different worlds, but when it came right down to it, she couldn’t think of two people who had more in common.  Karen might find that herself one day, or maybe she never would…  However, in that moment, she wanted to focus on the joy her friend was feeling.

Claire’s hands gravitated over her heart and she felt a warm glow.  “Thank you.”

Karen pushed the door to the grocery store.  “Let’s pick up some wine while we’re in here, too.  We can make a toast – to new beginnings… for both of us.”

A bittersweet smile found its way on Claire’s lips.  “Yeah.”

0o0o0o0

Cliff walked toward the church, his light feet growing heavier with each step as reality set in for him.  Lightheadedness overcame him as he stepped inside of the church, his hands gripping the back of the pew as he slowly regained himself.  The pure ecstasy and high he had been feeling was crashing down as the situation hit him.  Dragging his feet to the confessional, Cliff struggled to gulp, his mouth and throat suddenly dry. 

“Hi, welcome,” the priest said warmly as he heard the confessional door open.

“C-Carter…”  Cliff’s voice was quavering.  He lingered in the shadows, making no motion to approach Carter.  “Th-there’s not much sense me sitting behind this screen, huh?”

“You know that I am never here to judge.  Sit where you like.”

Cliff’s knees practically gave out beneath him as he knelt behind the privacy screen, his mind a buzz of activity as he attempted to sort through his thoughts.

Carter was surprised when he heard no movement, as he was expecting to see him walking through any moment to sit with him.  He could hear his friend attempting to control his breathing from behind the screen, and he bit back the urge to ask him to take a seat across from him.  The priest waited silently.  He knew better than to ask him what was wrong until he had calmed down first.  Carter slowly inhaled and exhaled out of his mouth rather loudly; he hadn’t resorted to this tactic for quite a while. 

Cliff matched the rhythm and was silent for a few minutes.  His mind was racing with emotions and half-formed thoughts.  However, he knew that Carter was waiting for some kind of response from him.

_Where do I even begin?_

“D… Do you think… someone like me…?”

Carter sat quietly, folding his hands in his lap as he continued his slow breathing.

Cliff tried again.  “Do you think that there is… _redemption_ … for someone like me?”

He was surprised when he heard an answer right away.  “Always.”  Carter smiled through the screen, but his heart hurt. 

_For Cliff to be talking like this again…_

He was reminded of snowy winter afternoons consoling him, struggling to give him a shred of hope.  While he prayed that it was a fluke, it seemed his companion had taken several steps backward today in his recovery.  Seeing all of that progress suddenly undone and to hear his voice so fearful once more made it impossible for Carter to keep his own emotions from bubbling to the surface.  “Never give up hope.” 

_… Something big must have happened._

“I-I’m not really sure if I d-deserve…”  Cliff’s voice faded.  “I’ve caused so many people unhappiness…  And for me to think I should be allowed to be happy, too…  Maybe it’s all just a bad idea.”  He hung his head, a wave of shame overcoming him.

Carter could tell his friend was struggling not to cry.  A sad smile spread across the pastor’s lips.  They had rehashed this conversation so many times over the past year or so when he first arrived in town.  “Everyone deserves another chance.  You can’t keep yourself shackled to your past, or you will never move forward.  You will never truly be happy until you allow yourself to be.”

He could see the young man shifting uncomfortably behind the privacy screen.  “B-but the gods…  Surely they don’t…”

There was a long pause.

“What makes you think they’ve forsaken you?” Carter asked gently.

He didn’t get a reply right away.  “Because they allowed things to happen the way they did,” his voice cracked.  “How could they not give up on someone so selfish?”

He had heard that voice say those words several times, but he remained patient with him.  “Because everyone is deserving of love.”

Carter could tell by the uneven breathing that the young man was silently crying.  This particular soul had always been the hardest for him to counsel because he loved him so much; it was difficult to remain impartial.

“Come over here, Cliff,” Carter requested gently.  He knew he was breaking protocol, but he didn’t care.

He heard the obedient shuffling of feet as he stepped around the screen, staring at the ground.  His hair hung in his eyes, and his shoulders slouched with such defeat that Carter was almost afraid to ask what was weighing on his heart.  The priest stood up and gave him a caring hug.  He wasn’t surprised when he didn’t receive one back.  Cliff set his satchel on the floor and plopped down in the chair across from him.

“I… I messed up badly.”  His mind was racing.  His eyes widened and the pitch of his voice increased as he looked back at the confessional door.  “M-maybe I should head back now and I can-”

“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on and we can work through it together?”  It was obvious that he had wanted to do this in the first place, at least on a subconscious level.

“It’s only a matter of time before everyone finds out…”  Cliff audibly gulped, clutching the strap to the bag he set on the floor beside him in his sweaty hands.  “Maybe everything would be better if I…. just threw it away…”  Frowning, his words died down.

Carter took his seat; something was obviously on his friend’s mind.  He waited for Cliff to make a move.  There was a long silence as Cliff wrung his hands and stared down at the carpet.  There were a couple of times when Carter thought he was about to speak, but he closed his mouth again, biting his lip.  When words finally came out of his mouth, his volume was very low.

“I-I… it’s because I made a purchase today…”

Getting any sort of response from him was relief at this point.  “Oh?  Where at?” he asked in a friendly, conversational manner.  He gave him an encouraging smile and leaned forward in his seat a bit.

“I wasn’t planning on doing it today… or maybe I was without realizing it…  I-I mean… I’ve been _thinking_ about it…”  Carter was surprised how well his body language had worked; he hadn’t expected a response so quickly.  Cliff was twisting the strap of his bag around his knuckles.  “I bought something at Jeff and Sasha’s…”  His eyes moved back to the satchel and his face was covered in a thick veil of worry.  “I…  I was really happy at first…”  He stared at the floor.  “B-but now…”

Carter had a feeling he knew exactly what was in the satchel.  His heart pounded in excitement, and he swallowed the lump in his throat, choking his own feelings down once again.  “Let’s see it then.”  He gave his friend a look of understanding.  “I know you brought it with you.”

Face turning a deep shade of scarlet, Cliff struggled with his shaking hands as he reached into his bag.  He pulled out a slim box and took a deep breath, opening the lid and carefully pulling back the tissue paper protecting its contents.  He unwrapped it slowly, almost as if the item were too precious to handle.  Worry lines dotting his forehead while beaming, he revealed a single feather the length of his forearm.  It had a long, straight shaft with tidy brilliant blue plumage.  It was the color of a clear summer sky – the same hue as the intended recipient’s eyes.

Carter found himself blinking back tears of joy.  He hadn’t expected himself to get so emotional and his heart was doing happy somersaults.  “I-It’s very beautiful, Cliff…”  He struggled to keep his voice level.

The young man nodded, not removing his eyes from the feather, still in disbelief that he was actually holding it.  “I…  I don’t know what _I’m_ doing with it, though…”

_It’s too much…_

“I think that you do, or you wouldn’t have bought it,” Carter replied with a grin.

Cliff wouldn’t allow the smile to remain on his face despite how badly he wanted to simply relish in the moment.  “She… she deserves _better_ …”  He stared at the object in his hands, but they both knew he wasn’t referring to the lavish plume’s quality.

Carter caught the look in his eyes – he looked ecstatic, pained, and afraid all at the same time.  As he watched his friend’s body quiver, he realized he was probably not far off the mark.  He calmly folded his hands in his lap despite his own giddiness; Cliff’s emotions had always been contagious to him.  “Claire deserves someone who loves her deeply as both a human being and a woman.  Don’t you do that for her?”

Cliff felt his face grow red as his heart pounded in his ears.  Carter was someone that he had confided in time and time again, but he had always been very careful about the words he used to describe his feelings for Claire.  Admitting aloud that it was love would simply open himself up to criticism, and part of him didn’t want Carter, someone he trusted so well, to try to talk him out his feelings.  Holding the feather in his hands, he realized at once that he had more than exposed his feelings and he couldn’t tell if he felt more terrified or free.  Carter hadn’t laughed at him or persuaded him away from feeling the way he did. 

Cliff mulled the priest’s words over in his mind.   He pictured the warmth and genuine kindness of her smile.  Claire had been kind to him from the day they introduced themselves.  She didn’t have to speak to him beyond that initial introduction in the church.  She had chosen to speak to him on days he was overrun with grief, quietly reciting prayers with him.  She had never pried about his previous life while he stewed on the past.  Claire had fought for him to stay in Mineral Town despite his negativity earlier that season. 

He reflected for a moment on the way her eyes burned with passion and enthusiasm when she talked about her farm.  Seeing her made him want to try harder in his own life and he felt like his life had been improved just by knowing her. 

_At what point did I start seeing her company as a goal to strive toward?_

_Those smiling blue eyes, that musical laugh, that warm touch…_

_That heart…_

He found that he was shaking.

“She’s… so much more than I could ever possibly hope to deserve…”

Carter had a thoughtful look on his face.  “You don’t realize it, but you are more than she deserves as well.”  He gave Cliff a smile.  “That’s the way things tend to go for a pure and honest love.”

Cliff basked in his friend’s words for a moment, but the grin on his face faded.  Carter had made it sound almost as if he was certain Claire’s feelings were the same.  The young man shook his head.  Perhaps some affection was there, but he’d have to be crazy to think it was to the same degree.  “B-but she could never… no…” Cliff looked back at the feather doubtfully. 

“Why not?” Carter asked.

He was given a sigh in response.  “I haven’t even told her… that I love her yet.”  Cliff felt embarrassed saying the words aloud; they made him realize how pathetic the whole situation was.

“Love can be shown in many forms.”  The priest shrugged this off.  His eyes traveled to the feather in Cliff’s hands.  “Just because you haven’t explicitly stated it doesn’t mean the feelings aren’t there.”

“But…”

“If you truly believed you didn’t have a chance, you wouldn’t be holding that feather right now,” Carter replied.  “Give it to her when you are ready.  There’s no rush; she’s not looking elsewhere.”  He gave him a wink.

Cliff’s heart rose at his words and he bit his lip in response. 

_Am I really that desperate for someone’s blessing with Claire?_

The giddiness filling him pushed away his minor annoyance and his face lit up despite his misgivings.  He gave the feather a gentle stroke, careful not to ruffle it.  “Y-you really think…?”  He twirled it between his forefinger and thumb, carefully observing its intricate details.  “I mean… I didn’t buy this thinking I’d offer it to her tomorrow… Maybe someday…”  The initial joy he felt when he made the purchase returned to him in a rush.  “… It’s starting to feel a little less like a hopeless fantasy,” he admitted.

“It isn’t fantasy, Cliff; it’s real life.”  Carter’s smile faded a bit, and he took notice.  “And that’s why I need to be honest with you…”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

Sensing his uneasiness, Carter let out a sigh and proceeded carefully.  “Claire can make you happy, but… unless you come to terms with your past and heal, you will never know the true joy the gods have in store for you.”

Cliff gritted his teeth.  He wanted to focus on his bliss in being with Claire; he had been aching to share that with someone for so long.  Why was Carter bringing this up now and ruining the mood?  “I’ve been happiest when I just forget anything ever happened,” he admitted, eager to get back to the subject of his love.  “Everything’s going to be fine.  I started feeling much better once I started distracting myself,” he pointed out.

Carter shook his head.  As much as he liked Cliff, this needed to be said – perhaps for that very same reason.  “That will work for a while, but it won’t heal you.  Think of how you felt when you first came in here to talk with me today.  Even if you’re okay with numbing yourself, you’re not being fair.  Can you hold in all of that pain and still be a worthy husband to Claire?”

“H-husband…”  Cliff stared down at the floor silently for several moments.  He had purchased the feather as soon as he could afford it because it represented something that he had wanted so badly for so long.  He thought he knew all of the implications of giving someone a blue feather, but now that he was actually holding it in his hands, he slowly realized just how much offering one entailed.  He looked back up at Carter with a flushed face, but his eyes were determined.  “I’m going to have to tell Claire someday…  She’s going to need to know everything that happened… everything I did…”

Carter said nothing, but gave a slight nod.

The color faded from his cheeks.  “… And only then…”  Cliff gulped, pausing and recomposing himself.  “I-I can only pray that she would have me…”  He solemnly wrapped the feather back up and carefully packed it in his bag, his heart sinking a bit.

“It’s a very big decision,” Carter said slowly, “But you are allowed to feel happy about it, too.  I didn’t mean to take that joy from you; I apologize.  I just wanted to make sure you understood how important it is that you are happy with yourself before you decide to join your life with someone else.”

A sigh escaped Cliff’s mouth.  His entire adult life hadn’t been easy, and he was foolish for thinking that everything would suddenly become simple with one purchase.  He looked down at the satchel.  “I… I want to do it _right_.  Again… I’m not planning on giving it to her tomorrow…”

Carter smiled at him.  “Exactly.  There is no need to hurry; healing always takes time.”

He was given a slight nod in response.  With all of the emotions that had been running through Cliff’s heart, he was left a little unsure of how to feel.  He decided that perhaps simple relief would be enough for now; the fact that he had been brave enough to buy the feather in the first place had said a lot.  Seeing and holding it helped make his decision feel more solid.

_Someday I will ask her._

As he bade Carter goodbye, he was unable to shake his uneasiness at everything that was discussed.

_Could she ever really love someone like me after knowing everything?_

He swallowed the lump in his throat as he continued along, shifting his bag on his shoulder.

_I have to give myself a chance and have hope._

_After all, things end up working out one way or another in the end, right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: I hope y’all haven’t been waiting too impatiently for this long-awaited chapter. It was delayed for a combination of reasons. Being in a more stable mindset has been stifling my creativity lately, and a lot of evenings when I come home, I just stare and stare at the screen, trying to figure out how to write something that doesn’t sound like garbage. I sometimes have a really hard writing something I’m satisfied with and a lot of times nothing sounds right. 
> 
> Honestly, a big part of this was being intimidated by the content of this chapter. I wanted to have Cliff buy the feather, but I worried that readers would think he was being too hasty. Well, the truth is, he is being too hasty. There’s no reason for me to worry about that as a flaw in my writing – it’s just a flaw in the character – his impatience, which is something I am happy to embrace. I wanted to make him so eager to get to his happy ending that he was willing to overlook the challenges he has yet to overcome. So, yeah, I kinda made Carter a bit of a buzz kill, but he had Cliff’s best interests at heart.
> 
> Between Cliff’s worries about the blue feather and the end of Karen’s relationship with Rick, I was trying to create a theme of things working out for the best. I was really unsure of how I wanted the situation with Karen to work out, but the more I thought of their dynamic, the more I felt both Karen and Rick would need to change if they were going to truly be happy with one another. Right now, they’re just two people who aren’t on the same page as each other at all, which makes me a little sad. Eh, I’m always putting these characters through tough situations, though, haha.
> 
> It makes me a little sad that this community isn’t as active as it used to be. It’s kind of hard to keep track of who is still reading along. If you’re still reading this, I greatly appreciate your support! I’m always happy to talk about my story or yours! ;) As I get used to working again and get into a steady routine, I hope to make more frequent updates. I hope you enjoyed. As always, I’d love to hear what you think!
> 
> P.S. I'm posting this on the eve of my nine year wedding anniversary with my lovely husband who edits for me. He's helped me more than he could ever know for this story. Besides doing proofreading work, he lets me bounce his ideas off of him, and he regularly boosts my confidence in my writing, letting me know that I'm not churning out garbage. Plus, he's the not-so-subtle inspiration behind a lot of Cliff's mannerisms and quirks, haha. Happy anniversary, love!


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